Proverbs & idioms

Japanese proverbs (ことわざ), four-character idioms (四字熟語), and idioms — from JMdict.

• あちら立てればこちらが立たぬあちらたてればこちらがたたぬit is hard to please everybody; damned if you do and damned if you don't
• あの世千日この世一日あのよせんにちこのよいちにちa day in life is better than a thousand days in the afterlife; better one day in this world than a thousand in the next
• あの声で蜥蜴食らうか時鳥あのこえでとかげくらうかほととぎすdon't judge a book by its cover
• ある所にはあるあるところにはあるthose who have it (esp. wealth) have it; it does exist (somewhere); there are places where you can find it
• いい後は悪いいいあとはわるいafter the good comes the bad
• いつまでもあると思うな親と金いつまでもあるとおもうなおやとかねyou cannot rely on parents and money to stay around forever; money comes and goes; so do parents