Proverbs & idioms

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

• 棚から牡丹餅たなからぼたもちan unexpected piece of good fortune — like a sweet bean dumpling falling from a shelf
• 楽あれば苦ありらくあればくありafter pleasure comes pain; there is no pleasure without pain; there is no rose without a thorn; take the good with the bad
• 楽して楽知らずらくしてらくしらずhe who has never toiled, does not know what it is to enjoy repose
• 楽は苦の種、苦は楽の種らくはくのたね、くはらくのたねthere's no pain without pleasure, and there's no pleasure without pain
• 欲の熊鷹股裂くよくのくまたかまたさくavarice brings doom upon oneself; grasp all, lose all; the greedy hawk-eagle splits in half (when trying to catch two boars at once)
• 歌人は居ながらにして名所を知るかじんはいながらにしてめいしょをしるpoets can stay in one place and still know all the famous sights