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Proverbs & idioms
1789 entries
Japanese proverbs (ことわざ), four-character idioms (四字熟語), and idioms — from JMdict.
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Four-character idioms
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喧々囂々
けんけんごうごう
wild uproar; pandemonium; clamor of voices; tumult
喧々諤々
けんけんがくがく
tumultuous (with everyone voicing their opinions simultaneously); uproarious
單槍匹馬
たんそうひつば
doing something on one's own without another's help
嘉言善行
かげんぜんこう
good words and good deeds
嘉辰令月
かしんれいげつ
auspicious date
器用貧乏
きようびんぼう
jack of all trades, master of none
四六時中
しろくじちゅう
around the clock; day and night
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四分五裂
しぶんごれつ
torn asunder; disrupted and disorganized
四十不惑
しじゅうふわく
at age forty, one has no doubts
四方八方
しほうはっぽう
all directions; every direction; all sides; all quarters; everywhere
四書五経
ししょごきょう
the Four Books and Five Classics of Confucianism; the Nine Chinese Classics
四海兄弟
しかいけいてい
people in the whole world being all brothers; universal brotherhood
四海同胞
しかいどうほう
universal brotherhood
四百四病
しひゃくしびょう
every type of disease
四神相応
しじんそうおう
an ideal topography for the four Taoist gods, with a river in the east, a broad avenue in the west, a basin in the south, and a hill in the north
四肢五体
ししごたい
the whole body
四苦八苦
しくはっく
being in dire distress; being hard put to it; being hard pressed (for money); the four and eight kinds of suffering (birth, old age, disease, death, parting from loved ones, meeting disliked ones, not getting what one seeks, pains of the five skandha)
四角四面
しかくしめん
square; formal; prim; stuffy
四通八達
しつうはったつ
traffic network extending in all directions
四里四方
よりよほう
large area; four ri square (approx. 16 sq km); Edo
四面楚歌
しめんそか
being surrounded by enemies on all sides; being betrayed (forsaken) by everybody
因循姑息
いんじゅんこそく
dilly-dallying and temporizing (temporising)
因果因縁
いんがいんねん
cause and effect; karma; retribution; an evil cause producing an evil effect
因果応報
いんがおうほう
retribution; retributive justice; karma; just deserts; poetic justice; reward and punishment for one's past behavior
因果覿面
いんがてきめん
the swiftness of retributive justice
困苦欠乏
こんくけつぼう
hardships and privations
困苦窮乏
こんくきゅうぼう
hardships and privations
固陋頑迷
ころうがんめい
obstinate; stubborn; hard-headed; pigheaded; incapable of making sound judgements because of a narrow, inflexible and obstinate mentality
国利民福
こくりみんぷく
national interests and the people's welfare
国士無双
こくしむそう
distinguished person
国威発揚
こくいはつよう
enhancing national prestige; expanding national influence
土崩瓦解
どほうがかい
complete collapse; (something) going to pieces (breaking up beyond repair)
地盤沈下
じばんちんか
land subsidence; decline in influence
坐作進退
ざさしんたい
deportment; behavior; carriage
垂涎三尺
すいぜんさんじゃく
avid desire; drooling over (something); watering at the mouth
垂直思考
すいちょくしこう
rigid (stereotypical) thinking that adheres to preconceived notions; vertical thinking; linear thinking
堂塔伽藍
どうとうがらん
religious buildings (temples, shrines, pagodas, etc.)
堅塞固塁
けんさいこるい
impregnable fortress; heavily guarded fort
堅忍不抜
けんにんふばつ
indomitable perseverance; invincible fortitude
堅牢堅固
けんろうけんご
firm and solid; stout and durable
堅白同異
けんぱくどうい
sophism; sophistry; quibbling
堕落腐敗
だらくふはい
debasement; corruption; degradation
報恩謝徳
ほうおんしゃとく
repaying kindness with gratitude
墨痕淋漓
ぼっこんりんり
in bold, vivid brush strokes
士気阻喪
しきそそう
demoralization; collapse of morale; one's morale being shaken
士気高揚
しきこうよう
raising morale; lifting of morale
士農工商
しのうこうしょう
hierarchy of samurai, farmers, artisans, and merchants in Edo society
士魂商才
しこんしょうさい
having a samurai's spirit and a merchant's business sense
変幻自在
へんげんじざい
phantasmagoric; protean; shape-shifting; kaleidoscopic; capable of ever-changing appearance
夏炉冬扇
かろとうせん
summer fires and winter fans; useless things