Proverbs & idioms

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

• 泥田を棒で打つどろたをぼうでうつto do something stupid; to do something pointless; to hit a muddy rice field with a stick
• 洛陽の紙価を高めるらくようのしかをたかめるto be favorably received and sell extremely well (of a book); to raise the price of paper in Luoyang
• 海のものとも山のものともつかないうみのものともやまのものともつかないneither fish nor fowl; hard to predict; up in the air; unclear
• 海の物とも山の物とも判らないうみのものともやまのものともわからないneither fish nor fowl; hard-to-predict
• 涙をのむなみだをのむto swallow one's tears; to choke back one's tears; to hold back one's disappointment; to suppress one's mortification
• 涙腺が緩むるいせんがゆるむto get teary; to be moved to tears