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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.
Proverbs
Four-character idioms
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首尾一貫
しゅびいっかん
consistent; unchanging from beginning to end
首尾貫徹
しゅびかんてつ
(logical) consistency; coherence; unchanging from beginning to end
首鼠両端
しゅそりょうたん
being unable to make up one's mind; sitting on the fence
馬耳東風
ばじとうふう
utter indifference; talking to the wall; praying to deaf ears
馬鹿慇懃
ばかいんぎん
overdone politeness; polite to a fault; feigned politeness
驕兵必敗
きょうへいひっぱい
defeat is inevitable for an overconfident army; being arrogant and overconfident inevitably leads to defeat; pride comes before a fall
驚天動地
きょうてんどうち
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astounding; startling; world-shaking; amazing; earth-shattering
骨肉相食
こつにくそうしょく
blood feud; domestic discord
高位高官
こういこうかん
(person of) high rank and office (exalted station); persons in high positions
高山流水
こうざんりゅうすい
high mountains and running water; the beauty of nature; beautifully (skillfully) played music
高手小手
たかてこて
bound hands and arms
高歌放吟
こうかほうぎん
singing at the top of one's voice
高論卓説
こうろんたくせつ
an excellent opinion; an insightful view
鬼哭啾啾
きこくしゅうしゅう
spine-chilling (like the wailing and weeping of a restless ghost); hair-raising
鬼手仏心
きしゅぶっしん
compassionate ruthlessness; merciless scalpel of a merciful surgeon; a demon's hand and a Buddha's heart
鬼面仏心
きめんぶっしん
having the face of a devil and the heart of Buddha; having a stern face but a tender heart
魑魅魍魎
ちみもうりょう
evil spirits of rivers and mountains
魚目燕石
ぎょもくえんせき
imitation that looks identical to the original; fake causing the original to lose value
魯魚亥豕
ろぎょがいし
miswriting a word; using the wrong kanji to write a word
魯魚章草
ろぎょしょうそう
miswriting a word; using the wrong kanji to write a word
鮮血淋漓
せんけつりんり
dripping with fresh blood
鯨飲馬食
げいいんばしょく
drinking like a fish and eating like a horse; eating mountains of food and drinking oceans of liquor
鰥寡孤独
かんかこどく
with no one upon whom to depend; utter loneliness; the lonely and the helpless; people who have no kith or kin
鳩首凝議
きゅうしゅぎょうぎ
put heads together and confer; convene and discuss; go into a huddle (over)
鳩首協議
きゅうしゅきょうぎ
put heads together and confer; convene and discuss; go into a huddle (over)
鳩首謀議
きゅうしゅぼうぎ
go into a huddle (over); hold a secret conference (about); put heads together and conspire
鳶飛魚躍
えんぴぎょやく
all of creation following their original natures, living and enjoying themselves freely; the kites fly and the fish leap; Heaven's will that all of creation shall follow their original natures and live freely; as a ruler's benevolence spreads, the people will find their places in the land based on their abilities
鵬程万里
ほうていばんり
(over) a great distance; (a long journey (flight, voyage)) to (from) a faraway place
鶏口牛後
けいこうぎゅうご
better to be the beak of a rooster than the rump of a bull; better to be the leader of a small group than a subordinate in a large organization; better to be a big fish in a little pond than a little fish in a big pond
鶏鳴狗盗
けいめいくとう
person who resorts to petty tricks; person of small caliber who is only capable of petty tricks
麻姑掻痒
まこそうよう
things happening exactly as one pleases (wishes); someone being very attentive to one's wishes
黄塵万丈
こうじんばんじょう
rising cloud of (yellowish) dust
黄粱一炊
こうりょういっすい
fleeting nature of riches and honour (honor)
黄道吉日
おうどうきちにち
very auspicious day for all types of occasions
黒風白雨
こくふうはくう
sudden rain shower in a dust storm
鼓腹撃壌
こふくげきじょう
(people) sing the praises (enjoy the blessings) of peace
鼓舞激励
こぶげきれい
encouragement
鼻元思案
はなもとじあん
superficial (shortsighted) way of thinking; half-baked (foolish, ill-advised) idea
鼻先思案
はなさきじあん
superficial (shortsighted) way of thinking; half-baked (foolish, ill-advised) idea