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Proverbs & idioms
633 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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六根清浄
ろっこんしょうじょう
purification of the six roots of perception
六法全書
ろっぽうぜんしょ
compendium of laws; statute books; complete book of the Six Codes
六道輪廻
ろくどうりんね
endless circle of transmigration in the six posthumous worlds
六韜三略
りくとうさんりゃく
The Six Secret Teachings and The Three Strategies of Huang Shigong (two ancient Chinese military treatises); secrets (of the art of war, etc.); mysteries
共存共栄
きょうそんきょうえい
co-existence and co-prosperity
内股膏薬
うちまたこうやく
double-dealer; fence-sitter; timeserver; moving back and forth between two sides in a conflict; duplicity; turncoat
再三再四
さいさんさいし
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repeatedly
冷暖自知
れいだんじち
spiritual enlightenment only comes through personal experience
冷汗三斗
れいかんさんと
breaking into cold sweat when one is very embarrassed or scared
凡事徹底
ぼんじてってい
doing mundane things properly and thoroughly; thoroughness in all things; attention to detail
出処進退
しゅっしょしんたい
staying in one's position or resigning; course of action; move
切磋琢磨
せっさたくま
diligent application (to work or study); cultivating one's character by studying hard; mutual encouragement (to improve); working hard together; friendly rivalry
初志貫徹
しょしかんてつ
carrying out one's original intention
前後不覚
ぜんごふかく
unconsciousness; having no recollection of one's actions
前後矛盾
ぜんごむじゅん
self-contradiction; self-inconsistency
前程万里
ぜんていばんり
a bright (rosy) future awaiting one; having the world before one
前虎後狼
ぜんここうろう
one calamity followed close on the heels of another; out of the frying pan into the fire; tiger in front, wolf in the back
前途遼遠
ぜんとりょうえん
having a long way to go; having a long road ahead of one; being a long way off; being far off
剣林弾雨
けんりんだんう
fierce battle; intense combat
力戦奮闘
りきせんふんとう
fighting with all one's might; fighting up against; making strenuous efforts
努力奮励
どりょくふんれい
making strenuous efforts; exerting oneself
励声一番
れいせいいちばん
giving cries of encouragement at a critical moment
勢力伯仲
せいりょくはくちゅう
(two sides) being evenly matched in influence or power
匍匐前進
ほふくぜんしん
crawling forward (on one's stomach)
北斗七星
ほくとしちせい
the Big Dipper (asterism); the Plough; the Plow
匪石之心
ひせきのこころ
steadfastness; firmness in one's conviction; having a heart that does not change as easily as a stone rolls about
十万億土
じゅうまんおくど
eternity; paradise
十中八九
じっちゅうはっく
in 8 or 9 cases out of ten; in all probability
十人十色
じゅうにんといろ
several men, several minds; everyone has his own (ideas, tastes, interests, etc.); different strokes for different folks
十字砲火
じゅうじほうか
cross fire
十年一日
じゅうねんいちじつ
without intermission for ten (long) years; with constancy of purpose for ten (long) years; in the same old rut for years on end
十年一昔
じゅうねんひとむかし
the pace of change makes ten years back seem like ancient history
十死一生
じっしいっしょう
narrow escape from the jaws of death; cheating death; there being barely a chance of escaping death; life-threatening danger
千万無量
せんまんむりょう
innumerable; unfathomable; unutterable
千両役者
せんりょうやくしゃ
star (actor); prima donna; leading figure
千古万古
せんこばんこ
remote antiquity; ancient times; the remote past
千古不易
せんこふえき
eternally unchanging
千古不滅
せんこふめつ
everlasting; unchangeable; immortal
千古不磨
せんこふま
permanence; immortality; eternity
千変万化
せんぺんばんか
innumerable changes; infinite variety
千姿万態
せんしばんたい
endless variety
千客万来
せんきゃくばんらい
flood of customers; roaring business
千山万水
せんざんばんすい
many mountains and rivers; a great distance to travel
千差万別
せんさばんべつ
an infinite variety of; multifarious; being extremely varied and wide-ranging
千思万考
せんしばんこう
deep meditation; mature consideration
千態万様
せんたいばんよう
great diversity of form
千態万状
せんたいばんじょう
an endless variety of forms; multifariousness
千慮一失
せんりょいっしつ
mere slip by someone who is usually very careful; simple mistake by a wise person; point overlooked by a cautious person
千慮一得
せんりょいっとく
even a fool may sometimes come up with a good idea
千状万態
せんじょうばんたい
various forms; various circumstances