Proverbs & idioms

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

• 己達せんと欲して人を達せしむおのれたっせんとほっしてひとをたっせしむif you wish to succeed yourself, first help others to succeed
• 市に虎ありいちにとらありpeople will believe something false if many agree that it is true (an example of argumentum ad populum); there's a tiger in the market
• 年は争えないとしはあらそえないage will tell
• 幸運の女神は前髪しかないこううんのめがみはまえがみしかないopportunity has hair in front, but behind she is bald; opportunity only knocks once
• 幽霊の正体見たり枯れ尾花ゆうれいのしょうたいみたりかれおばなfear makes the wolf bigger than he is; things are not as scary as they seem; the ghost, when examined closely, is withered silver grass
• 弘法にも筆の誤りこうぼうにもふでのあやまりanyone can make a mistake; Homer sometimes nods; even Kōbō Daishi's handwriting contains mistakes