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Proverbs & idioms

259 entries

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

Proverbs Four-character idioms Idioms

Theme:All themes Animal200 Body319 Nature259 Food66 Emotion130 Money76 Time139 Number633 Color102

一世風靡いっせいふうびruling the times; holding sway over the minds of the people
一切皆空いっさいかいくうmatter is void; all is vanity
一天四海いってんしかいthe world; the universe
一挙両得いっきょりょうとくkilling two birds with one stone; serving two ends
一日三秋いちじつさんしゅう(waiting) impatiently; (spending) many a weary day; each moment seeming like an eternity
一日千秋いちじつせんしゅう(waiting) impatiently; (spending) many a weary day; each moment seeming like an eternity
一日片時いちにちへんじshort time

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一木一草いちぼくいっそうa single tree or blade of grass; every stick and stone (of a place)

一枚看板いちまいかんばんleading player; prima donna; box-office star; best item one has (to show); one's sole Sunday best; one's single area of expertise

一衣帯水いちいたいすい(being separated only by a) narrow strip of water; narrow strait (channel, river)

一路順風いちろじゅんぷうsailing before the wind; everything is going well

万緑一紅ばんりょくいっこうone red flower standing out in a sea of green vegetation; one item of quality standing out among many; one woman among many men

三日坊主みっかぼうずperson who cannot stick to anything; unsteady worker; monk for three days

三日天下みっかてんかshort-lived rule; being in power only for a brief period; brief championship

九十九折つづらおりwinding; meandering; sinuous; zigzag

乳母日傘おんばひがさ(bringing up a child) with greatest care pampering (him, her) with material comforts of a rich family; (being brought up) in a hothouse atmosphere

二枚看板にまいかんばんthe two leading actors (in a play); the two star players; the two distinctive features; the two main items (attractions)

二河白道にがびゃくどうthe road to paradise is a white road between two rivers, one of water (wrath) and one of fire (greed)

五穀豊穣ごこくほうじょうhuge harvest (of the five grains); bumper crop; abundant crop

五里霧中ごりむちゅうtotally at a loss; lose one's bearings; in a maze; in a fog; all at sea; up in the air

五風十雨ごふうじゅううseasonable rains and winds; halcyon weather; halcyon times of peace

人海戦術じんかいせんじゅつhuman wave attack; human wave tactics; throwing people at a problem

人物月旦じんぶつげったんcharacter sketch; comments on personalities

人相風体にんそうふうていsomeone's looks and personal appearance

以毒制毒いどくせいどくusing poisonous medication to control poison; fighting evil with evil; fighting fire with fire

侃侃諤諤かんかんがくがくoutspoken; arguing (heatedly) what one believes in; insisting on something without restraint

借花献仏しゃっかけんぶつwinning favor or influence using someone else's property; plagiarism; presenting the Buddha with borrowed flowers

光風霽月こうふうせいげつserenity

克己復礼こっきふくれいexercising self-restraint and conforming to the rules of etiquette and formality

八月大名はちがつだいみょうthe 8th month (of the lunar calendar) is the quietest for farmers

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

剣林弾雨けんりんだんうfierce battle; intense combat

創業守成そうぎょうしゅせいstarting an enterprise and (or) carrying it to final success

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

千両役者せんりょうやくしゃstar (actor); prima donna; leading figure

千山万水せんざんばんすいmany mountains and rivers; a great distance to travel

千里同風せんりどうふうa country being in a state of universal peace; the world being peaceful and uneventful

厭離穢土えんりえどabhorrence of (living in) this impure world

台風一過たいふういっかclear weather after a typhoon has passed

史上空前しじょうくうぜんunprecedented in history; unheard-of; epoch-making

右顧左眄うこさべんinability to make up one's mind due to worrying about how others will think; hesitation; wavering; vacillation

喋々喃々ちょうちょうなんなんbilling and cooing; holding an intimate, long-winded conversation in whispers

嘉辰令月かしんれいげつauspicious date

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