猫に鰹節 (neko ni katsuobushi) fish to a cat.
Like a fish to a cat. This proverb is used when you comparing a situation where something would want something else obviously as giving a cat a fish. When the outcome of the situation being compared is blatantly obvious such as how a cat would take a fish every time. Such situation would be leaving the door to your house unlocked leaving it open for a robber or thief to easily come in take your valuables.
Note: katsuobushi literally means Bonito Flakes. Bonito Flakes are made from dried, fermented and smoked skipjack tuna. Most of the time it is shaved into flakes and sprinkle onto of Takoyaki or Okonomiyaki.
Kei is talking to his mother about leaving cake on the table, and leaving his little brother home alone.
Kei:テーブルの上にケーキを置いたまま弟に留守番をさせるなんて、猫に鰹節というものだよ (teeburu no ue ni keeki wo oitamama otouto ni rusubann wo saseru nannte, neko ni katsuobushi to ui mono dayo.)
Mother: そうだね。ならケーキをかたずけて行こう。 (soudane. nara keeki wo katazukete ikou.)
Translation
Kei: Leaving the cake on the table with only my brother some is like putting a fish in front of a cat.
Mother: That is true. I guess we should put the cake away before we leave.
Japanes Proverb #2
If you try to chase two rabbits at once. You will fail to catch both.
If you try to accomplish two things at once, you will fail at accomplishing either.
This proverb can be easily comprehended without any need of context or knowledge of Japanese culture. It is true however that rabbits or hares do have significant meaning within Japanese culture this proverb does not utilize the the cultural aspect of the rabbit and would easily retain it's meaning if another animal were to replace the rabbit.
Example:
Jirou's Mother is scolding Jirou for not doing his homework.
Mother:じろう、さっさと宿題をしなさい。
(jirou, sassato shiyukudai shinasai.)
Jirou:大丈夫だよ。ゲームしながら宿題できるから。
(daijiyoubu da to. ge-mu shinagara shiyukudai dekirukara.)
Mother:二兎を追う者は一兎をも得ずよ、じろうくん。宿題もちゃんとできなくて、ゲームも楽しめないよ。
(nito wo ou mono ha itto wo mo ezuyo, jiroukunnn. shiyukudai mo chiyannto dekinakute, geemu mo tanoshimenaiyo.)
Translation:
Mother: Jirou, do you homework already!
Jirou: Don't worry. I'll just do my homework while I play games.
Mother: If you try to chase two rabbits, you will fail at catching either one. You won't be able to do your homework correctly and you won't enjoy your game.
Japanese Proverb #1
猿も木から落ちる。(Saru mo ki kara ochiru).
Don't worry about your mistake, Monkeys who are expert climbers will occasionally fall out of trees.
The above proverb translates very well from Japanese to English and is very usable in common speech. With only knowing little Japanese the context and meaning can be easily understood. Monkey's who are expert climbers, and therefore should not fall out of trees, on occasion fall out of tree. This is used when someone fails to succeed at a given task even though they are an expert in order to give regards. Also in context can be used to warn someone who is to sure that something will go their way.
Example:
Ken is talking to his mother about the college entrance exam results that he has just received.
Ken: お母さん、すごく勉強したのに東大の入学試験落ちちゃった。（okaasann, sugoku
bennkiyou shita noni toudai no niyuugakushikenn ochichiyatta.)
Mother: 猿も木から落ちるよ。大切なことはせいっぱい頑張ったことだよ。（saru mo ki kara ochiruyo. taisetsu na koto ha seippai gannbatta koto dayo.)
Translation:
Ken: Mom, I studied so much but I failed the entrance exam for Tokyo University.
Mother: Monkeys sometimes fall out of trees too. The important thing is that you worked very hard and tried your best.
Note: In the Japanese text I wrote "東大”(toudai) which is a shortening of 東京大学.(tokyodaigaku)
No comments:
Post a Comment