井の中の蛙大海を知らず
Japanese[edit]
| Kanji in this term | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 井 | 中 | 蛙 | 大 | 海 | 知 |
| い Grade: 4 |
なか Grade: 1 |
かわず Hyōgaiji |
たい Grade: 1 |
かい Grade: 2 |
し Grade: 2 |
| kun’yomi | kan’on | on’yomi | kun’yomi | ||
| Alternative spelling |
|---|
| 井の中の蛙大海を知らず (kyūjitai) |
Alternative forms[edit]
- 井の内の蛙大海を知らず (i no uchi no kawazu taikai o shirazu)
Etymology[edit]
Partial calque of Literary Chinese 井鼃不可以語於海者，拘於虛也 ("A frog in a well cannot be talked with about an ocean - it is confined to its own narrow place."), from the writings of Zhuangzi.[1][2]
Comprised of 井 (i, “well”) + の (no, possessive particle) + 中 (naka, “inside”) + の (no, possessive particle) + 蛙 (kawazu, “frog”) + 大海 (taikai, “great ocean”) + を (o, object particle) + 知らず (shirazu, “not know”, the classical negative conjugation of verb 知る (shiru, “to know”)), literally “a frog in a well does not know the great ocean”.
The back-formation of this form in pseudo-kanbun would be 井中之蛙不知大海. Compare modern Chinese 井底之蛙 (jǐngdǐzhīwā), Korean 정중지와 부지대해 (井中之蛙 不知大海, jeongjungjiwa bujidaehae).
First cited to 1179.[1]
Pronunciation[edit]
Proverb[edit]
井の中の蛙大海を知らず • (i no naka no kawazu taikai o shirazu) ←ゐのなかのかはづたいかいをしらず (wi no naka no kafadu taikai wo sirazu)?
- (figuratively) a narrow world view based on limited experience
- 2006, 下 健, 言葉と生きる, 新風舎, page 23,
- また、私たちは往々にしてほんの少し周囲の人たちより良い結果がでると、有頂天になって自慢したいような気持ちになりがちです。
まさに『井の中の蛙大海を知らず』で恥ずかしい話であります。- Mata, watashi-tachi wa ōō ni shite hon no sukoshi shūi no hito-tachi yori yoi kekka ga deru to, uchōten ni natte jiman shitai yō na kimochi ni narigachi desu.
Masa ni “i no naka no kawazu taikai o shirazu” de hazukashii hanashi de arimasu. - We are also prone to feel proud of ourselves and feel like bragging when we get a result that is just a little bit better than that of the others around us.
This is indeed a case of "a frog in a well does not know the great ocean" and is an embarrassing state of affairs.
- Mata, watashi-tachi wa ōō ni shite hon no sukoshi shūi no hito-tachi yori yoi kekka ga deru to, uchōten ni natte jiman shitai yō na kimochi ni narigachi desu.
- また、私たちは往々にしてほんの少し周囲の人たちより良い結果がでると、有頂天になって自慢したいような気持ちになりがちです。
- 2006, 下 健, 言葉と生きる, 新風舎, page 23,
Synonyms[edit]
See also[edit]
- Chinese: 井底之蛙 (jǐngdǐzhīwā)
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 “いのうちのかわずたいかいをしらず”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000
- ^ “井の中の蛙”, in 日本大百科全書：ニッポニカ (Nippon Dai Hyakka Zensho: Nipponica, “Encyclopedia Nipponica”)[2] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 1984
- Japanese terms spelled with 井 read as い
- Japanese terms spelled with 中 read as なか
- Japanese terms spelled with 蛙
- Japanese terms spelled with 大 read as たい
- Japanese terms spelled with 海 read as かい
- Japanese terms spelled with 知 read as し
- Japanese terms partially calqued from Literary Chinese
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