海千山千

Japanese

Kanji in this term
海	千	山	千
うみ Grade: 2	せん Grade: 1	やま Grade: 1	せん Grade: 1
kun’yomi	on’yomi	kun’yomi	on’yomi

Alternative spelling
海千山千 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

Yojijukugo (四字熟語). According to legends, a 蛇 (ja, “snake”) who lived in the 海 (umi, “sea”) for a 千年 (sennen, “thousand years”) and in the 山 (yama, “mountains”) a thousand years could turn into a 竜 (ryū, “dragon”). See also the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) うみせんやません [ùmíséń yámáséń] (Heiban – [0])
• (Tokyo) う​みせんやません [úꜜmìsèǹ yàmàsèǹ] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [ɯ̟ᵝmʲisẽ̞ɰ̃ ja̠ma̠sẽ̞ɴ]

• (Tokyo) うみせん [ùmíséń] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [ɯ̟ᵝmʲisẽ̞ɴ]

• (Tokyo) やません [yàmáséń] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [ja̠ma̠sẽ̞ɴ]

Noun

海(うみ)千(せん)山(やま)千(せん) • (umisen yamasen) 

1. craftiness

   海(うみ)千(せん)山(やま)千(せん)のプレイボーイ

   umisen yamasen no pureibōi

   a sly playboy; a womanizer

2. a crafty person