| The Year of the Horse | |
|
Page
2 of 2The kanji character of "uma (horse)" is also pronounced as "ba" or "ma." Click here to learn the kanji character for it. Here are some expressions including the word horse.
| Umazura | A horse face; an extremely long face. |
| Chikuba no tomo | A childhood friend. |
| Uma no hone | A person who came from no one knows where; a person of doubtful origin. |
| Uma ga au | To get along. |
| Bajitoufuu | Utter indifference; praying to deaf ears. It is one of the yoji-jukugo. |
| Uma no mimi ni nenbutsu | A nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse. Like water off a duck's back. |
| Shiriuma ni noru | To imitate (a person) blindly. |
|
Mago nimo ishou |
The tailor makes the man. Fine feathers make fine birds. |
| Bakyaku o arawasu | To betray oneself; to reveal one's true character. |
| Ikiuma no me o nuku | To use sharp practices. To catch a weasel asleep. |
| Ningen banji saiou ga uma | Inscrutable are the ways of Heaven. An evil may sometimes turn out a blessing in disguise. |
"Ningen banji saiou ga uma" is one of the Japanese proverbs. The literal translation is "All human affairs are like Saiou's horse". It means, "One can never know what will prove to be lucky or unlucky". The meaning came from a Chinese folk tale about an old man called Sai. ( "~ ou", also read as okina, means "old man".) Here is the story.
Once upon a time, an old man, Sai, lived near the Chinese Northern Fort. One day his horse ran away. His neighbors commiserated with him over his misfortune, but Sai said "How do you know this is not really good luck?". A few days later the horse returned, bringing another horse with it. However when his neighbors congratulated him on his good luck, the old man said "How do you know this is really good luck?" Sure enough, some while later Sai's son fell while riding the horse, and broke his leg. However this turned out to be good fortune when all the young men of the village were ordered to join the Emperor's army. Sai's son didn't have to go since he had a broken leg.
Japanese Zodiac > Page 1, 2
Previous Features Where Do I Begin
