expression:

• it is better to do things shoddily yet sincerely rather than to cleverly deceive - proverb

expression:

• openly and secretly; helping in all ways - proverb

expression:

• helping and protecting in all ways; acting as a raincoat (protecting from rain) and acting as a hat (protecting from sun) [literal] - proverb ➜ 陰になり日向になり【かげになりひなたになり】

expression:

• better the devil you know than the devil you don't know; better the ogre you know than the Buddha you don't [literal] - proverb

expression:

• better the devil you know than the devil you don't know; better the ogre you know than the god you don't [literal] - proverb ➜ 知らぬ仏より馴染みの鬼

expression:

• a wise retainer chooses a great lord to serve; a wise bird chooses a good tree in which to roost [literal] - proverb

expression:

• one cannot shake the will of even the lowliest man; a person's will should be respected; even a menial deserves his convictions - proverb

expression:

• a narrow-minded person cannot understand the ways of the world; a frog in the well cannot understand the ocean even if it is explained to it [literal] - proverb ➜ 井の中の蛙大海を知らず【いのなかのかわずたいかいをしらず】・井蛙【せいあ】

expression:

• there must be a clear distinction between the upper and lower classes; even new shoes must not be worn on the head [literal] - proverb

expression:

• one should not leave things unfinished; when a young Mencius returned home during the middle of school, his mother cut off the cloth she had been weaving on the loom to admonish him for stopping his studies midway - proverb ➜ 断機

expression / noun:

• humiliation of defeat in battle; past humiliation by others; shame of an unendurable disgrace - proverb ➜ 会稽の恥を雪ぐ【かいけいのはじをすすぐ】

expression:

• those who wish to rule the land must first cultivate their own characters, then manage their families, then govern their states; only then can they bring peace to the land (a mantra of Confucianism) - proverb

expression:

• blessed are the peacemakers; one should appreciate and follow the advice of a mediator - proverb ➜ 時の氏神【ときのうじがみ】・挨拶

expression:

• having completely different natures and being incompatible with each other; like oil and water; ice and (charcoal) fire cannot coexist [literal] - proverb ➜ 相容れない【あいいれない】

expression:

• one cannot understand even a holy man's teachings without study; one cannot know the abilities of a great man without putting him to use; one cannot know the delicious taste of fine food without eating it [literal] - proverb

expression:

• avarice brings doom upon oneself; if a hawk-eagle tries to catch two boars at once, the boars will try to run in opposite directions, splitting the hawk-eagle into two and killing it - proverb

expression:

• following the desires of one's own heart without transgressing what is right - from the Analects of Confucius - proverb

expression:

• to wait for a good opportunity; to come down on the right side of the fence; to see which way the cat jumps; to wait and see at Horagatoge [literal] - proverb

expression:

• a broken relationship can never be repaired; a divorced couple are never reconciled; a broken mirror will never shine again [literal] - proverb

expression:

• when the right conditions are fulfilled, things will turn out well on their own; a sunken place will collect water [literal] - proverb - obscure term
• someone in bad circumstances will continue to accumulate difficulties - proverb - obscure term

expression:

• you can't judge someone until you've spent time with them; you can't judge something until you've tried it; try a horse by riding him, and judge a man by living with him [literal] - proverb ➜ 人には添うてみよ馬には乗ってみよ【ひとにはそうてみようまにはのってみよ】

expression:

• a wise man changes his mind, a fool never; the wise adapt themselves to changed circumstances - proverb ➜ 君子豹変【くんしひょうへん】
• the wise make no scruple in suddenly changing their demeanor - proverb - colloquialism

expression:

• he has not lived that lives not after death; the great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it; tigers leave their hide when they die; men leave their name [literal] - proverb

expression:

• sometimes the best gain is to lose - proverb

expression:

• if you can't beat them; join them; you can't fight city hall; if your adversaries are stronger than you, it is better to join their side than to fight them - proverb