Kotowaza of the day: Curse of the college freshman
- Japanese:
- 知恵がかえって害となる
- Romanized:
- Chie ga kaette gai to naru
- Meaning of Japanese:
- Too little wisdom can lead to misfortune/disadvantage
- English equivalents:
- A little learning is a dangerous thing
posted @ 09:43 by eBohn - permalink
3 Blogger comments
3 Comments:
While it's not an exact translation, but I've often heard it said: "Some people have to learn things the hard way," which is saying that they will suffer misfortune b/c of their lack of wisdom. Sort of like George Bush's little adventure in Iraq, re-learning the lessons of Vietnam all over again.
If you don't mind my asking, where do you get all these kotowaza? They're fascinating.
Safety-
The translation of the Japanese is actually abbreviated, the original implying something very much like the English equivalent: learning ABC without XYZ can lead to trouble. Your example is good, but there's probably a different kotowaza for people who haven't even acquired ABC.
Anonymous-
Thanks for dropping by. I'm glad the kotowaza have piqued your interest.
The Japanese originals I take from a kotowaza dictionary on our bookshelf. While an English equivalent is often apparent right off the bat, I also search the web for alternatives that I haven't (or might never have) thought up myself. And, as you can see, helpful commenters also provide suggestions.
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