犬も歩けば棒に当たる
Japanese edit
Kanji in this term | |||
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犬 | 歩 | 棒 | 当 |
いぬ Grade: 1 |
ある Grade: 2 |
ぼう Grade: 6 |
あ Grade: 2 |
kun’yomi |
Alternative spelling |
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犬も步けば棒に當たる (kyūjitai) |
Etymology edit
Phrase consisting of 犬 (“dog”) + も (“also”) + 歩けば (“if (it) were to walk, hypothetical form of the verb 歩く (aruku)”) + 棒 (“stick, rod, pole”) + に (“directional particle”) + 当たる (“to hit”), literally "even a dog could be hit by a stick if walking"
Pronunciation edit
Proverb edit
犬も歩けば棒に当たる • (inu mo arukeba bō ni ataru)
- there is a danger of tragedy in any attempt
- (idiomatic) good luck may come unexpectedly