雄弁は銀、沈黙は金

Japanese

Kanji in this term
雄	弁	銀	沈	黙	金
ゆう Grade: S	べん Grade: 5	ぎん Grade: 3	ちん Grade: S	もく Grade: S	きん Grade: 1
kan’on	goon	kan’on		goon	kan’on

Alternative spellings
雄辯は銀、沈默は金 (kyūjitai) 雄弁は銀沈黙は金

Alternative forms

• 沈(ちん)黙(もく)は金(きん)、雄(ゆう)弁(べん)は銀(ぎん) (chinmoku wa kin, yūben wa gin)
• 沈黙は金雄弁は銀

Etymology

Calque of English speech is silver, silence is golden, originally attested as "Speech is silvern, Silence is golden" in Thomas Carlyle's Sartor Resartus.

Proverb

雄(ゆう)弁(べん)は銀(ぎん)、沈(ちん)黙(もく)は金(きん) • (yūben wa gin, chinmoku wa kin) 

1. speech is silver, silence is golden