Wiktionary

井の中の蛙大海を知らず

Japanese edit

Kanji in this term
井 中 蛙 大 海 知
い
Grade: 4 		なか
Grade: 1 		かわず
Hyōgaiji 		たい
Grade: 1 		かい
Grade: 2 		し
Grade: 2
kun’yomi kan’on on’yomi kun’yomi
Alternative spelling
井の中の蛙大海を知らず (kyūjitai)

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

Partial calque of Literary Chinese 井鼃不可以語於海者，拘於虛也 ("A frog in a well cannot be talked with about an ocean - it is confined to its own narrow place."), from the writings of Zhuangzi.[1][2]

Comprised of 井 (i, “well”) +‎ の (no, possessive particle) +‎ 中 (naka, “inside”) +‎ の (no, possessive particle) +‎ 蛙 (kawazu, “frog”) +‎ 大海 (taikai, “great ocean”) +‎ を (o, object particle) +‎ 知らず (shirazu, “not know”, the classical negative conjugation of verb 知る (shiru, “to know”)), literally “a frog in a well does not know the great ocean”.

The back-formation of this form in pseudo-kanbun would be 井中之蛙不知大海. Compare modern Chinese 井底之蛙 (jǐngdǐzhīwā), Korean 정중지와 부지대해 (井中之蛙 不知大海, jeongjungjiwa bujidaehae).

First cited to 1179.[1]

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): [i no̞ na̠ka̠ no̞ ka̠ɰᵝa̠zɨᵝ ta̠ika̠i o̞ ɕiɾa̠zɨᵝ]

Proverb edit

井(い)の中(なか)の蛙(かわず)大(たい)海(かい)を知(し)らず • (i no naka no kawazu taikai o shirazu) ←ゐのなかのかはづたいかいをしらず (wi no naka no kafadu taikai wo sirazu)?

  1. (figuratively) a narrow world view based on limited experience
    • 2006, 下 健, 言葉と生きる, 新風舎, page 23,
      また、私(わたし)たちは往(おう)々(おう)にしてほんの少(すこ)し周(しゅう)囲(い)の人(ひと)たちより良(よ)い結(けっ)果(か)がでると、有(う)頂(ちょう)天(てん)になって自(じ)慢(まん)したいような気持(きも)ちになりがちです。
      まさに『井(い)の中(なか)の蛙(かわず)大(たい)海(かい)を知(し)らず』で恥(は)ずかしい話(はなし)であります。
      Mata, watashi-tachi wa ōō ni shite hon no sukoshi shūi no hito-tachi yori yoi kekka ga deru to, uchōten ni natte jiman shitai yō na kimochi ni narigachi desu.
      Masa ni “i no naka no kawazu taikai o shirazu” de hazukashii hanashi de arimasu.
      We are also prone to feel proud of ourselves and feel like bragging when we get a result that is just a little bit better than that of the others around us.
      This is indeed a case of "a frog in a well does not know the great ocean" and is an embarrassing state of affairs.

Synonyms edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 “いのうちのかわずたいかいをしらず”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000
  2. ^ “井の中の蛙”, in 日本大百科全書：ニッポニカ (Nippon Dai Hyakka Zensho: Nipponica, “Encyclopedia Nipponica”)‎[2] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 1984
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