Proverbs and Sayings

The stake that sticks out gets hammered down. — One of the meanings of this proverb could be… Don’t make waves / Apply your effort where it will do the most good / Excellence breeds envy and/or enmity / It’s better to conform than to stick out. (This is a Japanese proverb, saying, or idiom)

A frog in a well does not know the great sea. — One of the meanings of this proverb could be… People are satisfied to judge things by their own narrow experience, never knowing of the wide world outside. (This is a Japanese proverb, saying, or idiom)

A bad wife spells a hundred years of bad harvest. — One of the meanings of this proverb could be… A bad wife is a ruin of her husband. (This is a Japanese proverb, saying, or idiom)

Pulling water to my own rice paddy — One of the meanings of this proverb could be… Doing/speaking about things in a way to benefit yourself. Source: unknown, though both Gaden and Insui appear in the Chinese classics. It is presumed to be coined in Japan. (This is a Japanese proverb, saying, or idiom)

Melon field, under a plum tree — One of the meanings of this proverb could be… Stepping into a melon field, standing under a plum tree (, such behavior causes misunderstanding that you want to steal those fruits); implying that you must avoid actions which could be taken on a bad faith. Source: a shortened [...]