1. 雲泥の差

Reading: うんでいのさ (undei no sa)
Translation: "the separation between clouds and mud"
Meaning: A vast difference between two things.

2. 犬猿の仲

Reading: けんえんのなか (ken'en no naka)
Translation: "the relationship of dogs and monkeys"
Meaning: A relationship of mutual hatred. Natural enemies.

3. 為せば成る

Reading: なせばなる (naseba naru)
(Literal) Translation: "if you take action, it will become"
Meaning: You can do it if you try.

This proverb comes from a poem by , from back in the Edo period. It's pretty cool and being a Japanese poem isn't so long, so here's the full text.

為せば成る
為さねば成らぬ何事も
成らぬは人の為さぬなりけり

naseba naru
nasaneba naranu nanigoto mo
naranu wa hito no nasanu nari keri

If you try, you may succeed.
If you don't try, you will not succeed. This is true for of all things.
Not succeeding is the result of not trying.

4. 青天の霹靂

Reading: せいてんのへきれき (seiten no hekireki)
Translation: A bolt (lit. thunder) out of the blue (sky).

5. 鴨が葱をしょって来る

Reading: かもがねぎをしょってくる (kamo ga negi o shotte kuru)
Translation: "a duck comes along carrying a leek on its back"
Meaning: A very convenient happening, a stroke of luck.
Explanation: The reason for this proverb is that duck soup is made with leek, so it's as though the duck came along just asking you to eat it.
Note: This proverb has a short form for everyday usage, 鴨ネギ (kamonegi)

6. 忙中閑あり

Reading: ぼうちゅうかんあり (bouchuu kan ari)
Meaning: Even when you're very busy, there's occasionally time to take a rest.

7. 初心忘るべからず

Reading: しょしんわするべからず (shoshin wasuru bekarazu)
Translation: We should not forget our beginner's spirit. (the excitement/humility of starting something new)

8. 頭隠して尻隠さず

Reading: あたまかくしてしりかくさず (atama kakushite siri kakusazu)
Translation: "hiding your head but not your butt"
Meaning: Failing to completely cover up your bad deeds.

9. 沈む瀬あれば浮かぶ瀬あり

Reading: しずむせあればうかぶせあり (shizumu se areba ukabu se ari)
Translation: "if the current sinks, it will rise (again)"
Meaning: Life has its ups and downs.

10. 猫の首に鈴を付ける

Reading: ねこのくびにすずをつける (neko no kubi ni suzu o tsukeru)
Translation: "to put a bell around a cat's neck"
Meaning: To discuss doing something that is nearly impossible to do.
Note: This proverb has its origin in one of Aesop's fables.

11. 長所は短所

Reading: ちょうしょはたんしょ (chousho wa tansho)
Translation: "our strong points are our weak points"
Meaning: Over-reliance on our strengths leads to make careless mistakes.

12. 起きて半畳，寝て一畳

Reading: おきてはんじょう、ねていちじょう (okite hanjou, nete ichijou)
Translation: "(man needs just) half a tatami mat when awake, one tatami mat when asleep."
Meaning: You need not be rich to live a satisfied life.

13. 李下に冠を整さず

Reading: りかにかんむりをたださず (rika ni kanmuri o tadasazu)
Translation: "don't straighten your crown under the plum tree"
Meaning: Don't invite undue suspicion on yourself.
Note: Because if you're fiddling with your crown under the plum tree, people might think you're trying to steal plums.

14. 猫を追うより皿を引け

Reading: ねこをおうよりさらをひけ (neko o ou yori sara o hike)
Translation: "rather than chase the cat, take away the plate"
Meaning: Attack problems at their root.

15. 井の中の蛙大海を知らず

Reading: いのなかのかわずたいかいをしらず (i no naka no kawazu, taikai o shirazu)
Translation: "the frog in the well knows not of the great ocean"
Explanation: This proverb is a metaphor for being mentally trapped by a narrow understanding of things.
Note: kawazu is the old way to say "frog", in modern Japanese they are called kaeru

16. 多芸は無芸

Reading: たげいはむげい (tagei wa mugei)
Translation: "many skills is no skill"
Meaning: a Jack of all trades is a master of none.

17. 盛年重ねて来らず

Reading: せいねんかさねてきたらず (seinen kasanete kitarazu)
Translation: "the prime of your life does not come twice"
Meaning: You're only young once.

18. 相槌を打つ

相槌

Reading: あいづちをうつ (aizuchi o utsu)
Translation: "striking the forge hammer"
Meaning: Giving verbal feedback while listening (eg. saying things like "yeah", "uh-huh", "I see", etc)
Explanation: This proverb describes the rhythmic exchange of two smiths working on a katana.

19. 天は自ら助くるものを助く

Reading: てんはみずからたすくるものをたすく (ten wa mizukara tasukuru mono o tasuku)
Translation: Heaven helps those who help themselves.

20. 元も子もない

Reading: もともこもない (moto mo ko mo nai)
Meaning: Failure not only to make a profit (子 = 利益), but losing your investment (元 = 元金) too.

21. これを知るをこれを知ると為し、知らざるを知らずと為せ。これ知るなり。

Reading: これをしるをこれをしるとなし、しらざるをしらずとなせ。これしるなり。
Romaji: kore o shiru o kore o shiru to nashi, shirazaru o shirazu to nase. kore shiru nari.
Translation: To know that one knows what one knows, and to know that one doesn't know what one doesn't know, there lies true wisdom.
Note: Okay, so it's not a proverb, it's a Confucius (孔子／こうし） quote. But it was my 1000th tweet and I wanted to do something a little fancy.
Original Chinese: 知之为知之，不知为不知，是知也 (thanks, !)

22. 窮鼠 猫を噛む

Reading: きゅうそねこをかむ (kyuuso neko o kamu)
Translation: "a cornered rat will bite the cat"
Meaning: Left with no choice, even a relatively weak person/animal will fight back.

23. 庇を貸して母家を取られる

A 庇 (hisashi) covering a front door.

Reading: ひさしをかしておもやをとられる (hisashi o kashite omoya o torareru)
Translation: "to lend the eaves and have the main house taken"
Meaning: Give an inch and they take a mile.

24. 悪銭 身につかず

Reading: あくせんみにつかず (akusen, mi ni tsukazu)
Translation: Dirty money doesn't stay with a person for long.

25. ただより高い物はない

Reading: ただよりたかいものはない (tada yori takai mono wa nai)
Translation: "nothing is more expensive than free"
Meaning: Debts of money are more easily repaid than those of gratitude

26. 毒を以て毒を制する

Reading: どくをもってどくをせいする (doku o motte doku o sei suru)
Translation: "to use a poison to overcome a poison"
Meaning: Sometimes we need shady means to tackle shady problems

27. けんもほろろ

Romaji: ken mo hororo
Translation: cackle and gobble [ken and hororo are pheasant sounds]
Meaning: Being blunt & unsympathetic (attitude, response, etc.)

28. 生兵法は大怪我の基

Reading: なまびょうほうはおおけがのもと (namabyouhou wa ookega no moto)
Translation: Newly learned (unmastered) tactics are the origin of great blunders.

29. 可愛い子には旅をさせよ

Reading: かわいいこにはたびをさせよ (kawaii ko niwa tabi o saseyo)
Translation: Send the cute children on a journey.
Meaning: Instead of spoiling your cute children, you should make sure they experience some of life's difficulties.

30. ローマは一日にしてならず

Reading: ろーまはいちにちにしてならず (ro-ma wa ichinichi ni shite narazu)
Meaning/Translation: Rome wasn't built in a day.

31. 勝って兜の緒を締めよ

Kabuto (兜) : a Japanese helmet

Reading: かってかぶとのおをしめよ (katte kabuto no o o shimeyo)
Translation: After victory, tighten your helmet strap.
Meaning: Keep your guard up until the very end.

32. 借りてきた猫

Reading: かりてきたねこ (karite kita neko)
Translation: A borrowed cat.
Meaning: This proverb refers to someone who is acting more well behaved than they usually are, from the belief that cats act more tamely when outside their typical home.

33. 手前味噌

Reading: てまえみそ (temae miso)
Translation: The miso in front of you.
Meaning: Singing one's own praises.
Explanation: This proverb envisions a person who is raving about the greatness of their own home-made miso.

34. 蓼食う虫も好き好き

Tade (蓼)

Reading: たでくうむしもすきずき (tade kuu mushi mo sukizuki)
Translation: Some bugs gladly eat knotweed.
Meaning: To each is own. Everyone's taste in things is different.
Explanation: Knotweed has an extremely spicy taste, but there are some insects that love to eat it anyway.

35. 鳴く猫はねずみを捕らぬ

Reading: なくねこはねずみをとらぬ (naku neko wa nezumi o toranu)
Translation: A loud cat doesn't catch mice.
Meaning: People who spend all their time talking accomplish nothing.

36. 一石二鳥

Reading: いっせきにちょう (isseki nichou)
Meaning/Translation: Killing two birds with one stone.

37. 鶴の一声

Reading: つるのひとこえ(tsuru no hitokoe)
Meaning: The crane's word.
Translation: A decision by someone powerful that settles a difficult debate.

38. とらぬ狸の皮算用

Reading: とらぬたぬきのかわざんよう (toranu tanuki no kawazanyou)
Translation: Calculating profits of uncaught fox skins.
Meaning: Counting your chickens before they're hatched.

39. 馬の耳に念仏

Reading: うまのみみにねんぶつ (uma no mimi ni nenbutsu)
Translation: A Buddhist recitation into a horse's ear.
Meaning: This proverb refers to a person who shows no sign at all of listening to what someone is telling them.

40. 多々益々弁ず

Reading: たたますますべんず (tata masumasu benzu)
Meaning: The more the merrier.

41. 寄らば大樹の陰

Reading: よらばたいじゅのかげ (yoraba taiju no kage)
Translation: If you take shade, do it under a large tree.
Meaning: If you're going to rely on someone, pick someone who can do what you need.

42. 七転び八起き

Reading: ななころびやおき (nana korobi ya oki)
Meaning/Translation: Stumble 7 times, get back up 8.

43. 年寄りの冷や水

Reading: としよりのひやみず (toshiyori no hiyamizu)
Translation: An old person's cold water.
Meaning: An old person acting recklessly for their age.

There are two rival explanations for the origin this Japanese proverb.

The proverb envisions an old person showering their body with cold water. If an old person does this, it puts undue strain on their body which can cause them to start shaking uncontrollably or even lose consciousness. Hence the meaning: an action that is reckless for one's (old) age.The proverb envisions an old person drinking cold water. In Edo times, the waters of the Sumidagawa river (which runs through Edo/Tokyo) were already heavily polluted with human refuse. Digging wells yielded mostly salt water. This made the sale of drinkable water a viable market. "Cold water" (冷や水) merchants would collect water from the middle of the Sumidagawa river for sale, claiming that the water from the middle was of good quality. While this may have sufficed for healthy, young folks, older people developed health problems from drinking 冷や水. In this way, "cold water" became a symbol for reckless behavior for older people.

The second explanation has a lot more going for it if you ask me, and the majority of Japanese pages I checked when researching this proverb seemed to side with this explanation as well. However, if a Japanese person has never researched the meaning specifically, they're probably only familiar with the first explanation (if either).

44. 仏の顔も三度

Reading: ほとけのかおもさんど (hotoke no kao mo sando)
Translation: Even Buddah's (tranquil) face only lasts until the third time.
Meaning: No matter how gentle someone may be, they will get angry if you pester them too much.

45. 論より証拠

Reading: ろんよりしょうこ (ron yori shouko)
Meaning/Translation: Proof over theory.

46. 縁側の下の力持ち

Engawa (縁側) : a long Japanese room or deck/porch that runs alongside a tatami room.

Reading: えんがわのしたのちからもち (engawa no shita no chikaramochi)
Translation: A powerful person underneath the deck.
Meaning: Someone who is of great assistance, but stays behind the scenes.

47. 石橋をたたいて渡る

Reading: いしばしをたたいてわたる (ishibashi o tataite wataru)
Translation: Tapping a stone bridge as you cross it.
Meaning: Safety on top of safety. Being extremely cautious.
Explanation: The reason one taps the bridge is to check for any weak spots as you cross it.

48. 類は友を呼ぶ

Reading: るいはともをよぶ (rui wa tomo o yobu)
Translation: Similar types call their friends.
Meaning: Birds of a feather flock together.

49. 箱入り娘

Reading: はこいりむすめ (hako iri musume)
Translation: A girl kept in a box.
Meaning: A girl raised very protectively by her family, without being given much freedom to go out with friends, etc.

50. 乞食を三日すればやめられぬ

Reading: こじきをみっかすればやめられぬ (kojiki o mikka sureba yamerarenu)
Translation: If you're a beggar for 3 days, you won't be able to stop.
Meaning: Once a good-for-nothing, always a good-for-nothing.
Note: I've seen this proverb translated as "once a beggar, always a beggar" but it doesn't always have to refer to begging, so I've gone with "good-for-nothing" in my translation.

51. 御輿を上げる

Mikoshi (御輿/神輿) : A holy palanquin (portable shrine).

Reading: みこしをあげる (mikoshi o ageru)
Translation: To raise the palanquin.
Meaning: To start working on something.

52. 溺れる者はわらをもつかむ

Reading: おぼれるものはわらをもつかむ (oboreru mono wa wara o mo tsukamu)
Translation: A drowning person will grasp even at straws.
Meaning: A person in trouble will look for assistance even to things that clearly are of no help at all.

53. 泥棒を捕らえて縄をなう

Reading: どろぼうをとらえてなわをなう (dorobou o toraete nawa o nau)
Translation: Weaving the rope after catching the burglar.
Meaning: Hastily finishing preparations for some trouble after it has already occurred.
Note: This proverb has a shortened form that you can use too: 泥縄 (doro nawa)

54. 喉もと過ぎれば熱さを忘れる

Reading: のどもとすぎればあつさをわすれる (nodo mo to sugireba atsusa o wasureru)
Translation: You forget the heat once it's down your throat.
Meaning: After a hardship is over, no matter how rough it was when you were going through it, it's like it never happened.

55. 焼け石に水

Reading: やけいしにみず (yakeishi ni mizu)
Translation: (Splashing) water on a burning rock.
Meaning: Small efforts don't solve big problems.

was published on : *nihonshock.com* find the article on 2008 - 2010