unprecedented and unrepeatable

This four-character idiom expresses something extremely rare, the kind of thing that hardly ever happens.

Many people may recognize it from the phrase comedian Sunshine Ikezaki often uses when introducing himself.

The first half, “空前” (kūzen), means something that has never happened before, and the second half, “絶後” (zetsugo), suggests that it will likely never happen again.

Praising a world-stunning invention or a record-breaking achievement with this expression conveys just how extraordinary the feat is.

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Three in the morning, four in the evening

This expression describes a state where, even though the outcome is the same either way, one is so fixated on the conditions presented in front of them that they fail to notice the equivalence.

Its origin lies with a man named Ju Gong of Song, who kept monkeys.

When he said he would give them three nuts in the morning and four in the evening, the monkeys got angry, thinking it was too few.

Later, when he said he would give them four in the morning and three in the evening, the monkeys were delighted—even though the total for the day was the same.

From this comes the four-character idiom.

It shows how, although a little thought would reveal that both are the same, people can be easily deceived when the more favorable condition is presented first.

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Beauty that shames fish and geese (an idiom describing an extraordinarily beautiful woman)

This expression has a curious arrangement of kanji and a distinctive feel that you don’t often encounter in everyday life.

It’s a four-character idiom that describes an exceptionally beautiful woman, and it’s striking that it doesn’t use direct characters like “beauty” (美).

As the kanji sequence suggests, it conveys that the woman is so beautiful that fish, embarrassed, sink to the bottom to hide, and wild geese are so captivated by her beauty that they fall from the sky.

Originally, the phrase meant that even if a woman appears very beautiful to humans, to animals humans are nothing but frightening beings.

Later, it came to describe a woman whose beauty captivates both people and animals.

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like the east wind to a horse (an admonition goes unheeded; words fall on deaf ears)

It’s read as “baji tōfū.” You can tell that the first part means “horse’s ear,” but you might wonder, “What is ‘east wind’?” In fact, “east wind” refers to the spring breeze.

Even when a pleasant spring wind brushes a horse’s ear, a horse that knows nothing of wabi-sabi feels nothing.

From this, the expression came to mean “to ignore other people’s opinions or advice and let them go in one ear and out the other.” It’s similar in meaning to phrases like “driving a nail into rice bran” and “Buddhist sutras to a horse’s ear” (i.e., “casting pearls before swine”).

Although it sounds lighthearted, it generally carries a negative connotation, so be careful when using it.

running around in confusion

Running around in confusion #shorts

It’s a phrase often used when someone is lost or panicking.

普段は四字熟語を使わない人でも、これは取り入れやすいので、日常会話で使ってみてはいかがでしょうか。「右往左往」は「うおうさおう」と読み、字の「往」は「行く」という意味です。右へ左へと行き先も定まらずにうろたえる、つまり「混乱して右往左往する」という意味になります。例：『初めての場所だったので、着くまで右往左往してしまった』や『途中で予定が変更になったので、その後は右往左往だった』。

burst into hearty laughter

Explaining four-character idioms like lines of dialogue #12: “Kaka Taishō” (Hearty, booming laughter)

It might fall into the category of words we’re not very familiar with.

It’s read as “kakataishō.” The meaning is “to laugh heartily in a loud voice.” The “taishō” (大笑) part naturally makes you think of a big laugh, right? But in fact, the “kaka” (呵呵) part also means laughing loudly.

Think of the final scene in the drama Mito Kōmon, when everything is resolved and Lord Kōmon laughs, “Ka-ka-ka!”—that kind of feeling.

It’s a tricky set of characters to use, but if you understand the meaning and can use it, isn’t it a cool four-character idiom?

endless stream of eccentric ideas and innovations

A hundred kinds of perversions arise (endless variations of eccentric behavior) #shorts #japanese #kanji #yojijukugo

Introducing a slightly unusual four-character idiom that includes the word “hentai”: it’s read as hentaihyakushutsu and means “to take on many different forms or appearances.” Still, the characters for “hentai” can feel so intense that you might hesitate over how to use it.

For example, even with a slightly adapted sense, you can use it positively to reduce any awkwardness: “That actor effortlessly handles any role—he’s truly hentaih yakushutsu.” The image is similar to ‘ever-changing’ or ‘infinitely adaptable,’ so feel free to use it alongside hengenzizai (hengēn-jizai, ‘protean’) when in doubt!