Four-Character Idioms
四字熟語
In Japanese, idioms that are created via four Kanji are known as 四字熟語1, which literally means “four character compound word.” Technically, the term may refer to all words made up of four Kanji. In a narrow-sense, however, it specifically refers to idiomatic expressions of that character length. the word refers to four character set expressions.
What is an Idiom?
慣用句とは？
An idiom (慣用句・成語) is defined as any group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words.
| Idiom | Literal Interpretation | Idiomatic Meaning (Localized to English) |
| 氷山の一角 | Corner of an iceberg | Tip of the iceberg |
| 鼻の差で | By the difference of a nose | A hair away from |
| 弁慶の泣き所 | The place on Benkei which (makes) him cry | Achilles’ heel |
Let’s consider the final example 弁慶の泣き所, which may literally be interpreted as meaning “the place on Benkei which (makes) him cry.” Benkei is the name of a 12th century warrior monk, and it was his shin where, if kicked, would bring him to tears. This phrase then became analogous for the meaning of “shin/Achilles heel” The meaning of “shin2” cannot be deduced from a literal interpretation of the words involved. Note how “Achilles heel” is equally idiomatic as the Japanese idiom.
Not all strings of four Kanji are idioms. For example, whereas 四面楚歌 (to be surrounded by enemies on all four sides) is idiomatic, 大学教育 (college education) is not. What decides this is the relative idiomacy (熟合度) of the phrase.
Sources for 四字熟語
There are various sources of inspiration that account for four-character idioms:
- From modern society – ex. 官官接待 meaning “bureaucrats entertaining bureaucrats using public funds.”
- Those made in Japan and read with KUN readings – ex. 手練手管（てれんてくだ） meaning “art of coaxing.”
- From Chinese literature – ex. 臥薪嘗胆（がしんしょうたん）meaning “enduring unspeakable hardships for the sake of vengeance.”
- From Buddhist terminology – ex. 四苦八苦 meaning “the four and eight kinds of suffering.”
- From the insertion of 之 which has been used in neo-classical and Chinese-style Japanese literature in place of の3.
- From kundoku 訓読, the process of reading kanbun 漢文4.
Though four-character idioms, in large part, derive from Chinese, some examples such as 七転八倒 – “writhing in agony” in Japanese but “very confused” in Chinese – have changed meaning since entering Japanese.
Basic 四字熟語
To familiarize yourself with 四字熟語, you will first need to have a fairly strong knowledge in Kanji, as in many cases, knowing the literal meaning of each Kanji will be hard enough, and that puts aside what the idiomatic meaning of the phrase at a whole may mean. First, though, we will go over the most important examples.
一刀両断（いっとうりょうだん）
1. To cut in two with a single strike
2. To take drastic measures
色即是空（しきそくぜくう）
All is vanity5
手前味噌（てまえみそ）
Self-flattery
付和雷同（ふわらいどう）
To follow people blindly.
暖衣飽食（だんいほうしょく）
1. Well-fed and well-dressed
2. Being blessed materially
一期一会（いちごいちえ）
Once in a lifetime
美人薄命（びじんはくめい）
1. A beautiful woman is destined to die young
2. Beauty and fortune seldom go together
3. The beautiful die young
月下氷人（げっかひょうじん）
Matchmaker; go-between
唯我独尊（ゆいがどくそん）
1. Self-righteousness
2. Holy am I alone
二股膏薬（ふたまたごうやく）
1. Double-dealer
2. Moving back and forth between two sides in a conflict
一石二鳥（いっせきにちょう）
Killing two birds with one stone
呉越同舟6（ごえつどうしゅう）
Bitter enemies in the same boat by fate
順風満帆（じゅんぷうまんぱん）
Smooth sailing
悪因悪果（あくいんあっか）
You reap what you sow
弱肉強食（じゃくにくきょうしょく）
1. Survival of the fittest
2. Laws of the Jungle
寂滅為楽（じゃくめついらく）
1. Freedom from one’s desires
2. Nirvana is true bliss
色恋沙汰（いろこいざた）
1. Love affair
2. Romantic entanglement
酔生夢死（すいせいむし）
1. Idling one’s life away
2. Dreaming away one’s life accomplishes nothing significant
十人十色（じゅうにんといろ）
1. To each his own
2. So many people, so many minds
3. Everyone has his own interests and ideas
朝三暮四（ちょうさんぼし）7
Being preoccupied with immediate superficial differences without realizing that there is no difference in substance
異体同心（いたいどうしん）
Being of one mind; acting in one accord/perfect harmony
会者定離（えしゃじょうり）
Those who meet must part
生者必滅（しょうじゃひつめつ）
1. All living things must die
我田引水（がでんいんすい）
1. Self-seeking
2. Feathering one’s own nest
3. Drawing water for one’s own field
五里夢中（ごりむちゅう）
Totally at a loss; in a fog
古色蒼然（こしょくそうぜん）
1. Antique-looking
2. With the patina of age
羊頭狗肉（ようとうくにく）
1. Crying wine and selling vinegar; using a better name to sell inferior goods
2. Extravagant advertisement
黒風白雨（こくふうはくう）
Sudden rain shower in a dust storm
高山流水（こうざんりゅうすい）
1. Beauty of nature
2. Beautifully played music
3. Tall mountains and rushing water
花鳥風月（かちょうふうげつ）
1. The beauties of nature
三々五々（さんさんごご）
In small groups
一望千里（いちぼうせんり）
Sweeping expanse
五風十雨（ごふうじゅうう）
Halcyon weather/times
九死一生（きゅうしいっしょう）
Narrow escape from death
五十知命（ごじゅうちめい）
At 50 one comes to know the will of Heaven
朝雲暮雨（ちょううんぼう）
Sexual liaison
一文半銭（いちもんはんせん）
Meager sum of money
一文不通（いちもんふつう）
Totally illiterate
一陽来復（いちようらいふく）
The return of spring
一利一害（いちりいちがい）
Advantage and its disadvantage
一挙一動（いっきょいちどう）
One’s every move
一死報国（いっしほうこく）
Dying for one’s country
浅学非才（せんがくひさい）
Lack of learning and ability
円満具足（えんまんぐそく）
Complete, tranquil, and in harmony
再三再四（さいさんさいし）
Repeatedly
人心一新（じんしんいっしん）
Person-heart-one-new
1. Complete change in public sentiment
一心同体（いっしんどうたい）
One-heart-same-body
1. One in body and soul
一路平安（いちろへいあん）
One-road-security
Bon voyage
一路順風（いちろじゅんぷう）
One-road-gentle-wind
1. Everything going well
心機一転（しんきいってん）
Heart-move-turn
Change in attitude
意気投合（いきとうごう）
Find a kindred spirit
才子多病（さいしたびょう）
1. Talented people tend to be delicate
2. Men of genius tend to be of delicate health
九牛一毛（きゅうぎゅういちもう）
A drop in the ocean
一衣帯水（いちいたいすい）
Being separated by a narrow stretch of water
清風明月（せいふうめいげつ）
1. Refreshing breeze and the bright moon
純一無雑（じゅんいちむざつ）
Pure in heart
下意上達（かいじょうたつ）
Conveyance of lower class opinions to the powers that be
急転直下（きゅうてんちょっか）
Suddenly and precipitately
悠々自適（ゆうゆうじてき）
1. Otium cum dignitate
2. Living a life of leisure and dignity
海千山千（うみせんやません）
Ocean-thousand-mountain-thousand
1. A sly old dog of much worldly wisdom
乾坤一擲（けんこんいってき）
Play for all or nothing
厚顔無恥（こうがんむち）
Brazen and unscrupulous; shameless
傍目八目（おかめはちもく）
1. A bystander’s vantage point
2. Onlookers of a game see more than the actual players do
Additional 四字熟語
Many, many more of these idioms exist. In fact, entire dictionaries are devoted to 四字熟語.
| 一分一厘 | いちぶいちりん | Not even a bit |
| 一網打尽 | いちもうだじん | Wholesale arrest |
| 暗雲低迷 | あんうんていめい | Dark clouds hanging low |
| 曖昧模糊 | あいまいもこ | Ambiguous |
| 悪戦苦闘 | あくせんくとう | Hard struggle |
| 一瞬絶句 | いっしゅんぜっく | Rendered speechless for a moment |
| 一生懸命 | いっしょうけんめい | With all one’s might |
| 一心不乱 | いっしんふらん | With heart and soul |
| 迂闊千万 | うかつせんばん | Very careless |
| 宇宙開闢 | うちゅうかいびゃく | Since the dawn of time |
| 容貌端正 | ようぼうたんせい | To have handsome and clean-cut features |
| 有史以来 | ゆうしいらい | Since the dawn of history |
| 和洋折衷 | わようせっちゅう | A blending of Japanese and Western styles |
| 和光同塵 | わこうどうじん | Wise men softening their light while with the mundane world |
| 老少不定 | ろうしょうふじょう | Death comes to old and young alike |
| 劣弱意識 | れつじゃくいしき | Inferior complex |
| 縷々綿々 | るるめんめん | To go on and on in tedious detail |
| 流転生死 | るてんしょうじ | All things being in flux through the endless circle of birth, death, and rebirth |
| 風声鶴唳 | ふうせいかくれい | To be frightened by the slightest noise |
| 風林火山 | ふうりんかざん | Swift as wind, quiet as forest, fierce as fire, and immovable as mountains |
| 武運長久 | ぶうんちょうきゅう | Continued luck in the fortunes of war |
| 複雑多岐 | ふくざつたき | Complex and wide-ranging |
| 表裏一体 | ひょうりいったい | The two sides of the same coin |
| 比翼連理 | ひよくれんり | Perfect conjugal harmony between husband and wife |
| 百人百様 | ひゃくにんひゃくよう | So many men, so many ways |
| 眉目秀麗 | びもくしゅうれい | Having a handsome face |
| 飛耳長目 | ひじちょうもく | Being well-versed on something |
| 煩悶懊悩 | はんもんおうのう | Anguish |
| 万緑一紅 | ばんりょくいっこう | One item of quality standing out among many |
| 万事承知 | ばんじしょうち | Being well aware of |
| 八方美人 | はっぽうびじん | A woman who looks beautiful from all angles |
| 拈華微笑 | ねんげみしょう | Heart-to-heart communication |
| 如是我聞 | にょぜがもん | These ears have heard |
| 如露如電 | にょろにょでん | Existence is as incorporeal as the morning dew or flash of lightning |
| 南無八幡 | なむはちまん | I beseech your aid against my enemy! |
| 内剛外柔 | ないごうがいじゅう | Being gentle on the outside but tough on the inside |
| 土崩瓦解 | どほうがかい | Complete collapse |
| 道聴塗説 | どうちょうとせつ | Shallow-minded mouthing of secondhand information |
| 闘志満々 | とうしまんまん | Brimming with fighting spirit |
| 東西古今 | とうざいここん | All times and places |
| 桃紅柳緑 | とうこうりゅうりょく | The beautiful scenery of spring |
| 同工異曲 | どうこういきょく | Different in appearance but the same in content |
| 天網恢恢 | てんもうかいかい | Heaven’s vengeance is slow but sure |
| 恬淡虚無 | てんたんきょむ | Rising above the trivia of life and remaining calm and selfless |
| 天真流露 | てんしんりゅうろ | Manifestation of one’s natural sincerity |
| 天地晦冥 | てんちかいめい | The world is covered in darkness |
| 天空海闊 | てんくうかいかつ | The open sky and serene sea |
| 天下泰平 | てんかたいへい | Peaceful and tranquil |
| 痛快淋漓 | つうかいりんり | To be extremely delightful |
| 痴話喧嘩 | ちわげんか | Lover’s quarrel |
| 跳梁跋扈 | ちょうりょうばっこ | Evildoers being rampant and roaming at will |
| 寵愛一身 | ちょうあいっしん | To stand highest in one’s master’s favor |
| 忠言逆耳 | ちゅうげんぎゃくじ | Good advice is harsh to the ear |
| 躊躇逡巡 | ちゅうちょしゅんじゅん | Hesitation and vacillation |
| 魑魅魍魎 | ちみもうりょう | All sorts of weird creatures |
| 着眼大局 | ちゃくがんたいきょく | To take a broad view of things |
| 智慧不惑 | ちえふわく | A wise man never wavers |
| 知行合一 | ちこうごういつ | The doctrine of the unity of knowledge and action |
| 単刀直入 | たんとうちょくにゅう | Going right to the point |
| 男尊女卑 | だんそんじょひ | Male domination of women |
| 多岐亡羊 | たきぼうよう | The truth is hard to find when there are too many paths |
| 大漁貧乏 | たいりょうびんぼう | Impoverishment of fisherman due to a bumper catch |
| 大胆巧妙 | だいたんこうみょう | Bold and clever |
| 大山鳴動 | たいざんめいどう | A big fuss over nothing |
| 大器晩成 | たいきばんせい | Great talents mature late |
| 則天去私 | そくてんきょし | Following heaven and abandoning self |
| 造反有理 | ぞうはんゆうり | To rebel is justified |
| 先憂後楽 | せんゆうこうらく | Hardship now, pleasure later |
| 戦々恐々 | せんせんきょうきょう | To be filled with trepidation |
| 絶体絶命 | ぜったいぜつめい | Desperate situation |
| 切磋琢磨 | せっさたくま | Cultivating one’s mind by studying hard |
| 世上万般 | せじょうばんぱん | Everything in this world |
| 青天白日 | せいてんはくじつ | To be cleared of all charges |
| 正邪善悪 | せいじゃぜんあく | Right and wrong |
| 政権亡者 | せいけんもうじゃ | One who is obsessed with political power |
| 酔眼朦朧 | すいがんもうろう | With drunken eyes |
| 垂涎三尺 | すいぜんさんじゃく | Avid desire |
| 衰退一途 | すいたいいっと | Being on the wane |
| 頭寒足熱 | ずかんそくねつ | Keeping the head cool and the feet warm |
| 人馬一体 | じんばいったい | Unity of rider and horse |
| 心頭滅却 | しんとうめっきゃく | Clearing one’s mind of all mundane thoughts |
| 神色自若 | しんしょくじじゃく | Perfect composure |
| 心身一如 | しんしんいちにょ | Body and mind as one |
| 辛酸甘苦 | しんさんかんく | Hardships and joy |
| 支離滅裂 | しりめつれつ | Incoherent |
| 諸行無常 | しょぎょうむじょう | All worldly things are transitory |
| 四面楚歌 | しめんそか | To be surrounded by enemies on all sides |
| 生者必滅 | しょうじゃひつめつ | All living things must die |
| 純真無垢 | じゅんしんむく | Pure and innocent |
| 秋風落莫 | しゅうふうらくばく | Forlorn and helpless |
| 遮二無二 | しゃにむに | Rushing headlong |
| 詩人墨客 | しじんぼっかく | Poets and artists |
| 残念無念 | ざんねんむねん | What a pity! |
| 昨非今是 | さくひこんぜ | Complete reversal of values |
- These idioms also go by 四字漢語, 四字成語, or 四文字熟語. For academic punctuality, the term “四字成語” is preferred because it means “four character set phrase.” However, most people refer to them as “四字熟語.” Due to their origin, most can also be called “四字漢語.” ↩︎
- It is worth noting that the non-idiomatic means of saying “shin” is 向う脛. ↩︎
- Arguably, idioms made with 之（の） may be still idiomatic but are not examples of 四字熟語. In this logic, only Sino-Japanese based examples can be truly classified as such. ↩︎
- Kanbun 漢文 is Classical Chinese written by Japanese people, and the act of reading them back into Japanese is known as kundoku 訓読. ↩︎
- 色（ルーパ） is a Buddhist term referring to the anything and everything in the universe which has form. ↩︎
- From a Chinese story where Go and Etsu were old rivals that toppled the vessel when they had to be together, which in turn made them have to save each other. ↩︎
- From a story where a monkey feeder would feed a monkey three horse chestnuts in the morning and four in the evening and switched it around because he got mad. ↩︎