Hello guys!!
How are you today?? Instead of fashion, I would like to share you some interesting proverb of Japan!!
In Japanese, proverbs are called Kotowaza, which uses some common happenings in life to reveal a certain truth or wisdom. The Japanese people use Kotowaza quite often in their daily life, and it is always fun to learn how the Japanese think through their Kotowaza!
Today, me and my classmates had dinner at Za-Uo, a restaurant where diners can fish on their own and get the fish cooked on the spot. And by coincidence, my friend Hino taught me a new Kotowaza while we were fishing, which is “ Ebi De Tai O Tsuru” .
It literally means to fish a big sea bream by using a little prawn as a bait. Can you guess the hidden wisdom lying underneath?
Ebi means prawn in Japanese, you can buy one as a bait to lure bigger fishes.
Notice the size! Very very small, isn’t it? But still it costs 100yen.
Now, look at the size of this fish. It is called Tai in Japanese, and is often served raw either as sashimi or sushi.
Can you guess the meaning already?
Yes, it means to gain a huge benefit with a smaller risk. Just like fishing the Tai, the Ebi is extremely small if compared to the fish, but yes, it is still possible to get the big Tai by using the prawn as a tool! Hmm, I hope that I am able to apply this Kotowaza in real life !! (*^_^*)
Instead of the Tai, I guess I gained something even bigger that can’t be measured!! That’s the precious lesson I learned by catching fishes together with my best friend, Ken!
Instead of having it served raw, we chose to fry it.
What do you think about this Kotowaza? Are there any similar Kotowaza in your country?
See ya!
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