Idioms & Expressions
Idioms, sound words, old-style expressions, similes and casual speech in 竹取物語 (The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, Part 2).
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Old-style
天竺てんじく
Meaning: Tenjiku (an old Japanese name for India)
石作の皇子には、天竺（今のインド）にあるという、仏さまの石の鉢。
For Prince Ishizukuri: the stone bowl of the Buddha, said to be in Tenjiku (today's India).
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Old-style
唐とう
Meaning: Tang (the name old Japan used for China)
阿倍のみうしには、唐の国にあるという、火ねずみの皮で作った衣。
For Abe no Miushi: a robe made from the skin of the fire-rat, said to be in the land of Tang (China).
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Old-style
衣ころも
Meaning: robe; clothes (an old word; today people say 服)
阿倍のみうしには、唐の国にあるという、火ねずみの皮で作った衣。
For Abe no Miushi: a robe made from the skin of the fire-rat, said to be in the land of Tang (China).
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Old-style
子安貝こやすがい
Meaning: cowrie shell (子安 means "easy birth"; in old Japan the shell was a charm for safe childbirth)
石上のまろたりには、つばめが持っているという子安貝。
For Isonokami no Marotari: the cowrie shell that swallows are said to have.
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Sound & mimetic word
がっかりがっかり
Meaning: disappointed; let down
五人はがっかりして帰っていきました。
The five men went home disappointed.
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Idiom
はじめからはじめから
Meaning: from the start; from the very beginning
石作の皇子は、はじめから天竺へ行くつもりはありませんでした。
Prince Ishizukuri never intended to go to Tenjiku, right from the start.
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Idiom
少しもすこしも
Meaning: (with a negative) not at all; not in the least
その鉢は、少しも光っていませんでした。
That bowl was not shining in the least.
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Idiom
どうして〜ましょうどうして〜ましょう
Meaning: how could there be ...? (a question that means "of course there is not")
かぐや姫は、「山寺の鉢に、どうして光がありましょう」という歌をそえて、すぐに鉢を返しました。
Kaguya-hime sent the bowl straight back, with a poem that said, "How could there be any light in a bowl from a mountain temple?"
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Idiom
歌をそえるうたをそえる
Meaning: to send a poem along with (a letter or a gift)
Literal: to add a poem
かぐや姫は、「山寺の鉢に、どうして光がありましょう」という歌をそえて、すぐに鉢を返しました。
Kaguya-hime sent the bowl straight back, with a poem that said, "How could there be any light in a bowl from a mountain temple?"
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Old-style
皇子みこ
Meaning: prince; a son of the emperor (an old reading; today 皇子 is usually read おうじ)
皇子は鉢を門の前に捨てましたが、それでもまだ、かぐや姫に言い寄りました。
The prince threw the bowl away in front of the gate, but even then he still kept courting Kaguya-hime.
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Idiom
言い寄るいいよる
Meaning: to court; to try to win (someone's) love
Literal: to come close with words
皇子は鉢を門の前に捨てましたが、それでもまだ、かぐや姫に言い寄りました。
The prince threw the bowl away in front of the gate, but even then he still kept courting Kaguya-hime.
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Casual speech
ずうずうしいずうずうしい
Meaning: shameless; having a lot of nerve
このことから、ずうずうしいことを「恥を捨てる」と言うようになったと言われています。
It is said that this is why people came to call shameless behavior "throwing away one's shame."
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Idiom
恥を捨てるはじをすてる
Meaning: to stop caring what people think; to be shameless (in the story, a pun on 鉢を捨てる, "to throw away the bowl")
Literal: to throw away one's shame
このことから、ずうずうしいことを「恥を捨てる」と言うようになったと言われています。
It is said that this is why people came to call shameless behavior "throwing away one's shame."
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Idiom
（言葉を）かける（ことばを）かける
Meaning: to play on two words that sound alike; to make a pun
「鉢を捨てる」と「恥を捨てる」をかけた、しゃれです。
It is a pun that plays on "throwing away the bowl" (hachi) and "throwing away one's shame" (haji).
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Sound & mimetic word
こっそりこっそり
Meaning: secretly; without being noticed
船で海へ出かけるふりをして、三日後にこっそり帰ってきました。
He pretended to set out to sea by ship, and three days later he secretly came back.
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Idiom
腕のいいうでのいい
Meaning: skilled; good at one's craft
Literal: with a good arm
そして、腕のいい職人たちを集めて、人の来ない家にかくれ、千日かけて玉の枝を作らせたのです。
Then he gathered skilled craftsmen, hid in a house where no one came, and had them spend a thousand days making the jeweled branch.
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Idiom
話に聞くはなしにきく
Meaning: to know of (something) only from what people say
Literal: to hear in talk
できあがった枝は、話に聞く本物とそっくりでした。
The finished branch looked exactly like the real one he had heard about.
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Sound & mimetic word
そっくりそっくり
Meaning: exactly like; just the same as
できあがった枝は、話に聞く本物とそっくりでした。
The finished branch looked exactly like the real one he had heard about.
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Idiom
〜ような顔で〜ようなかおで
Meaning: looking as if ...; acting as though ...
Literal: with a face like ...
皇子は、長い旅をしてきたような顔でかぐや姫の家へ行き、旅の話を次から次へと語りました。
Looking as if he had been on a long journey, the prince went to Kaguya-hime's house and told one story after another about his travels.
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Idiom
次から次へとつぎからつぎへと
Meaning: one after another
Literal: from the next to the next
皇子は、長い旅をしてきたような顔でかぐや姫の家へ行き、旅の話を次から次へと語りました。
Looking as if he had been on a long journey, the prince went to Kaguya-hime's house and told one story after another about his travels.
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Idiom
嵐にあうあらしにあう
Meaning: to be caught in a storm (〜にあう is used for running into something bad)
Literal: to meet a storm
「海では何度も嵐にあい、船がしずみそうになりました。
"At sea I ran into storms again and again, and the ship nearly sank.
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鬼のようなものおにのようなもの
Meaning: something like a demon
鬼のようなものにおそわれたこともありました。
There were even times when I was attacked by something like a demon.
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Sound & mimetic word
すっかりすっかり
Meaning: completely; totally
おじいさんはすっかり信じて、「これでもう、ことわることはできませんよ」とかぐや姫に言い、結婚の準備を始めました。
The old man believed it completely, said to Kaguya-hime, "Now you can no longer refuse," and began to prepare for the wedding.
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Idiom
考えこむかんがえこむ
Meaning: to be lost in thought; to think hard and long
かぐや姫は、だまって考えこんでしまいました。
Kaguya-hime fell silent, lost in thought.
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Casual speech
うそがばれるうそがばれる
Meaning: a lie comes out; to be found out (ばれる is a casual word)
こうして、うそがばれてしまいました。
And so the lie came out.
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Idiom
とうとうとうとう
Meaning: finally; in the end (after a long time)
そして、とうとう美しい皮衣がとどきました。
And at last a beautiful fur robe arrived.
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Idiom
あっという間にあっというまに
Meaning: in an instant; in the blink of an eye
Literal: in the time it takes to say "ah"
ところが、火に入れると、皮衣はあっという間にめらめらと燃えてしまいました。
But when it was put in the fire, the robe blazed up and burned away in an instant.
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Sound & mimetic word
めらめらめらめら
Meaning: (of flames) flaring up; blazing
ところが、火に入れると、皮衣はあっという間にめらめらと燃えてしまいました。
But when it was put in the fire, the robe blazed up and burned away in an instant.
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Idiom
あえなくあえなく
Meaning: all too easily; with nothing to show for it (the story jokes that あえない comes from the name 阿倍)
こうして阿倍のみうしの願いは、あえなく消えました。
And so Abe no Miushi's hopes vanished, all too easily.
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Casual speech
取ってこいとってこい
Meaning: go and get it (こい is the command form of 来る; a rough order to people below you)
大伴のみゆきは、家来たちを集めて、たくさんのお金や食べ物をわたし、「竜の首の玉を取ってこい。
Ōtomo no Miyuki gathered his servants, gave them plenty of money and food, and said, "Go and get the jewel from the dragon's neck.
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Idiom
待ちきれないまちきれない
Meaning: cannot wait any longer
Literal: cannot finish waiting
待ちきれなくなった大伴のみゆきは、自分で船に乗って海へ出ました。
Ōtomo no Miyuki, who could wait no longer, got on a ship himself and went out to sea.
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Idiom
今にもいまにも
Meaning: at any moment; about to
雷が鳴り、船は今にもしずみそうです。
Thunder roared, and the ship seemed about to sink at any moment.
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Idiom
たどり着くたどりつく
Meaning: to reach at last (after a long, hard way)
やっと浜にたどり着いたとき、みゆきは病気になっていて、目はすももを二つつけたようにはれていました。
When he finally reached the shore, Miyuki had fallen ill, and his eyes were swollen as if two plums had been stuck on them.
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すももを二つつけたようにすももをふたつつけたように
Meaning: (eyes swollen) as if two plums had been stuck on them
やっと浜にたどり着いたとき、みゆきは病気になっていて、目はすももを二つつけたようにはれていました。
When he finally reached the shore, Miyuki had fallen ill, and his eyes were swollen as if two plums had been stuck on them.
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Casual speech
取ったぞとったぞ
Meaning: "I've got it!" (ぞ is a strong sentence ending, used when talking to oneself or to people below you)
「子安貝を取ったぞ」と喜んだとたん、綱が切れて、まろたりは下に落ちてしまいました。
The moment he cheered, "I've got the cowrie shell!", the rope broke, and Marotari fell to the ground.
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Idiom
かいがないかいがない
Meaning: all for nothing; not worth the effort (in the story, a pun on 貝がない, "there is no shell")
Literal: there is no reward for the effort
貝がなかったので「かいがない」。
There was no shell (kai), so it was kai ga nai, "all for nothing."
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Idiom
何にもならないなんにもならない
Meaning: to come to nothing; to be no use at all
Literal: to become nothing
このことから、がんばったのに何にもならないことを「かいがない」と言うようになったとも言われています。
It is also said that this is why people came to say kai ga nai when hard work comes to nothing.
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Idiom
だれ一人だれひとり
Meaning: (with a negative) not a single person; no one
こうして、五人のうちだれ一人、宝物を持ってくることはできませんでした。
And so, of the five men, not one was able to bring the treasure.
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Old-style
帝みかど
Meaning: the Emperor (an old word; today people say 天皇)
かぐや姫のうわさは、とうとう帝の耳にもとどきました。
Word of Kaguya-hime at last reached even the Emperor's ears.
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Idiom
耳にとどくみみにとどく
Meaning: to reach (someone's) ears; to come to be heard by
Literal: to arrive at the ear
かぐや姫のうわさは、とうとう帝の耳にもとどきました。
Word of Kaguya-hime at last reached even the Emperor's ears.