Tea has long been in Japanese life as a drink or as a medicine to maintain good health. There was also a time when tea ceremonies, tea ware, and tea rooms were focused on as part of the gorgeous culture.
For that reason, there are many four-character idioms and proverbs related to tea in Japan. It is also possible that the four-character idioms and proverbs themselves have been used for a long time in Japan.
In this article, I will introduce four-character idioms and proverbs related to such tea.
Four-character idioms related to tea
"Daily tea and rice"
A common event that happens frequently. A word that compares ordinary events to the usual tea and rice. Also known as "daily life" or "tea".
Example sentence: The sale is held at this shop for everyday meals.
"Homemade Tea and Rice"
A common event that happens every day. From the meaning of the same tea and rice as usual.
Example sentence: It's a family meal to have a quarrel between a father and a mother.
"Bitter tea without tea"
Things don't make sense. Or it's too much of a thing. "Bittersweet" is a word that emphasizes "unreasonable".
Example sentence: I was frustrated yesterday, so I drank alcohol unreasonably.
"Mecha messed up"
Things don't make sense. Or it looks like it's terribly confused. "Mecha" is an Ateji, a word that emphasizes the same words repeatedly.
Example sentence: Perhaps because he failed the exam, dropped his wallet, and the disaster continued, he had a messy attitude.
"Chaban Kyogen"
The parable of ridiculous acts and things that quickly break the bottom. From a play that makes it look funny and funny, using ordinary things as materials. "Chaban" is an abbreviation for Chaban Kyogen.
Example sentence: There is no point in discussions like the farce kyogen from a while ago.
Proverbs about tea
"Ochazuke before breakfast"
The parable of being able to do things easily. Ochazuke, which is eaten on an empty stomach before breakfast, comes from the fact that it is easy to eat. "Before breakfast" is an abbreviation for Ochazuke before breakfast.
Example sentence: For him who runs a marathon many times, running 10km is Ochazuke before breakfast.
"There is good fortune in tea"
Just like "the leftovers have good fortune", it means that the tea left over after being taken by others is unexpectedly good. The analogy of happiness coming to a sincere person who does not help in every conflict.
Example sentence: My friend said that he would give out souvenirs, so everyone asked me to get them, but when I went to get them at the end, he said, "I have a surplus.
I'll give you two. I got more than everyone else. There was a lot of good fortune in the tea.
"If you drink too much tea, you will get older."
It means that you shouldn't do anything nasty because drinking the surplus tea has been regarded as lowly. There is also a myth that "drinking tea will make you grow older".
Example sentence: If you hear the story that you always treat yourself, you will rush, and if you drink too much tea, you will get older.
"Eat tea with udon"
The parable of trying and rejoicing in something that others will never do. It comes from the strange behavior of "eating tea with udon" by people who have become accustomed to living in luxury.
Example sentence: After studying other people's ideas well in a business contest, I was able to eat tea with udon.
"Ochanoko Saisai"
"Ochanoko" is a sweet that is served with tea. "Saisai" is a hayashi word. Since the sweets attached to the tea are irresistible, it shows a simple and easy appearance.
Example sentence: For him, a returnee, the English test is Ochanoko.
"Muddy tea"
The parable of creating a place and cheating by saying something appropriate or doing something strange. The etymology is that people who do not know the tea ceremony made the tea look like they were making matcha by making it muddy.
Example sentence: A person who lied will someday make the tea muddy if he asks a few questions.
"Grind tea"
Since it was the role of people who had free time to grind tea leaves to make matcha, there is no particular business, and it is a term that refers to free time. In particular, he expressed that his business was free.
Example sentence: Today was Sunday, so there weren't many customers, so it was a day to grind tea.
"Sake in a liquor store, tea in a teahouse"
The parable that it's best to leave that path to an expert. If you leave it to a professional according to your ability and aptitude, use it when there is no doubt.
Example sentence: It is better to take a broken bicycle to a bicycle shop without forcing yourself to fix it. Even if it costs money, sake is in the liquor store and tea is in the teahouse.
"If you don't get tired of the crude tea bread, that is, take a rest."
Crude tea light rice is poor tea and a short meal, which means that if you are full, you will be grateful and satisfied. It preaches the attitude to live in peace.
Example sentence: Even if I can't travel abroad, I can travel well in Japan. If you don't get tired of the crude tea and light rice, that is, you will take a rest.
"Tea pressed against sleeve-pulled cigarettes"
Both the sleeve-pulled cigarette and the pressed tea are the parables of forcing. The act of hospitality without considering the other person's convenience means that it leads to inconvenience.
Example sentence: If you eat so much, you'll get a sleeve-pulling cigarette and a pressed tea.
"Takuan's heavy stones and tea bags"
Even if you use a tea bag instead of a heavy stone for pickling Takuan, it is too light and meaningless, so it means that there is no response or effect.
Example sentence: Even though I have such a debt, when I earn 100,000 yen, it is a tea bag on the weight of Takuan.
"Cats also drink tea"
It means that the cat, who is always laid back, drinks tea and takes a rest, and is cheeky and disproportionate to his identity.
Example sentence: It seems that cats drink tea to suddenly aim for the championship even though they haven't practiced normally.
"Boil tea with the navel"
A word that compares things that are so funny that you can't help laughing. It also means that it's ridiculous just to hear it. It is also said that the navel boil tea.
Example sentence: To aim for the University of Tokyo even though I haven't studied at all, I boil tea with my navel.
Finally
So far, I have introduced the four-character idioms and proverbs related to tea. There are many more things related to tea besides those introduced here. You can see how tea has been rooted in Japanese life and culture since ancient times.
Recently, the number of words that I rarely hear is increasing, but it may be good to remember some because it is a big deal.