3990
I was never able to make any sense out of the following Japanese proverbs or
idiomatic expressions:

> 豆腐の角に頭をぶつけて死んでしまえ。  
>  'Hit your head against a corner of a cake of tofu, and die.'
>
> ...の爪の垢を煎じて飲む。  
>  'take extract from one's dirt/wax under the nail, and drink it'

They are nonsense to me, and the latter is also disgusting. How can you die in
such a way? What is the purpose of drinking such thing? How can you make a
sense out of them?
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-13T17:26:20.457
3983
2011-12-30T01:42:50.403
2020-06-17T08:18:27.500
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question
idioms quotes
Making sense out of Japanese proverbs
> 豆腐の角に頭をぶつけて死んでしまえ。

Used to say that a person is so stupid (that he would believe this and real
find a piece tofu to die).
[(source)](https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ja/w/index.php?title=%E8%B1%86%E8%85%90&oldid=40284190#.E6.85.A3.E7.94.A8.E5.8F.A5)

> ...の爪の垢を煎じて飲む。

Use the dirt under the nail of ( some expertise ) as a drug, (you'll get some
of his talent). [(source)](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/jn2/148346/m0u/)

> 名人の爪の垢を煎じて飲めば少しは腕が上がるだろうに

It'll be hard to make any sense out of them if you see them alone. I'd
recommend you to find some reference.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-14T01:27:04.693
3990
2011-12-14T02:42:51.287
2011-12-14T02:42:51.287
54
903
3983
answer