Classical Japanese Sayings Quiz | Applying Expressions to Adversity, Authority, and Relationships, Standard Set 2
Problem 1
After a crushing defeat at a national tournament, a team sets the goal of winning five years later. The players keep the defeat in mind, continue demanding training and tactical study over a long period, and wait for another opportunity. Which classical Japanese saying describes this attitude?
View explanation
The team endures prolonged hardship while awaiting an opportunity to achieve a goal, so 「臥薪嘗胆」 is the best fit. 「背水の陣」 means cutting off one's route of retreat and entering a single decisive contest with desperate resolve. Here, the team is not immediately committing everything to one contest; it treats the defeat as a lasting reminder and prepares steadily toward a goal five years away.
Problem 2
A project leader tries to force through a new venture, but every member of the executive committee objects, the leader's direct reports refuse to cooperate, and partner organizations withdraw their support. No one nearby remains available for advice or assistance. Which classical Japanese saying best describes this situation?
View explanation
Every internal and external ally has either opposed the leader or withdrawn, leaving the leader isolated without help, so 「四面楚歌」 is the best fit. 「漁夫の利」 describes a third party gaining from a conflict between two others, but no such beneficiary exists here. The key is not merely having one opponent; it is being surrounded by opponents and deprived of support on every side.
Problem 3
An assistant who has received no negotiating authority from the committee chair intimidates a supplier by saying, “If you do not obey me, I will ask the chair, who is close to me, to exclude you next time.” Which classical Japanese saying describes the assistant?
View explanation
The assistant lacks the power to exclude the supplier and boasts by invoking a relationship with the influential chair, so 「虎の威を借る狐」 is the best fit. This differs from an authorized representative acting within formally delegated powers. 「登竜門」 means a difficult gateway whose passage leads to advancement, not intimidating others through someone else's authority.
Problem 4
An employee is initially disappointed when an overseas assignment is canceled, believing that a promotion opportunity has been lost. Remaining in the country, however, enables the employee to support family members and join a new venture that builds expertise in another field. The employee also recognizes that the experience's future effects cannot yet be known. Which saying best matches this view?
View explanation
The canceled assignment first appeared unfortunate but led to family support and new expertise, while its eventual significance remains uncertain. This matches 「塞翁が馬」, which says that present fortune and misfortune may later reverse in unpredictable ways. It does not guarantee that every bad event will produce a good outcome. 「朝三暮四」 instead concerns being misled by a change in outward allocation when the substance remains the same.
Problem 5
The word pronounced 「かんぺき」 means having no flaws or deficiencies. Which spelling corresponds to the story in which Lin Xiangru brought a precious jade disk home undamaged?
View explanation
The correct spelling is 「完璧」. 「璧」 means a jade disk, and the story of Lin Xiangru returning the precious object intact gave the word its sense of being without flaws or deficiencies. The 「壁」 in 「完壁」 means a wall or partition, so despite having the same reading it does not match the jade object in the story. 「碧」 denotes a blue-green color.
Problem 6
Which sentence is the most appropriate normative use of 「逆鱗に触れる」?
View explanation
「逆鱗に触れる」 originally concerned an emperor or ruler and, by extension, means provoking intense anger in a superior such as a company president. The sentence in which a subordinate's false report incurs the president's severe anger is therefore appropriate. Normative dictionary guidance treats use for oneself or a subordinate's anger as incorrect. A colleague becoming only mildly displeased also fails to meet the conditions of a superior's intense anger.
Problem 7
Which of the following can most appropriately be called a 「登竜門」?
View explanation
「登竜門」 is a difficult gateway whose passage leads to advancement or major success. A highly selective award that opens a path for emerging artists to work at the forefront satisfies both conditions. The safety course may be necessary education but has no pass-or-fail selection, while an open networking event and a trade show accessible simply by buying a ticket are not difficult gateways that launch a career.
Problem 8
Two researchers who had been rivals reconcile after learning that one had placed the public interest above their private dispute. They later trust each other so deeply that either would risk position or life to protect the other. Which expression describes their relationship?
View explanation
「刎頸の交わり」 means a bond so close and steadfast that one would not regret even being beheaded for the other person. It fits the stated progression from conflict to reconciliation and willingness to risk one's life in mutual support. 「犬猿の仲」 means an extremely hostile relationship and is therefore the opposite of their relationship after reconciliation. 「漁夫の利」 concerns a third party profiting from a dispute between two others.
Problem 9
Which action most closely matches the story from which 「助長」 acquired the sense of adding unnecessary force and thereby making matters worse?
View explanation
In the story behind 「助長」, a person tries to make seedlings grow faster by pulling them upward, but damages their roots and causes them to wither. The key is that unnecessary intervention, driven by impatience for results, produces the opposite of the intended outcome. Adjusting water and fertilizer to the plants' condition is appropriate support, not the harmful forcing in the story. In modern Japanese, 「助長」 can also neutrally or positively mean promoting something such as imagination.
Problem 10
Which situation most closely illustrates 「泣いて馬謖を斬る」?
View explanation
The manager applies the same standard to a trusted, long-serving contributor after a serious violation has been established, suppressing personal attachment in order to preserve organizational discipline. This matches 「泣いて馬謖を斬る」. Punishing a disliked employee without investigation does not set private feeling aside, while blaming an innocent person is not a fair application of rules. The saying does not automatically justify punishment; in real settings, a proper investigation and procedure remain necessary.