「風が吹けば桶屋が儲かる」（Japanese idiom)

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Reply #1 - 2008 May 05, 4:27 pm
ファブリス Administrator
From: Belgium Registered: 2006-06-14 Posts: 4021 Website

I'm reviewing vocab on one of Sekiguchi's lessons titled "Butterfly effect".

So I looked up the Japanese idiom :

「風が吹けば桶屋が儲かる」

When the wind blows, Okeya makes a profit.

(btw, not sure yet if Okeya is an old town or a "bucket-shop" ?)

And I came across some funny Japanese discussions, apparently Japanese like to build all sorts of cause-and-effect lists based on that expression.

For example the super summary :

風が吹く
↓
とつぜん桶がほしくなる
↓
桶屋が儲かる


A humoristic one :

風が吹く
↓
砂が目に入る
↓
盲人増える
↓
三味線量産
↓
ネズミ繁殖
↓
柱を食い荒らす
↓
家が倒れる
↓
立て直す
↓
家具がない
↓
IKEAが儲かる


Those look interesting to pickup some really short sentences, as well as for a fun game.

Reply #2 - 2008 May 05, 7:03 pm
Ryuujin27 Member
Registered: 2006-12-14 Posts: 824

I think it says "If the wind blows..."

But interesting post! I'll have to check more out!

Reply #3 - 2008 May 05, 8:21 pm
lindacrisan Member
From: Romania Registered: 2007-02-21 Posts: 24

I don't know why but I find this oddly similar to "pissing in the wind". The reference to pissing being draped by the bucket? Ah, my brain hurts from the quirkiness.

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Reply #4 - 2008 May 06, 3:42 am
mr_hans_moleman Member
From: Toronto Registered: 2007-06-24 Posts: 179

This looks like fun. What's the website?

Reply #5 - 2008 May 06, 11:04 am
shaydwyrm Member
From: Boston Registered: 2007-04-26 Posts: 178 Website

Why does 三味線量産 cause ネズミ繁殖?  Am I missing something obvious?

Reply #6 - 2008 May 06, 12:12 pm
Katsuo M.O.D.
From: Tokyo Registered: 2007-02-06 Posts: 887 Website

An okeya is a cooper, i.e. a mender of oke: barrels, tubs, etc.

Story below from イラストことわざ辞典 ISBN: 4053007747.

大風が吹けば桶屋が喜ぶ。

大風が吹くと砂ぼこりが目にはいって盲人が多くなる。盲人は三味線をひくから、三味線に必要な皮をとるため猫をとらえる。猫の数がへると鼠が増えておけをかじるので、桶屋が儲かって喜ぶということから。

Reply #7 - 2008 May 06, 1:23 pm
ファブリス Administrator
From: Belgium Registered: 2006-06-14 Posts: 4021 Website

shaydwyrm wrote:

Why does 三味線量産 cause ネズミ繁殖?  Am I missing something obvious?

Because they used cat skins to decorate the instrument, as far as I understand from Sekiguchi-san's article (see the link in my post). But I take that story as a parabole. So supposedly blind people could earn a living by pulling the strings (or just building) the 三味線. Then the story goes that when the wind blows sand and dirt gets into people's eyes, wounds them, and they become blind! Thus there are more blind people making 三味線, more cat skins needed, less cats, more mouses, more mouses gnawing at the buckets, more buckets needed, the bucket makers make a fortune!

EDIT: ひく  probably means "playing an instrument" here. Blind people could earn a living by playing 三味線.

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