尺で鯛を釣る

Japanese

Kanji in this term
尺 鯛 釣
しゃく
Grade: 6 		たい
Jinmeiyō 		つ
Grade: S

Etymology

Literally, “to catch a bream with an inchworm”.

Idiom

尺(しゃく)で鯛(たい)を釣(つ)る • (shaku de tai o tsuru) 

  1. obtaining something large with something small
    • 1603, Vocabvlario da Lingoa de Iapam (Nippo Jisho) [Vocabulary of the Language of Japan] (in Portuguese), Nagasaki, page 741:
      Xacu. l, xacumuxi. シャク. または, しゃくむし (尺. または, 尺虫) 歩くときに身を縮めたりしながら進む一種の小虫. Xacude taiuo tçuru. (尺で鯛を釣る) 諺. この小虫で鯛を釣って取る人のように, 小さなもので大きなものを手に入れる.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
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