虎穴に入らずんば虎子を得ず
Japanese
| Kanji in this term | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 虎 | 穴 | 入 | 虎 | 子 | 得 |
| こ Grade: S |
けつ Grade: 6 |
い Grade: 1 |
こ Grade: S |
じ Grade: 1 |
え Grade: 5 |
| on'yomi | kun'yomi | on'yomi | kun'yomi | ||
Etymology
虎穴 (“tiger lair”) + に (“locative marker”) + 入らず (“not enter”) + んば (“if”) + 虎子 (“tiger cub”) + を + 得ず (“not gain”).
Calque of Literary Chinese 不入虎穴，不得虎子 (literally “one may not catch a tiger cub without entering a tiger's lair”) from the Book of the Later Han. Attributed to Ban Chao. Compare Chinese 不入虎穴，焉得虎子 (bù rù hǔxué, yān dé hǔzǐ) (the more common form in modern Chinese).
Proverb
虎穴に入らずんば虎子を得ず • (koketsu ni irazunba koji o ezu)