JLPT N1Proverbs
疑心暗鬼を生ず
- Meaning
- 疑う心があると何でもないことまで恐ろしく見えてくる
- Explanation
- It means that once one harbors a suspicious mind, even nothing at all comes to feel frightening, just as one would see the shadow of a nonexistent demon in the dark. Unlike c2, which positively evaluates carefulness, it is a phrase that cautions against the excessive fear and delusion that suspicion produces.
Original Japanese explanation
ひとたび疑う心を持つと、暗闇に実在しない鬼の影まで見えるように、何でもないことが恐ろしく感じられること。用心深さを肯定的に評価する c2 とは違い、疑念が生む過剰な恐怖や妄想を戒める言葉です。
Quick check
Please choose the most appropriate meaning expressed by 「疑心暗鬼を生ず」.
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