JLPT N1Proverbs
燕雀いずくんぞ鴻鵠の志を知らんや
- Meaning
- 小人物には大人物の遠大な志は理解できない
- Explanation
- Small birds like swallows and sparrows cannot understand the lofty, far-reaching ambition of a great bird (鴻鵠). By extension, it means that a person of small caliber cannot understand the grand ambition of a great person. It is the opposite of c1, which holds that anyone can hold great ambition; it is a phrase emphasizing the gap between the two.
Original Japanese explanation
燕や雀のような小鳥には、おおとり(鴻鵠)の高く遠い志は理解できない。転じて、器の小さい人物には大人物の遠大な志がわからないという意味。誰でも大志を抱けるとする c1 とは逆で、両者の隔たりを強調することばです。
Quick check
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