[Japanese Idioms by Flashcards]
腹芸
“belly performance”
(intuitive decision making, going on a gut feeling, negotiating without the use of direct words)
The origin of the word haragei is a drama performed on the belly of a person lying down, or a skit performed with a face painted on one’s belly. From this comes the meaning of a theatrical strategy to communicate to others without words. Today haragei is thought of as a nonverbal, intuitive problem-solving technique requiring experience, sensitivity, and a keen knowledge of others.
Sample text:
(Style: spoken/casual/male)
A: Kondo no chiji wa oomono da nee. Hito o ugokasu sokojikara ga aru yoo da.
B: Soo rashii. Nanishiro haragei ni taketa hito da te yuu uwasa ga aru kurai da kara.
A: 今度の知事は大物だねえ。人を動かす
B: そうらしい。何しろ
A: Our new governor is a real “Mover and Shaker.” He seems to have a knack for mobilizing people into action.
B: That’s what I hear, too. People say it’s because his intuitive negotiating technique is very effective.
Japanese Idioms
