[Japanese Idioms by Flashcards]
石橋をたたいて渡る
“to tap a stone bridge before crossing it”
(to proceed with caution, to test the waters before jumping in)
Even a bridge made of stone (which on the fave of it is sturdier than a wooden bridge) needs to be tested before crossing. The English near-equivalent is “look before you leap”
Sample text:
(Style: spoken/casual/A=female, B=male)
A: Watashi, doo shite mo kabuken te kau ki ni naranai no.
B: Sore mo ii daroo. “Ishibashi o tataite wataru” tte yuu kotoba mo aru n dashi. Chokin ja amari fuenai kedo, yoojin shita hoo ga anzen daroo na.
A: 私、どうしても株券て買う気にならないの。
B: それもいいだろう。『石橋をたたいて渡る』っていう言葉もあるんだし。貯金じゃ余り増えないけど、用心した方が安全だろうな。
A: I simply don’t feel like buying stocks.
B: That’s OK. They say, “Tap a stone bridge before crossing it.” Keeping your money in savings accounts won’t accumulate much, but it’s always safe to be cautious.
Japanese Idioms
