[Japanese Idioms by Flashcards]
言わぬが花
“Not saying is the flower.”
(Some things are better left unsaid; silence is golden.)
Since one can never really “take back” what one says, there is a high premium on thinking things through before opening one’s mouth. Much harm and nonsense can result from ill-chosen words. Thus the philosophical observation that “Not saying is the flower.”
Sample text:
(Style: spoken/casual/female)
A: Kare ni wa yappari himitsu ni shite okoo to omou no.
B: Soo ne. “Iwanu ga hana” te kotowaza mo arushi ne.
A：彼にはやっぱり秘密にしておこうと思うの。
B：そうね、「言わぬが花」ってことわざもあるしね。
A: I think I’ll keep it a secret from him.
B: That’s good. You know the proverb, “Silence is golden.”
Japanese Idioms
