[Japanese Idioms by Flashcards]
三人寄れば文殊の知恵
“Three people together have the wisdom of a Buddha”
(two heads are better than one)
Monju is the Saint of Wisdom in the Buddist faith. Similar to “two heads are better than one”, the Japanese proverb suggests that even average people, when working in a group, can come up with a great idea.
Sample text:
(Style: spoken/casual/A=female, B=male)
A: Kaigishitsu de nanika hisohiso hanashiteru kedo, nani shiteru no?
B: Kondo no purojekuto no gen’an o netteru rashii yo.
A: Daijoobu kashira. Demo, maa “sannnin yoreba Monji no chie” tte yuu kara…
A: 会議室で何かひそひそ話してるけど、何してるの？
B: こんどのプロジェクトの原案を練ってるらしいよ。
A: 大丈夫かしら。でも、まあ『三人寄れば文殊の知恵』って言うから…。
A: They’re whispering among themselves in the meeting room; what are they up to?
B: They seem to be brainstorming on a new project.
A: Do you really think they can do it? Oh well, they say, “Two heads are better than one”.
Japanese Idioms
