[Japanese Idioms by Flashcards]
焼け石に水
“water on a red-hot stone”
(a drop in the bucket, completely ineffective)
A drop of water thrown on a red-hot stone is of no consequence. Instead of cooling the stone, the drop of water evaporates in an instant. Yakeishi ni mizu expresses a grossly inadequate remedy to a problem.
Sample text:
(Style: spoken/casual/female)
A: Kongetsu wa monosugoi akaji na no yo. Sukoshi shokuhi o setsuyaku shite mita kedo, yakeishi ni mizu de doonimo naranai wa.
A: 今月はものすごい
A: We are ‘way in the red this month. I tried to spend less for groceries, but it’s a drop in the bucket. I just don’t know what to do.
Japanese Idioms
