Yoraba Taiju no Kage

[Japanese Idioms by Flashcards]

寄らば大樹の陰

“[Seek shelter in] the shade of a big tree.”

(Choose secure and solid protection.)

Shade is figurative for protection. The tree you choose should be important and highly placed within your organization or in society in general. This expression is close in nuance to “it never hurts to have friends in high places.”

Sample text:
(Style: written/informal)

Saikin no gakusei wa gakusha no kenkyuu teema dewa naku, gakusha no chimeido ya seijiryoku ni yotte kyooju o erabu keikoo ga aru. “Yoraba taiju no kage” to you wake ka.

最近の学生は学者がくしゃの研究けんきゅうテーマではなく、学者の知名度ちめいどや政治力せいじりょくによって教授きょうじゅを選ぶ傾向けいこうがある。「寄らば大樹たいじゅの陰かげ」というわけか。

There is a tendency among current students to choose an academic mentor not because of the professor’s research interests but because of the professor’s fame or political clout. I suppose it’s because they say, “Seek shelter in the shade of a big tree.”