仕事は道具にあり
[しごとはどうぐにあり, shigoto wa dougu ni ari] work depends on tools
四十の馬鹿は始終の馬鹿
[しじゅうのばかはしじゅうのばか, shijuu no baka wa shijuu no baka] a fool at forty is a fool forever (a nice pun with two ways of writing shijuu is found here)
四十の馬鹿は本当の馬鹿
[しじゅうのばかはほんとうのばか, shijuu no baka wa hontou no baka] a fool at forty is a true fool
下には下がある
[したにはしたがある, shita inwa shita ga aru] inferiors have others below them
舌の長いは泥簿
[したのながいはどろぼ, shita no nagai wa dorobou] a long-tongued person is a thief
失敗は成功の基なり
[しっぱいはせいこうのもといなり, shippai wa seikou no motoi nari] failure is the foundation for success
死人に口なし
[しにんにくちなし, shinin ni kuchi nashi] dead men tel no tales (lit.: a dead person has no mouth)
死ねば全て帳消し
[しねばすべてちょうけし, shineba subete chou-keshi] death quits all scores (lit.: on death all accounts are canceled)
死はやすく、生は難し
[しはやすく、せいはかたし, shi wa yasu, sei wa katashi] dying is easy; living is hard
霜と嘘とは後が悪い
[しもとうそとはのちがわるい, shimo to uso to wa ato ga warui] frost and fraud both end in foul
釈迦に説教
[しゃかにせっきょう, Shaka ni sekkyou] coals to Newcastle; preaching to the converted; like teaching a fish to swim (Literally: a sermon to the Buddha. Note that here Shaka is short for Shakyamuni, the birth name of the historical Buddha.)
借金なければ危険なし
[しゃっきんなければきけんなし, shakkin nakereba kiken nashi] without debt there is no danger (Latin: felix qui nihil debet [happy is he who owes nothing])
衆口は金をとかす
[しゅうこうはかねをとかす, shukou wa kane o tokasu] criticism by many people can melt metal
正直一遍
[しょうじきいっぺん, shoujiki ippen] honest but nothing more
正直は一生の宝
[しょうじきはいっしょうのたから, shoujiki wa isshou no takara] honesty is a treasure for life (for everyone)
正直は最上の政策
[しょうじきはさいじょうのせいさく, shoujiki wa saijou no seisaku] honesty is the best policy
小人怒りやすい
[しょうじんいかりやすい, shoujin ikari-yasui] little men anger easily
書物は保存された心なり
[しょもつはほぞんされたこころなり, shomotsu wa hozon sareta kokoro naru] books are preserved minds
知る者言わず、言う者知らず
[しるものいわず、いうものしらず, shiru mono iwazu, iu mono shirazu] those who know do not speak, those who speak do not know
白と黒の差
[しろとくろのさ, shiro to kuro no sa] as different as black and white
神出鬼没
[しんしゅつきぼつ, shinshutsu kibotsu] appear and disappear, to; fade in and out quickly, to (lit.: emerge like a god would, then vanish as a demon would)
進退極まる
[しんたいきわまる, shintai kiwamaru] be in a dilemma
死んだ子の年を数える
[しんだこのとしをかぞえる, shinda go no toshi o kazoeru] count the age of a dead child,to; cry over spilt milk
辛抱する木に金がなる
[しんぼうするきにかねがなる, shinbou suru ki ni kane ga aru] money grows on the tree of patience
信用は無形の財産
[しんようはむけいのざいさん, shinyou wa mukei no zaisan] credit is an invisible asset; credit is better than gold
真理は神の娘なり
[しんりはかみのむすめなり, shinri wa kami no musume nari] truth is the daughter of the gods
真理は常に中庸に存す
[しんりはつねにちゅうようにそんす, shinri wa tsune ni chuuyou ni sonsu] truth is always found in the middle way
自画自賛
[じがじさん, jiga jisan] self-praise; self-adulation; self-congratulations; sing one's own praises, to; toot one's own horn, to (lit.: one's own painting, one's own praise)
自己の本分を守れ
[じこのほんぶんをまもれ, jiko no honbun o mamore] do what you are to do, let the cobbler stick to his last
自業自得
[じごうじとく, jigou jitoku] be one’s own fault, to; serve one right, to; reap what one has sown
地獄で仏に会うよう
[じごくでほとけにあうよう, jigoku de hotoke ni au you] like meeting a Buddha in hell; an oasis in a desert
慈善は家庭より始まる
[じぜんはかていよりはじまる, jizen wa katei yori hajimaru] charity begins at home (a direct translation from the English)
自慢のくそは犬までも食わぬ
[じまんのくそはいぬまでもくわぬ, jiman no kuso wa inu made mo kuwanu] not even a dog will eat the stool of a braggart
蛇の道は蛇
[じゃのみちはへび, ja no michi wa hebi] an old poacher makes the best keeper (lit.: snakes follow the path of large serpents)
十人十色
[じゅうにんとういろ, juunin touiro] to each his (her) own; different strokes for different folks (lit.: ten people, ten colors)
十人十腹
[じゅうにんとうはら, juunin touhara] many men, many minds (lit.: ten men, ten abdomens [considered the seat of intellect and emotion in premodern Japan])
上戸は毒を知らず、下戸は薬を知らず
[じょうごはどくをしらず、げこはくすりをしらず, jougo wa doku o shirazu, geko wa kusuri o shirazu] the drinker does not know the poison, the teetotaler the medicine (in sake)
上戸は本性を現す
[じょうごはほんしょうをあらわす, jougo wa honshou o arawasu] the drinker reveals his true character
上手の手から水が漏る
[じょうずのてからみずがもる, jouzu no te kara mizu ga moreru] Even Homer nods (lit.: skilled hands still spill water)
人生は朝つやの如し
[じんせいはあさつやのごとし, jinsei wa asa tsuya no gotoshi] life is like the morning dew; life is but a bubble
人生は走馬灯の如し
[じんせいはそうまとうのごとし, jinsei wa soumatou no gotoshi] life is a kaleidoscope; life has its ups and downs
人生は風前の灯火
[じんせいはふうぜんのともしび, jinsei wa fuuzen no tomoshibi] very hazardous and uncertain (lit.: a candlelight before the wind)
