142Japanese proverb ことわざ
頭隠して尻隠さず
あたまかくしてしりかくさずAtama kakushite shiri kakusazu
“Hiding the head but not the rear.”
The meaning
Like the pheasant burying its head in the grass, we think we hide what everyone sees. Half-concealments deceive mostly their author.
At the origin
A mocking proverb about naive cover-ups.
The characters
In practice
What you cannot hide entirely, better say frankly.
Themes
Similar proverbs
- 029 能ある鷹は爪を隠す The skilled hawk hides its talons.
- 030 実るほど頭を垂れる稲穂かな The riper the rice ear, the lower it bows its head.
- 231 鶏頭の十四五本もありぬべし Cockscombs — there must be fourteen, maybe fifteen.
- 266 泣く子と地頭には勝てぬ Against a crying child and a local lord, no one wins.
- 048 無くて七癖 Even those who think they have none have seven quirks.