085Japanese idiom 四字熟語
縁の下の力持ち
えんのしたのちからもちEn no shita no chikaramochi
“The strong one beneath the veranda.”
Word for wordThe strong man under the floor.
The meaning
Houses stand on pillars no one sees. Those who support unseen deserve the highest esteem — and there is greatness in being one.
At the origin
The image comes from the posts holding up the engawa, the veranda of Japanese houses.
The characters
- 縁 enveranda
- の noof (link)
- 下
- の
- 力持ち
のParticleLinks two words: possession or belonging, like “of”.
In practice
Thank someone today whose invisible work carries you.