KANAE
251Japanese idiom 四字熟語

粉骨砕身

Funkotsu saishin

“Grinding one's bones, crushing one's body.”

The meaning

Giving yourself without reserve to a task that deserves it. The hyperbole says something true: some works are only done wholeheartedly — provided you choose which.

At the origin

The four-character idiom of total effort.

The characters

In practice

Reserve total commitment for what deserves it; the rest, do well, no more.

Themes

Similar proverbs

Related expressions

See also