258Japanese proverb ことわざ
骨折り損のくたびれ儲け
ほねおりぞんのくたびれもうけHoneorizon no kutabire mōke
“For all the gain of one's pains: exhaustion.”
The meaning
Working hard on the wrong thing earns only fatigue. The proverb does not condemn effort — it demands it be well placed before being spent.
At the origin
A card from the Edo iroha deck, a lesson in the economy of effort.
The characters
- 骨折り honeoritoil
- 損 zonloss
- の
- くたびれ
- 儲け
In practice
Before doubling the effort, check the direction once.