094Japanese proverb ことわざ
負うた子に教えられて浅瀬を渡る
おうたこにおしえられてあさせをわたるOuta ko ni oshierarete asase o wataru
“The child on your back shows you the ford.”
Word for wordOne crosses the shallows taught by the child one carries.
The meaning
Knowledge can come from someone smaller than you. The child on your back sometimes sees what the walking adult does not — humility is listening.
At the origin
A traditional proverb about lessons from the humble or the young.
The characters
- 負うた outacarried on back
- 子 kochild
- に niby (agent)
- 教えられて
- 浅瀬
- を
- 渡る
にParticleThe point of arrival: a place, a moment, a destination.
In practice
Take seriously the opinion of the most junior person around you.