262Japanese idiom 四字熟語
高嶺の花
たかねのはなTakane no hana
“The flower on the high peak.”
The meaning
Beautiful, visible, and out of reach. The idiom names inaccessible desires — and quietly invites us to tell what we admire from afar from what we can truly cultivate.
At the origin
A common expression for what is contemplated but not picked.
The characters
- 高嶺 takanehigh peak
- の noof (link)
- 花
のParticleLinks two words: possession or belonging, like “of”.
In practice
For every summit flower admired, cultivate one within your reach.
Themes
Similar proverbs
- 269 花は折りたし梢は高し One longs to pick the flower, but the branch is high.
- 292 田子の浦にうち出でて見れば白妙の富士の高嶺に雪は降りつつ Coming out upon Tago Bay, I see: on Fuji's high peak, white, the snow still falling.
- 020 花より団子 Dumplings over flowers.
- 059 言わぬが花 Not saying is the flower.
- 111 花は盛りに、月は隈なきをのみ見るものかは Should we look at blossoms only in full bloom, at the moon only when it is clear?