257Japanese idiom 四字熟語
月とすっぽん
つきとすっぽんTsuki to suppon
“The moon and the pond turtle.”
The meaning
Both are round — and that is their only likeness. The idiom recalls that surface comparisons hide worlds of difference.
At the origin
A popular expression for abyssal differences beneath apparent likeness.
The characters
- 月 tsukimoon
- と toand, with
- すっぽん
とParticle“And, with” — or opens quoted words.
In practice
Before comparing, check that the likeness goes deeper than the shape.
Themes
Similar proverbs
- 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?
- 166 名月を取ってくれろと泣く子かな "Catch me the moon!" cries the child.
- 067 歳月人を待たず The years wait for no one.
- 101 月に叢雲、花に風 Over the moon, gathering clouds; over blossoms, wind.
- 108 月日は百代の過客にして The days and months are travelers of a hundred generations.