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  3. Idioms / Maxims / Sayings

Don't bite off your nose to spite your face

Japanese translation: 天に向かって唾を吐く

04:18 Jan 29, 2010
English to Japanese translations [PRO]
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
English term or phrase: Don't bite off your nose to spite your face
i.e. don't do something that, while in the short term may satisfy your need for revenge, but will in the long run only hurt you all the more.
a2ztranslate
New Zealand
Local time: 22:53
Japanese translation:天に向かって唾を吐く
Explanation:
As far as a maxim is concerned, there’s a Japanese one that fits right in.　（＝punitive justice, what goes around comes aroud.）

天に向かって唾を吐く
or
天に唾する (a shorter form with the same meaning.)

see: 研究社新英和中辞典 http://ejje.weblio.jp/content/天

If you stick to an imperative style, then you may just add な（don’t）at the end:
Ex. 天に向かって唾を吐くな


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Note added at 4 hrs (2010-01-29 08:38:08 GMT)
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Also see: http://archive.mag2.com/0000228071/20070412141000000.html
Selected response from:

kokuritsu
Local time: 19:53
Grading comment
perfect, thanks!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +1天に向かって唾を吐く
kokuritsu
3 +2意地悪をして自分が損をする
Yasutomo Kanazawa
4自分の顔に仕返しをするために鼻をちょん切るな
ProTranslator
3短気は損気
Shimac
Summary of reference entries provided
FYR
cinefil

  

Answers


7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
don't bite off your nose to spite your face
意地悪をして自分が損をする


Explanation:
Ijiwaru o shite jibun ga son o suru.
Another expression is "cut off one's nose to spite one's face". The translation I suggested when backtranslated is "being mean to someone and you hurt yourself". I think this conveys the meaning of what you are looking for.

cut off one's nose to spite one's face
意地悪をしようとして自分が損をする.
http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?enc=UTF-8&p=nose&stype=0&dtyp...

Yasutomo Kanazawa
Japan
Local time: 19:53
Native speaker of: Native in JapaneseJapanese

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Katsushi Saito: That's for sure, because it means “make things worse for oneself because one is angry at someone else”.
9 hrs
  -> Thank you Saito-san!
agree  Absecon
12 hrs
  -> ありがとうございます。
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20 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
don't bite off your nose to spite your face
短気は損気


Explanation:
必ずしも復讐に関して言うことばではありませんが・・・。

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 23 mins (2010-01-29 04:41:37 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

上の記述を訂正します：　「必ずしも復讐についてだけ言う言葉ではありませんが・・・。」

Shimac
Japan
Local time: 19:53
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in JapaneseJapanese
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
don't bite off your nose to spite your face
自分の顔に仕返しをするために鼻をちょん切るな


Explanation:
直訳ですが、意味が通じると思います。

ProTranslator
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
don't bite off your nose to spite your face
天に向かって唾を吐く


Explanation:
As far as a maxim is concerned, there’s a Japanese one that fits right in.　（＝punitive justice, what goes around comes aroud.）

天に向かって唾を吐く
or
天に唾する (a shorter form with the same meaning.)

see: 研究社新英和中辞典 http://ejje.weblio.jp/content/天

If you stick to an imperative style, then you may just add な（don’t）at the end:
Ex. 天に向かって唾を吐くな


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2010-01-29 08:38:08 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Also see: http://archive.mag2.com/0000228071/20070412141000000.html

kokuritsu
Local time: 19:53
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in JapaneseJapanese
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
perfect, thanks!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Yumico Tanaka (X): いいですね～。
1 day 3 hrs
  -> どうもありがとうございます。
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Reference comments


12 hrs
Reference: FYR

Reference information:
cut off your nose to spite your face
to do something because you are angry, even if it will cause trouble for you 'The next time he treats me like that, I'm just going to quit my job.' 'Isn't that a bit like cutting off your nose to spite your face?'
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/cut off nose to spite fa...

http://ejje.weblio.jp/content/cut off one's nose to spi...

cinefil
Japan
Native speaker of: Native in JapaneseJapanese
PRO pts in category: 3
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