Horse and monkey - Ibashinen

Japanese: 意馬心猿 - いばしんえん

The inability to stop a person's mind from becoming troubled by worldly desires and lusts.

[Example] Or, some may think that he is a man who is unpopular and keeps getting rejected, even though he is actually a strong-willed man. [Osamu Dazai * Chance | 1946]

[Example] The girl and her maid were playing in a small boat on the pond. When the samurai saw this, he became "a little mad and a little monkey" and jumped off the second floor into the boat. [Nakano Shigeharu * Pear Flowers | 1953-54]

[Explanation] A word that compares a person's "mind" and "heart" to a horse and a monkey. It comes from the fact that the horse runs around and the monkeys make a lot of noise, which is difficult to control.

Source: Dictionary of Four-character Idioms About Dictionary of Four-character Idioms Information

Japanese:

人の心が煩悩や情欲のために乱れるのをおさえがたいこと。

[使用例] あるいは、実は意馬心猿なりといえどもいかんせんもてず、振られどおしの男のように思うひともあるかも知れぬが［太宰治＊チャンス｜1946］

[使用例] 娘は女中と二人で池で小舟に乗って遊んでいた。それを見ると、侍は「意馬心猿」になって二階から舟へどすうんと飛びおりた［中野重治＊梨の花｜1953～54］

[解説] 人の「意（こころ）」「心」を馬と猿にたとえた語。馬が走り回り、猿が騒ぎ立てるのを制しがたいところから。

出典　四字熟語を知る辞典四字熟語を知る辞典について　情報

<<: Ibas - Ibas

>>: Sadataka Iba