171Japanese proverb ことわざ
火のない所に煙は立たぬ
ひのないところにけむりはたたぬHi no nai tokoro ni kemuri wa tatanu
“No smoke rises where there is no fire.”
The meaning
Rumors often have an origin, however distorted. The proverb invites us to find the source — and, implicitly, to watch the fires we light ourselves.
At the origin
A universal proverb, well established in Japanese usage.
The characters
In practice
Facing a rumor, find the initial fact before passing it on.
Themes
Similar proverbs
- 027 後悔先に立たず Regret never comes first.
- 294 智に働けば角が立つ。情に棹させば流される。意地を通せば窮屈だ。 Act on reason, and you grow sharp-cornered. Pole along feeling, and you are swept away. Force your will, and you are cramped. Decidedly, the human world is hard to live in.
- 304 蒔かれた場所で咲きなさい Bloom where you were sown.
- 009 思い立ったが吉日 The best day to begin is the day you think of it.
- 203 独立独歩 Standing on one's own, walking at one's own pace.