018Japanese proverb ことわざ
百聞は一見に如かず
ひゃくぶんはいっけんにしかずHyakubun wa ikken ni shikazu
“Hearing a hundred times is not worth seeing once.”
The meaning
Direct experience outweighs every account. Going to see for yourself dispels the misunderstandings that words maintain.
At the origin
A proverb inherited from ancient Chinese chronicles, common in Japan.
The characters
- 百聞 hyakubunhundred hearings
- は watopic marker
- 一見
- に
- 如かず
はParticleMarks the topic: what the sentence is about — “as for…”.
In practice
Before judging a situation, go and observe it yourself.
Editorial note
Ancient Chinese origin (Book of Han).
Themes
Similar proverbs
- 088 聞くは一時の恥、聞かぬは一生の恥 To ask is a moment's shame; not to ask is a lifetime's shame.
- 150 一を聞いて十を知る Hear one, understand ten.
- 075 百害あって一利なし A hundred harms, not one benefit.
- 200 人の一生は重荷を負うて遠き道を行くが如し A man's life is a long road walked under a burden; there is no need to hurry.
- 003 千里の道も一歩から A journey of a thousand leagues begins with a single step.