287Japanese quotation 名言
家の作りやうは夏をむねとすべし
いえのつくりようはなつをむねとすべしIe no tsukuriyō wa natsu o mune to subeshi
“Let a house be designed for summer.”
The meaning
In winter, says Kenkō, one can live anywhere; but a stifling house in summer is unlivable. Build for the worst case, not the average one — advice that reaches far beyond houses.
At the origin
A famous passage of the "Tsurezuregusa" (14th century).
The characters
- 家 iehouse
- の noof (link)
- 作りやう tsukuriyōway of building
- は
- 夏
- を
- むね
- と
- すべし
のParticleLinks two words: possession or belonging, like “of”.
In practice
In your plans, provide first for the difficult season.
Themes
In the collections · Fude
Similar proverbs
- 209 夏草や兵どもが夢の跡 Summer grasses — all that remains of warriors' dreams.
- 225 五月雨や大河を前に家二軒 June rains — facing the swollen river, two houses.
- 226 夏河を越すうれしさよ手に草履 What happiness, crossing the summer river, sandals in hand!
- 233 夏嵐机上の白紙飛び尽す Summer gale — every blank page on the desk blown away.
- 296 家は漏らぬほど、食事は飢えぬほどにて足る事なり A house that does not leak, meals that end hunger: that is enough.