270Japanese proverb ことわざ
目は心の鏡
めはこころのかがみMe wa kokoro no kagami
“The eyes are the mirror of the heart.”
The meaning
The inner state surfaces in the gaze before any word. Knowing this makes one more attentive to others — and more honest with oneself: the gaze hardly lies.
At the origin
A classic proverb, cousin of "the eyes speak as much as the mouth".
The characters
In practice
Meet your own gaze in a mirror: what does it say about your day?
Themes
Similar proverbs
- 055 親の心子知らず The child does not know the parent's heart.
- 057 目は口ほどに物を言う The eyes speak as much as the mouth.
- 091 魚心あれば水心 If the fish loves the water, the water will love the fish.
- 139 誠心誠意 With whole heart, in full sincerity.
- 215 行く春や鳥啼き魚の目は泪 Departing spring — birds cry, and there are tears in the eyes of fish.