In the picture that illustrates the proverb, the dude in the brown kimono has just given a gift with an apparent excess of courtesy. The receiver of the gift, however, is no fool (unlike King Lear), and is staring at him with a quizzical expression on his face as if to say,
What kind of fool do you take me for?
His stare has clearly disconcerted the gift-giver who looks sheepishly away.
There is a degree of politeness or courtesy that overeggs it to the point of insolence, and that is the topic of the 17th proverb in one of my two Iroha Karuta decks.
The proverb, or "kotowaza" goes like this:
「礼儀も過ぎれば失礼になる」
"Reigi mo sugireba shitsurei ni naru"
On the proverb card it is written completely in the cursive "Hiragana" script:
「れいぎもすぎればしつれいになる」
Let's break it down:
礼儀 = Reigi = Politeness / Courtesy / Good Manners
も = mo = even
過ぎれば = sugireba = if in excess
失礼 = shitsurei = rudeness
になる = ni naru = becomes
A literal translation might be,
Even politeness, if in excess, becomes rudeness.
And Older, Even More Concise Version
The version of the proverb that my Iroha Karuta deck uses is actually a more modern version of what I assume is the original, which goes like this:
「礼儀も過ぎれば無礼」
"Reigi mo sugireba burei"
Here "無礼" = "burei" = ["無" = "not" + "礼" = "courtesy"] = "rude."
"Even courtesy in excess becomes rude."
The Booklet Explanation
The accompanying booklet offers this explanation of the proverb:
「ばかていねいはかえって相手をばかにする事になるから、程々にすること。」
"Excessive politeness makes the other person feel you are mocking him instead, so do it in moderation."
Here is my considered translation
I am translating the more modern version (「礼儀も過ぎれば失礼になる」) as:
Even good manners taken too far become insolent.
ChatGPT Versus Google Translate
Now let's put ChatGPT and Google Translate to the test with the more modern version of the proverb... So far, Chatgpt has been winning this automated translation contest...
ChatGPT
"Excessive politeness becomes rude."
Nice and concise. It could serve as a translation of the older version as well as of the more modern version.
Google Translate
If you are too polite, it will be rude.
Not too bad, I suppose. GT has preserved the "if clause" and kept things simple. However, I think ChatGPT better expresses the Japanese feeling in both its use of "becomes rude" and economy of words, so for me at least, ChatGPT wins again.
Cheers!
David Hurley
#InspiredFocus
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