Japanese meaning of 石橋を叩いて渡る

Reading: AI

いしばしをたたいてわたる (ishibashi o tataite wataru)

English Translation:

Better safe than sorry

Meaning & Cultural Context

Meaning:

Proceed only after thorough verification.

用心深く十分に確かめてから実行すべきという意味。

Cultural Context:

Used in safety culture, QC, and legal compliance; proverbial for risk-averse planning.

安全文化・品質管理・法令順守で引用。慎重な計画の代名詞。

Grammar & Learning Points

Grammar Point

• 石橋 (ishibashi) = “stone bridge” (noun)
• を (o) = object marker
• 叩いて (tataite) = te-form of 叩く (tataku, “to tap”)
• 渡る (wataru) = “to cross” (verb, plain form)
Two verb phrases in sequence, emphasizing extreme caution before acting.

Trap for English Speakers

Might be taken as actually advocating paranoia; it emphasizes careful verification before acting.

Example

Basic Example

慎重すぎるくらい確認するのは、石橋を叩いて渡るだ。

Checking thoroughly before acting is better safe than sorry.

Applied Example

相手のフォーメーションを何度も研究、石橋を叩いて渡る作戦だ。

Studying the opponent’s formation over and over—better safe than sorry.