猫に小判

Japanese

Kanji in this term
猫	小	判
ねこ Grade: S	こ Grade: 1	ばん Grade: 5
kun'yomi		on'yomi

Etymology

Phrase composed of 猫 (neko, “cat, cats”) + に (ni, “to”, directional particle) + 小判 (koban, a kind of traditional gold coin).^[1]^[2]^[3] Literally, “gold coins to cats”.

First cited to a text from 1687.^[1]

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ne̞ko̞ ɲ̟i ko̞bã̠ɴ]

Idiom

猫(ねこ)に小(こ)判(ばん) • (neko ni koban)

to give something valuable to someone who does not understand that value: to cast pearls before swine [1687]
Synonyms: 豚に真珠 (buta ni shinju), 犬に論語 (inu ni Rongo), 馬耳東風 (baji tōfū), 馬の耳に念仏 (uma no mimi ni nenbutsu)

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (1995), 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[KDJ-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[DJR-2] Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[DJS-3] Matsumura, Akira, editor (1995), 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN

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