Proverb / Kotowaza
網の目に風溜まらぬ
Just as a net cannot trap the wind, money can flow away without staying, or chasing small details can be futile.
Wind does not collect in the meshes of a net
Quick Answer
Just as a net cannot trap the wind, money can flow away without staying, or chasing small details can be futile.
- Literal Image
- Wind does not collect in the meshes of a net
- Closest Equivalent
- Like water through a sieve
- How to Use It
- Used when expressing frustration about money not being saved despite efforts, or when noting that obsessing over minor points yields no results.
Meaning
This proverb uses the image of wind passing through the gaps in a net to symbolize things that cannot be held or retained. It describes situations where money slips through one's fingers despite management, or where focusing on trivial details results in nothing substantial being achieved.
Literal Image
Wind does not collect in the meshes of a net
Equivalent Proverbs
Like water through a sieve
Describes something slipping through or not being retained.
How to Use It
Used when expressing frustration about money not being saved despite efforts, or when noting that obsessing over minor points yields no results.
Tone
Carries a sense of resignation or irony regarding financial situations or wasted effort.
Examples
あれこれ節約してもすぐに出費がかさんでしまう。網の目に風溜まらぬというように、お金はどこへ行ったのやら。
Even with various savings, expenses keep piling up. Just as they say wind doesn't stay in a net, I wonder where the money went.
細かいことにこだわっても、網の目に風溜まらぬで結局は何も残らなかった。
Even though I focused on the fine details, like wind through a net, nothing remained in the end.
稼いでも稼いでも貯まらない。網の目に風溜まらぬとはこのことだと実感している。
No matter how much I earn, I can't save anything. I'm truly realizing what it means that wind doesn't stay in a net.
Learning Notes
Key Vocabulary
Uses the classical negative ending 'nu', and the concept of 'wind in a net' is an idiomatic metaphor for financial loss.
網の目
あみのめ / ami no me
mesh of a net
風
かぜ / kaze
wind
溜まる
たまる / tamaru
to accumulate; to stay
Usage Profile
Usage note: While it can describe futility in work, it is most recognizable as a comment on financial leakage.
Misread Risk
Do not interpret this as a physical warning about nets; it is a metaphor for things that are difficult to retain or manage.
Search As
Related Proverbs
Origin
A net has many gaps, making it impossible to trap wind. This is used as an analogy for human life, meaning that no matter how strictly one tries to manage things, money and possessions slip out without staying. It is a clever expression of things not remaining in one's possession.
Index
Topics, Situations, and Tags
Topics
Situations
Tags
Source Note
Where did this entry get its data from? The reference links are listed below. To understand how to read this section, see Data Sources.