Proverb / Kotowaza
棒ほど願って針ほど叶う
Even if you make a very large wish, only a tiny part of it may actually come true.
Wishing for as much as a stick, but being granted as much as a needle
Quick Answer
Even if you make a very large wish, only a tiny part of it may actually come true.
- Literal Image
- Wishing for as much as a stick, but being granted as much as a needle
- Closest Equivalent
- Aim high but expect little.
- How to Use It
- Used when acknowledging that great expectations or dreams resulted in much smaller achievements than hoped for.
Meaning
This proverb expresses the reality that wishes and goals may not come true exactly as imagined. While a person's desires may be as large as a long stick, the actual results are as small as a needle.
Literal Image
Wishing for as much as a stick, but being granted as much as a needle
Equivalent Proverbs
Aim high but expect little.
Suggests tempering expectations despite high goals.
How to Use It
Used when acknowledging that great expectations or dreams resulted in much smaller achievements than hoped for.
Tone
Reflective and sobering.
Examples
大きな夢を持って挑戦したが、棒ほど願って針ほど叶う、思った通りには行かないものだ。
I took on the challenge with a big dream, but as they say, you wish for a pole and get a needle; things didn't go as I hoped.
Learning Notes
Key Vocabulary
Uses standard verbs like negau and kanau, but the metaphorical use of 'hodo' to express a disparity in scale is an advanced idiomatic structure.
棒
ぼう / bou
pole; stick
願う
ねがう / negau
to wish; to hope
針
はり / hari
needle
叶う
かなう / kanau
to come true; to be granted
Usage Profile
Usage note: Be careful not to use this to discourage others from dreaming; it is primarily used to reflect on actual outcomes.
Misread Risk
Do not interpret this as a suggestion that one should only have small wishes; it describes the outcome, not the ideal starting point.
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Related Proverbs
Origin
This proverb succinctly illustrates the gap between great expectations and the actual results obtained. It contains a realistic lesson that while human desires can be immense, reality does not always match those desires.
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Source Note
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