Proverb / Kotowaza
泥縄
Scrambling to prepare or take measures only after a problem has already occurred.
making a rope after the thief is caught
Quick Answer
Scrambling to prepare or take measures only after a problem has already occurred.
- Literal Image
- making a rope after the thief is caught
- How to Use It
- Used to describe or criticize someone who starts preparing only after a crisis has already begun.
Meaning
This expression describes taking action or making preparations in a panic when it is already too late. It is based on the image of trying to twist a rope to bind a thief only after the crime has happened or the thief has been apprehended. It highlights the foolishness of neglecting preparation and then rushing to fix things at the last moment.
Literal Image
making a rope after the thief is caught
How to Use It
Used to describe or criticize someone who starts preparing only after a crisis has already begun.
Tone
Critical and cautionary.
Examples
試験前日になってようやく勉強を始めるとは、典型的な泥縄だ。
Starting to study only the day before the exam is a clear example of last-minute scrambling.
Learning Notes
Key Vocabulary
The kanji are simple, but the word is a highly idiomatic contraction of a longer classical proverb.
泥
どろ / doro
In this idiom, an abbreviation for 'thief' (dorobou).
縄
なわ / nawa
rope
Usage Profile
Usage note: Using this about someone else's efforts can be quite blunt and critical.
Misread Risk
Do not interpret the first character as 'mud'; it is an abbreviation for 'thief' (dorobou).
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Related Proverbs
Origin
This expression is a shortened version of 泥棒を捕らえて縄をなう, which means to start twisting a rope only after a thief has been caught. It teaches the importance of preparing in advance rather than waiting until a crisis occurs when preparations are no longer effective.
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