Proverb / Kotowaza
栄耀の餅の皮
Becoming so accustomed to luxury that one treats once-precious or expensive things with indifference or carelessness.
Peeling the skin off a rice cake out of luxury
Quick Answer
Becoming so accustomed to luxury that one treats once-precious or expensive things with indifference or carelessness.
- Literal Image
- Peeling the skin off a rice cake out of luxury
- How to Use It
- Used to describe someone who has become spoiled by their circumstances or to warn against the loss of appreciation that follows an increase in wealth and status.
Meaning
This expression describes a state where wealth and abundance have become so commonplace that an individual loses their sense of gratitude and value for things. It depicts someone who treats high-quality items or experiences as trivial or disposable because they have become over-exposed to luxury.
Literal Image
Peeling the skin off a rice cake out of luxury
How to Use It
Used to describe someone who has become spoiled by their circumstances or to warn against the loss of appreciation that follows an increase in wealth and status.
Tone
The tone is cautionary and critical of wasteful or ungrateful behavior.
Examples
子どもの頃は特別なごちそうだったケーキも、今では残すことがある。まさに栄耀の餅の皮だ。
Even cake, which was a special treat when I was a child, is now sometimes left unfinished. It is truly 'eiyo no mochi no kawa.'
贅沢な生活に慣れた彼は、高級料理店のコースも半分残してしまう。栄耀の餅の皮とはこういうことを言うのだろう。
Accustomed to a luxurious life, he leaves half of the course even at expensive restaurants. I suppose this is what is meant by 'eiyo no mochi no kawa.'
豊かになると、以前はありがたかった品々も当然のものとして扱うようになる。栄耀の餅の皮という言葉を忘れてはいけない。
As we become wealthy, we begin to treat items we used to be grateful for as matter-of-course. We must not forget the phrase 'eiyo no mochi no kawa.'
Learning Notes
Key Vocabulary
Uses the literary term 'eiyo' (luxury) and an idiomatic image that requires idiomatic context to understand as a metaphor for wastefulness.
栄耀
えいよう / eiyo
luxury / splendor
餅
もち / mochi
rice cake
皮
かわ / kawa
skin / outer layer
粗末に扱う
そまつにあつかう / somatsu ni atsukau
to treat carelessly / to waste
Usage Profile
Usage note: This is a critical expression; using it directly about someone's behavior may be seen as a sharp rebuke.
Misread Risk
Do not interpret this as a literal instruction on how to eat mochi; the 'peeling' of the skin is a metaphor for extreme extravagance.
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Origin
The term 'eiyo' (栄耀) refers to luxury or splendor. In historical Japan, mochi (rice cakes) were considered a special treat reserved for 'hare no hi' (celebratory days). This expression describes being so excessively wealthy that one peels off and discards even the thin outer skin of the mochi rather than eating it. It serves as a warning that when luxury becomes habitual, gratitude for what is valuable tends to fade.
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