Proverb / Kotowaza
付和雷同
Following others blindly without having a firm opinion or principle of one's own.
Agreeing with others and following like thunder
Quick Answer
Following others blindly without having a firm opinion or principle of one's own.
- Literal Image
- Agreeing with others and following like thunder
- How to Use It
- Used to critically describe someone who lacks their own stance and simply follows the crowd or majority. It can apply in settings like meetings or social circles where peer pressure or trends dictate behavior.
Meaning
To readily agree with and echo the opinions or actions of others without any personal convictions. It describes a lack of independence or subjectivity, where one simply drifts along with the prevailing atmosphere or the majority opinion without critical thinking.
Literal Image
Agreeing with others and following like thunder
How to Use It
Used to critically describe someone who lacks their own stance and simply follows the crowd or majority. It can apply in settings like meetings or social circles where peer pressure or trends dictate behavior.
Tone
Critical and negative; implies a lack of backbone or individual identity.
Examples
会議で多数派の意見に、彼は何も考えずに付和雷同した。
In the meeting, he blindly followed the majority opinion without giving it any thought.
周りの友人がやっているからといって、安易に付和雷同するのは良くない。
It is not good to easily follow others just because your friends are doing it.
彼女は自分の意見をしっかり持っており、決して付和雷同するようなことはない。
She has firm opinions of her own and never blindly follows others.
一部のメディアの報道に付和雷同して、誤った情報が拡散してしまった。
False information spread as people blindly followed reports from certain media outlets.
Learning Notes
Key Vocabulary
This is a four-character idiom (yojijukugo) consisting of formal kanji compounds, appearing in formal writing or advanced literature.
付和
ふわ / fuwa
agreeing with others without personal conviction
雷同
らいどう / raidou
blindly following others (like an echo to thunder)
主体性
しゅたいせい / shutaisei
independence; agency; subjectivity
Usage Profile
Usage note: This expression is inherently critical; using it to describe someone's behavior will be taken as a negative evaluation of their character.
Misread Risk
Do not use this to simply mean 'cooperation' or 'harmony'; it specifically targets the lack of independent thought.
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Origin
The term originates from the 'Quli' (曲礼) section of the ancient Chinese text 'Liji' (礼記; Book of Rites). The original phrase is '毋勦説、毋雷同' (Do not steal others' words, and do not blindly follow others). 'Raidou' (雷同) refers to the way objects vibrate in response to the sound of thunder without any will of their own. This was combined with 'Fuwa' (付和), which also means agreeing with others without a fixed opinion, to form the four-character idiom.
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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.