Proverb / Kotowaza
庇を貸して母屋を取られる
Losing everything to someone after offering them a small favor.
Lending the eaves and having the main house taken away
Quick Answer
Losing everything to someone after offering them a small favor.
- Literal Image
- Lending the eaves and having the main house taken away
- How to Use It
- Used to describe situations where a business department is taken over, a contract is exploited, or a personal relationship results in one party being displaced by the person they helped.
Meaning
Lending a small part of something only to have the entire thing taken over later. It refers to situations where a person shows kindness or provides a small amount of support, but the recipient abuses that trust to seize control of everything.
Literal Image
Lending the eaves and having the main house taken away
How to Use It
Used to describe situations where a business department is taken over, a contract is exploited, or a personal relationship results in one party being displaced by the person they helped.
Tone
This expression is cautionary and critical, emphasizing the danger of being betrayed by those you assist.
Examples
庇を貸して母屋を取られるようなことにならないよう、契約は慎重にすべきだ。
You should be careful with contracts so you don't end up losing the main house after lending the eaves.
庇を貸して母屋を取られるとはまさにこのことで、部署ごと乗っ取られてしまった。
This is exactly a case of lending the eaves and losing the main house; the entire department was taken over.
善意で手を貸したら庇を貸して母屋を取られる結果になった。
I lent a hand out of goodwill, but it resulted in losing the main house after lending the eaves.
Learning Notes
Key Vocabulary
Contains specific architectural vocabulary like hisashi (eaves) and omoya (main house), and uses a passive construction (torareru) to express being the victim of an action.
庇
ひさし / hisashi
eaves; pent roof
貸す
かす / kasu
to lend
母屋
おもや / omoya
main building of a house
取る
とる / toru
to take
Usage Profile
Usage note: This is a strong expression used to describe betrayal; it may sound very harsh if applied to minor social slights.
Misread Risk
Do not confuse this with simple theft; it specifically requires that the victim initially offered help or space to the perpetrator.
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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.