Proverb / Kotowaza
虎穴に入らずんば虎子を得ず
You cannot achieve great success without taking significant risks.
Unless you enter the tiger's den, you cannot catch the tiger cub
Quick Answer
You cannot achieve great success without taking significant risks.
- Literal Image
- Unless you enter the tiger's den, you cannot catch the tiger cub
- Closest Equivalent
- Nothing ventured, nothing gained
- How to Use It
- It is used to encourage taking a decisive risk or to explain the necessity of danger when pursuing a high-stakes goal, particularly in business or ambitious personal ventures.
Meaning
This proverb teaches that one must be willing to face danger or take substantial risks in order to obtain something of great value. Just as it is impossible to capture a tiger's cub without entering the predator's dangerous lair, significant rewards require stepping out of one's comfort zone and braving perilous situations.
Literal Image
Unless you enter the tiger's den, you cannot catch the tiger cub
Equivalent Proverbs
Nothing ventured, nothing gained
A very close equivalent emphasizing the necessity of effort and risk.
Nothing venture, nothing have
A variation found in the source text.
Great gains are not achieved except by great risks
Focuses on the scale of the risk relative to the reward.
How to Use It
It is used to encourage taking a decisive risk or to explain the necessity of danger when pursuing a high-stakes goal, particularly in business or ambitious personal ventures.
Tone
The tone is encouraging and resolute and can be used when one has already decided to take a risk.
Examples
リスクを冒さなければ大きな成功は得られない。虎穴に入らずんば虎子を得ずだ。
You cannot achieve great success without taking risks. As they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
虎穴に入らずんば虎子を得ずの覚悟で、未開拓の市場に進出した。
With the resolve of 'nothing ventured, nothing gained,' we entered an untapped market.
安全圏にいるだけでは何も変わらない。虎穴に入らずんば虎子を得ずである。
Nothing will change if you stay in your comfort zone. You must enter the tiger's den to catch the cub.
Learning Notes
Key Vocabulary
The proverb uses the archaic negative conditional 'irazunba' and the classical 'ezu' ending, making it idiomatically opaque for lower-level learners.
虎穴
こけつ / koketsu
tiger's den
虎子
こじ / koji
tiger cub
得ず
えず / ezu
cannot obtain (classical negative)
Usage Profile
Misread Risk
Ensure you are referring to a situation where the risk is necessary for a specific gain; it is not for reckless action without a clear goal.
Search As
Related Proverbs
Index
Topics, Situations, and Tags
Topics
Situations
Tags
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.