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わたる せけん に おに は ないwataru seken ni oni wa nai
Today, a Japanese expression that would have Thomas Hobbes rolling in his grave. Whereas he assumed that life in the state of nature would be "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short" due to the fundamental selfishness and evil of individual human beings, the Japanese came up with a more positive outlook.
Definition:
世間には鬼のように冷たい人ばかりでなく、心が温かくて親切な人もいること.
Translations:
Literal - There are no demons in this world
1. Not everyone is bad at heart.
2. People are basically good natured.
3. There is kindness to be found everywhere.
Of course, not all Japanese people think this way, as might be evidenced by the popular "ime-ji" of foreign countries as places of extreme danger. In fact, there is a long running Japanese TV drama that named itself after an alternate version of this phrase: 渡る世間には鬼ばかり.
And in case you ever get into a conversation about it, let's arm you with one of this phrase's opposites as well:
寺の隣にも鬼が住む
てらのとなりにもおにがすむ
tera no tonari ni mo oni ga sumu
Demons can live anywhere, even next to the temple.
Important note:
Don't be surprised if Japanese people are MORE familiar with the revised version that came from the drama... 渡る世間に鬼はない is an old expression, and young folks today are less inclined to assume the best of people.
Let's have some fun with today's example conversation、and revisit some old examples to see some alternate (better) uses.
例文：
A-san: あの人が喋ると、ただ美辞麗句を並べているように聞こえない？なんか、きれいな言葉ばかりで、あまり意味がないよね。
When that guy talks, doesn't it seem like he's just blowing smoke in our faces? He says a lot of pretty things, but there's never any substance.
B-san: そうよね。口がうまい、あいつ。彼は海千山千の代表じゃない？ああいうタイプには用心するけどね。
Yeah, right? Quite the bullshitter, that SOB. He's the epitome of a sly, old fox. If I were you, I'd be extra-cautious.
C-san: でも、渡る世間には鬼はないから、もしかして彼の言っているのは純粋なのか？
But, there's good in everybody, you know? What if he's sincere in what he's saying?
D-san: だが、衣ばかりで和尚はできぬ。それに、寺の隣にも鬼が住む。和尚の格好をつけている鬼でいる可能性もある。
Yeah, well wearing a robe doesn't make him a priest. And on top of that, demons lurk everywhere, even next to temples. What if he's a devil in priest's clothing?
Clay-san: つまり「鬼と和尚は 表裏一体」とよく言われることだ。
After all, they say "Devils and priest are two sides of the same coin..."
Clay-sanの元彼女： 何それ！勝手に自分のことわざ作らないでよ！
What are you talking about? Stop making up your own expressions!
