ProverbWisdom
Japanese origin
Japanese origin二兎を追う者は一兎をも得ず (Nito o ou mono wa itto o mo ezu)
Meaning: Chase two goals at once and you will reach neither.
Literally: He who chases two rabbits catches neither
Example: “部活と受験勉強、両方は無理だよ。二兎を追う者は一兎をも得ずだ。” — You can't do both the club and exam prep: if you run after two hares, you'll catch neither.
Equivalents in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, and Portuguese
English: He who is everywhere is nowhere
French: Qui trop embrasse mal étreint (literally: Whoever embraces too much holds badly)
Spanish: Quien mucho abarca, poco aprieta (literally: He who grasps much, holds little)
German: Wer zwei Hasen zugleich jagt, fängt keinen (literally: He who hunts two hares at once catches none)
Italian: Chi troppo vuole nulla stringe (literally: Whoever wants too much grasps nothing)
Portuguese: Quem tudo quer tudo perde (literally: Whoever wants everything loses everything)
Origin: Unlike most Japanese proverbs it is not Chinese: it is a Western proverb, Greek or Roman in origin, said to have reached Japan around the Meiji era.
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- 隣の客はよく柿食う客だ (Tonari no kyaku wa yoku kaki kuu kyaku da) A tricky spiral on ka/ki/ku that accelerates as you try to keep the syllables distinct.
- なまむぎ なまごめ なまたまご (Nama mugi, nama gome, nama tamago) A nimble warm-up for the Japanese 'na / ma / ge' syllables.
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