How to Read “It has both a bottom and a lid”
Soko mo ari futa mo ari
Meaning of “It has both a bottom and a lid”
“It has both a bottom and a lid” means that a situation has complicated circumstances that aren’t straightforward. It expresses that there are complex hidden details or background stories that can’t be judged from what’s visible on the surface.
This proverb is used for troubles in human relationships, problems within organizations, or social events. For example, “That matter has both a bottom and a lid, so it won’t be solved easily.”
It shows that behind a seemingly simple problem, there are actually various interests, historical circumstances, and complex human relationships intertwined.
Even today, there are many situations where the truth can’t be understood from surface information alone. These include the background of incidents reported in the news, workplace relationships, and family problems.
This proverb remains relevant as an expression that warns against hasty judgments. It teaches the importance of recognizing the complexity of situations.
Origin and Etymology
There appears to be no clear written record of this proverb’s origin. However, we can make interesting observations from the structure of the phrase.
“It has both a bottom and a lid” describes the structure of a container. It has a bottom and also a lid, meaning it’s completely closed.
This completely closed container hides what’s inside. You can’t know what’s in it without opening it.
In Japan, various containers have been used in daily life since ancient times. Lacquered stacked boxes, tea ceremony containers called natsume, and medicine cases called inro all had lids and bottoms.
These containers shared one characteristic: you couldn’t tell what was inside from the outside.
This physical characteristic came to be used as a metaphor for human relationships and social events. Even things that seem easy to understand on the surface may actually hide complex circumstances in invisible parts.
Like a container closed with a lid and bottom, there are intricate internal situations that can’t be glimpsed from outside. The meaning likely developed in this direction.
Connected with Japanese cultural traits of “modesty” and “not showing everything,” this proverb became established as an expression of human society’s complexity.
Usage Examples
- That company’s management problems have both a bottom and a lid, so outsiders probably can’t know what’s really going on
- Their divorce has both a bottom and a lid, so we can’t simply say who’s at fault
Universal Wisdom
The proverb “It has both a bottom and a lid” contains deep insight that perceives the essential complexity of human society.
We face various events and human relationships daily. But what we see is only a small part.
Every problem has a long history leading up to it. Each person involved has their own circumstances. Emotions and interests that can’t be expressed openly are intertwined.
Like the contents of a closed container, there are parts that can never be seen from outside.
This proverb has been passed down for generations because it reflects a fundamental human desire and contradiction. We want to understand things simply.
Black or white, good or evil, we want clarity. Yet when we look at our own inner selves, we know everyone lives with complex emotions and circumstances.
Our ancestors saw through this contradiction. People want to judge others simply, yet they want to say “I have my reasons” about themselves.
And in fact, every person and every event truly does have reasons.
This proverb is both a warning against hasty judgment and a demonstration of deep understanding and tolerance toward humanity. Our ancestors continue to tell us about the danger of deciding based only on surface appearances.
They teach us the importance of acknowledging the depth of things.
When AI Hears This
Imagine a perfectly sealed container. A complete box with both a bottom and a lid. This box has a strange property.
There’s absolutely no way to verify what’s inside from the outside. In information theory, information that can’t be observed is considered the same as nonexistent.
In other words, a container that’s too perfect carries the contradiction that it can’t prove the existence of its contents.
This paradox also occurs in modern data protection. For example, completely encrypted data can’t be verified by anyone without the decryption key.
It’s perfect as security, but from outside, it’s impossible to tell whether the data is truly valuable or empty. In quantum cryptography, the property that “information breaks when observed” is utilized.
This shows that completeness and observability have a trade-off relationship.
What’s more interesting is the principle that information has value only when it circulates. No matter how wonderful an idea is, it can’t influence society if kept completely secret.
Blockchain technology’s attempt to balance transparency with tamper-proofing is one answer to this completeness paradox.
This proverb may have intuitively captured that a perfectly sealed state actually means informational death.
Lessons for Today
What this proverb teaches modern people is the wisdom of not rushing to judgment. When someone is criticized on social media, when an incident is reported in the news, when rumors spread at work, we want to immediately decide what’s good or bad.
But remember the phrase “It has both a bottom and a lid.”
What you’re seeing might be just one side. That person, that organization, may have circumstances you don’t know about.
This isn’t relativism. It means having the attitude to wait a little longer, to try to understand more deeply, in order to discern the truth.
At the same time, this proverb teaches kindness toward yourself. When you fail at something, when you’re judged easily by others, you think “I have my reasons.”
That feeling is correct. And it’s the same for other people too.
In modern society, information spreads instantly and people are expected to react immediately. That’s exactly why we need the courage to pause.
Thinking “this problem might have both a bottom and a lid” isn’t stopping thought. It’s the first step toward deeper understanding.
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