Those Straight As A Bowstring Die By The Roadside, While Those Bent Like A Hook Are Made Lords: Japanese Proverb Meaning

How to Read “Those straight as a bowstring die by the roadside, while those bent like a hook are made lords”

Naonaru koto gen no gotoki wa michibe ni shishi, magareru koto kō no gotoki wa kaette kō ni hōzeraruru

Meaning of “Those straight as a bowstring die by the roadside, while those bent like a hook are made lords”

This proverb expresses the unfairness of a world where honest people go unrewarded while cunning people rise to success.

People who are straight and honest like a bowstring suffer because of their integrity. They end their lives in misfortune.

Meanwhile, people with crooked hearts like fishhooks deceive others and use schemes. They climb to high positions through manipulation.

People use this saying when they witness social injustice and unfairness. Some work hard but receive no recognition.

Others who play politics and cut corners get promoted instead. Honest people struggle while liars and cheaters prosper.

This expression points out these contradictions in society. Even today, people use it to criticize situations where honest people lose out in organizations. It applies when profit takes priority over ethics.

Origin and Etymology

This proverb likely comes from ancient Chinese classics. Scholars believe it was influenced by philosophical texts from the Warring States period through the Han dynasty.

These texts often lamented the unfairness of the world. “Straight as a bowstring” refers to someone with an upright character.

It means a person who is honest and never does anything crooked. A bowstring stretches as a single line and never bends.

“Bent like a hook” describes someone with a crooked character. This means a cunning person who deceives others, like a fishhook.

“Die by the roadside” means to die on the roadside. It represents ending one’s life in misfortune, unnoticed by anyone.

In contrast, “made lords” means being appointed as a feudal lord. It refers to receiving high position and achieving success.

This contrasting expression was used in ancient China to criticize politics. In that world, schemes mattered more than ability or character.

The proverb came to Japan through Chinese classics. It became established as a saying expressing life’s unfairness.

The universal theme that honest people get the short end resonated with people across time. This explains why it has endured for so long.

Interesting Facts

The contrast between “bowstring” and “hook” in this proverb comes from ancient Chinese weapons and tools.

A bowstring is part of a weapon that faces enemies head-on in battle. A hook is a tool used hidden to catch prey.

This contrast itself symbolically represents the difference between living honorably and living through schemes.

“Made lords” refers to the highest honor in ancient China’s feudal system. Being appointed as a feudal lord meant more than just promotion.

It meant receiving territory and becoming ruler of a domain. This shows the proverb expresses not just unfairness but extreme injustice.

Usage Examples

• That person worked with integrity but got demoted, while a colleague who only flatters got promoted. It’s truly “Those straight as a bowstring die by the roadside, while those bent like a hook are made lords.”
• Honest reporting leads to loss, while clever maneuvering brings gain. This world is exactly “Those straight as a bowstring die by the roadside, while those bent like a hook are made lords.”

Universal Wisdom

This proverb has been passed down for thousands of years. It endures because it points to a deep contradiction that exists universally in human society.

From childhood, we are taught to “be honest” and “be sincere.” But when we enter the real world, we discover a huge gap between these teachings and reality.

Why does such injustice arise? Human society doesn’t run solely on justice and honesty.

Organizations have power dynamics, politics, and conflicts of interest. People who are too honest sometimes create friction with others.

They speak inconvenient truths that displease those in power. Cunning people, on the other hand, know how to please the powerful.

They appear obedient on the surface while secretly pursuing their own interests. They understand the art of self-advancement.

This proverb isn’t simply complaining about the world. Rather, it’s the result of calmly observing structural problems in human society.

It doesn’t deny the value of honesty. Instead, it recognizes the reality that being honest can lead to loss.

On that basis, it asks how we should live. Our ancestors struggled with the gap between ideals and reality.

By putting this contradiction into words, they offered empathy and comfort to others who felt the same way.

When AI Hears This

The situation this proverb describes is exactly the structure called the “prisoner’s dilemma” in game theory.

In a society where honest and dishonest people coexist, betraying benefits you if the other person is honest. The honest strategy becomes a “dominated strategy” and should theoretically be eliminated.

In fact, in a one-time game, betrayal is the optimal solution. But what’s interesting is Robert Axelrod’s repeated prisoner’s dilemma experiment.

When computers competed using various strategies, the most successful was “tit for tat.” This strategy is basically cooperative but retaliates once when betrayed.

In other words, not complete honesty but flexibility to respond appropriately to others’ actions was important.

Furthermore, evolutionary biology shows something fascinating. When about 10 percent of a group takes a cooperative strategy, the entire group’s survival rate increases.

In other words, a minority of honest people function as “public goods” that benefit the group, even though they themselves lose. That’s why they don’t completely go extinct.

The phenomenon this proverb shows of “crooked people prospering” is correct in the short term. But in the long term, the existence of honest people supports society as a whole.

Ancient Chinese observers intuitively grasped this delicate balance.

Lessons for Today

This proverb teaches us the importance of courage to choose our own way of life. We must recognize the world’s unfairness but still make our choice.

It’s true that honest people sometimes lose out even today. But that doesn’t mean living cunningly is the right answer.

What matters is balancing ideals and reality. Being too purely honest leaves you unable to protect yourself.

But living only for profit means losing peace of mind. Knowing this proverb helps you understand how the world works calmly.

Then you can make choices based on your own values.

This proverb also offers comfort when you’re treated unfairly. When you feel you’ve lost out by living honestly, it’s not because your value is low.

It’s because the world’s evaluation system is imperfect. In the long run, integrity always returns as trust.

Don’t get caught up in short-term gains and losses. Have the strength to keep walking the path you believe in.