How to Read “Let the rooster govern the night and let the raccoon dog catch the mouse”
Niwatori o shite yoru o tsukasadorashime, tanuki o shite nezumi o toraeshimu
Meaning of “Let the rooster govern the night and let the raccoon dog catch the mouse”
This proverb means that assigning important roles to unsuitable people leads to failure. Every person and creature has natural traits and areas where they excel.
Roosters are active during the day, and cats are the true masters of catching mice. If you put a rooster in charge of the night or make a raccoon dog catch mice, things simply won’t work out.
People use this proverb in organizational management and personnel placement situations. It criticizes cases where positions are given without considering ability or aptitude, or when inexperienced people are assigned important work.
You could say it points out the opposite situation of “the right person in the right place.”
This teaching remains very important in modern society. Everyone has things they’re suited for and things they’re not, things they’re good at and things they struggle with.
When roles are assigned without recognizing these traits, the person suffers and the entire organization is negatively affected. This proverb teaches us the importance of placing the right people in the right positions.
Origin and Etymology
This proverb is believed to originate from Chinese classics. Similar expressions appear in Confucian scriptures and books recording ancient Chinese political thought.
The prevailing theory is that such ideas came to Japan and became established as a proverb.
Let’s look at the structure of the phrase. The first half, “let the rooster govern the night,” means putting a rooster that naturally operates during the day in charge of the night.
Roosters are known as birds that announce the dawn and symbolize morning. Even if you assign such a rooster to nighttime work, it can’t demonstrate its true abilities in the darkness.
The second half, “let the raccoon dog catch the mouse,” means making a raccoon dog catch mice. At first glance, it might seem like a raccoon dog could catch mice too.
But actually, raccoon dogs aren’t animals that specialize in hunting mice. Catching mice is a cat’s specialty. Assigning mouse-catching to a raccoon dog isn’t putting the right person in the right place.
By presenting these two examples together, the proverb impressively expresses the foolishness of assigning roles while ignoring each creature’s natural characteristics.
Ancient rulers are thought to have often used such animal metaphors when explaining the importance of personnel selection.
Usage Examples
- Making him, who’s good at sales, the accounting manager is like “let the rooster govern the night and let the raccoon dog catch the mouse”
- Suddenly placing an inexperienced person as project leader is “let the rooster govern the night and let the raccoon dog catch the mouse” and bound to fail
Universal Wisdom
The universal truth this proverb speaks of is the importance of “aptitude” in human society. Why do people assign important roles to those who are clearly unsuited for them?
One reason is the difficulty of seeing through to people’s true nature. We judge based only on superficial titles, educational background, or personal relationships, and overlook the abilities and aptitudes people truly possess.
Also, organizational convenience and political considerations sometimes take priority, pushing proper placement to the back burner.
As a deeper problem, people have a psychology of not wanting to admit their judgment was wrong. Once someone is appointed, admitting that decision was mistaken means admitting your own failure.
So even when problems become clear, corrections can’t be made.
The fact that this proverb has been passed down for so long is also evidence of a history of repeated personnel placement failures.
From ancient dynasties to modern corporations, there are countless examples of organizations declining due to inappropriate personnel decisions.
Precisely because humans are creatures who repeat the same mistakes, our ancestors left behind warnings like this.
Having the eye to discern aptitude, and having the courage to make corrections when you notice errors. These two pieces of wisdom are the message this proverb tries to convey across the ages.
When AI Hears This
In ecology, there’s a law called the “competitive exclusion principle.” Two species competing for the same resources cannot coexist, and one will inevitably disappear.
What’s frightening about this proverb is that by deliberately placing an unqualified species in that niche, you drive out the true specialists.
Cats have evolved over tens of thousands of years to develop the ability to catch nocturnal mice. Their explosive power, night vision, and patience for ambush are all optimized for mouse capture.
However, when you make raccoon dogs catch mice, they might temporarily exceed cats in catch numbers because raccoon dogs have larger bodies and eat more.
Then humans might judge that “raccoon dogs are superior” and reduce feeding to cats. But the raccoon dog’s natural foraging strategy is omnivorous, eating fruits and insects too, making them inefficient mouse hunters.
When mouse populations decrease, raccoon dogs quickly switch to other food, and as a result, mice remain in half-measures.
What’s even more serious is that once the specialist group of cats disappears from an area, their skills and genetic adaptations are lost.
Ecosystems have a phenomenon called the “hysteresis effect,” where balance once broken doesn’t restore even when returned to original conditions.
When you forcibly place unqualified species, the entire system falls into an irreversible state of degradation.
Lessons for Today
What this proverb teaches you today is the importance of knowing your own aptitudes. Society may sometimes demand roles from you that don’t suit you.
Due to others’ expectations, vanity, or economic reasons, you might choose a path that doesn’t truly fit who you are.
But stop and think. Are you a rooster trying to take on nighttime work? Shining in a place where you can use your strengths leads to your own happiness and allows you to make the greatest contribution to those around you.
If you’re in a position to assign roles to others, this teaching becomes even more important. Don’t spare the effort to cultivate an eye for people and understand each person’s individuality and strengths.
Don’t judge based only on superficial conditions. Think about where that person can truly demonstrate their abilities.
Proper placement isn’t just a matter of efficiency. It’s a matter related to human dignity.
A society where everyone can find a place to shine as themselves—that’s the ideal this proverb aims for.
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