How to Read “There’s nothing cats and village headmen won’t take”
Neko to shōya ni toranu wa nai
Meaning of “There’s nothing cats and village headmen won’t take”
This proverb means that those in certain positions always fulfill their natural role.
Just as cats catch mice and village headmen collect taxes, each does what their position demands. For cats, catching mice is instinct. For village headmen, collecting taxes was their duty.
Both never fail to do what they’re meant to do.
People use this proverb when talking about the essential nature or role of someone or something. It applies when someone always completes their work, or when people in certain positions naturally fulfill their responsibilities.
It’s especially effective when pointing out expected behavior based on someone’s job or position.
Today, people understand it in contexts about professional responsibility and the importance of fulfilling one’s role. You can use it to positively evaluate someone who reliably does their job.
Origin and Etymology
The exact literary origin of this proverb is unclear. However, it likely emerged from common people’s lives during the Edo period.
First, let’s consider “cats.” In Japan, people have long valued cats as mouse-catchers. Mice were major enemies for farming families who stored grain.
Cats instinctively chase and reliably catch mice. People repeatedly observed this behavior in their daily lives.
The “village headman” was a powerful figure in Edo period villages, also called nanushi. One of their most important roles was collecting taxes from villagers and delivering them to the lord.
Tax collection was the headman’s most crucial duty. They couldn’t neglect it. Collection was often strict, so common people strongly felt that “headmen always take their taxes.”
By pairing these two, the proverb expresses a universal truth with humor. Those in certain positions always fulfill their essential role.
The proverb’s charm comes from combining a familiar animal with a powerful authority figure in such contrasting ways.
Usage Examples
- He’s a salesman, so there’s nothing cats and village headmen won’t take—he’ll definitely close the deal
- Tax auditors are like there’s nothing cats and village headmen won’t take, so we’d better organize our books properly
Universal Wisdom
“There’s nothing cats and village headmen won’t take” offers deep insight into the essential nature of living things and humans.
Cats catch mice not through training but through inborn instinct. Similarly, village headmen collect taxes because their position and responsibility naturally make them do so.
This proverb has been passed down for generations because it captures a fundamental truth about human society. People have certain things they “must take” according to their role or position.
This might be their livelihood, their responsibility, or their reputation. Once someone takes on a role, they inevitably try to fulfill it.
This is an essential human trait that transcends good and evil.
Our ancestors didn’t criticize or praise this unavoidable human nature. They simply observed and expressed it objectively.
Just as you can’t blame a cat, you can’t blame a village headman. Each is simply fulfilling their essential role.
This perspective contains wisdom about calmly accepting how the world works. People in their positions are always beings who “take” something.
Recognizing this fact may be the first step toward understanding society.
When AI Hears This
This proverb brilliantly expresses a human version of what ecology calls “optimal foraging theory.”
Optimal foraging theory describes how animals minimize energy expenditure while maximizing resource acquisition to survive.
What’s interesting is that cats and village headmen use the same strategy in different spaces. Cats never miss mice or small birds passing through their physical territory.
This “secure every encountered resource” strategy is extremely rational in uncertain environments where you don’t know when you’ll meet prey again.
Meanwhile, village headmen don’t miss profit opportunities in their social power space. Their position naturally brings various transactions and consultations, allowing them to gain small benefits from each.
Both share being in “high-frequency contact environments.” Cats frequently encounter prey candidates in their range. Village headmen frequently contact profit opportunities through their social position.
Ecology shows that organisms in high resource-contact environments benefit from a “take small amounts reliably without missing opportunities” strategy.
This proverb demonstrates that resource acquisition patterns of those at the top of their niche follow the same mathematical laws, whether biological or human.
Lessons for Today
This proverb teaches you the importance of fulfilling your role. We all carry roles at home, at work, and in our communities.
These roles always come with responsibilities we must fulfill.
What matters is not running from that responsibility. Like cats catching mice and village headmen collecting taxes, you have work only you can do.
It may sometimes feel troublesome or burdensome. But by reliably fulfilling that role, you become someone people trust.
At the same time, this proverb promotes understanding of others. Even when someone seems harsh, their position or role might be making them act that way.
When salespeople eagerly pitch or bosses strictly guide, they’re simply fulfilling their essential roles.
Reliably fulfill your role in your position. That accumulation builds trust, something more valuable than anything else.
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