How to Read “Tell them to blow their nose and they blow it until it bleeds”
Hana o kame to ieba chi no deru hodo kamu
Meaning of “Tell them to blow their nose and they blow it until it bleeds”
This proverb describes someone who follows instructions so seriously that they take things to an extreme.
Every instruction has an appropriate level of execution. When you blow your nose, the goal is simply to clear it.
That should be enough. But this proverb paints a picture of someone who doesn’t consider moderation.
They do exactly what they’re told, but way too much. They don’t think about the right balance.
People use this saying when seriousness backfires or when someone acts without flexibility. It’s not really a compliment.
It carries a slightly critical tone. The phrase points out situations where someone is “technically doing what they were told, but going way beyond what was actually needed.”
Even today, people sometimes take instructions literally without understanding the intent behind them. This proverb teaches us about balancing seriousness with flexibility.
It does so in a humorous way that makes the lesson stick.
Origin and Etymology
The exact first appearance of this proverb in literature isn’t clear. But the structure of the phrase reveals an interesting background.
The saying uses the everyday act of blowing your nose as its subject. This is distinctive.
Blowing your nose is something everyone does regularly. It’s a completely ordinary action.
When you have a cold or your nose feels stuffy, you blow it with a tissue or handkerchief. Why did this simple act become a proverb?
The key lies in the phrase “until it bleeds.” Normally, you blow your nose with moderate force.
If you blow too hard, you can damage the delicate membranes inside. This can actually cause bleeding.
So this proverb uses a familiar action to illustrate someone who follows simple instructions without considering moderation. They take things to an extreme.
During the Edo period, servants and apprentices were expected to faithfully obey their masters and teachers. But sometimes they misunderstood the intent behind instructions.
They took things literally and made mistakes. This proverb likely emerged as a humorous way to describe this pattern of human behavior.
Usage Examples
- I asked the new employee to copy some documents, and they copied everything from the past 10 years—truly “tell them to blow their nose and they blow it until it bleeds”
- When I tell my son to clean, he starts scrubbing every corner of the house until midnight, so it’s “tell them to blow their nose and they blow it until it bleeds” and it’s troublesome
Universal Wisdom
This proverb has been passed down through generations because it captures a contradiction. It shows how the virtue of seriousness can sometimes create problems.
Being serious is praised in many cultures. Following instructions faithfully, not cutting corners, working hard—these are all important attitudes that support society.
But our ancestors noticed something. They realized that this seriousness can sometimes miss the original purpose.
When people receive instructions, they need to read the intent and context behind them. But this isn’t easy at all.
Serious and sincere people especially feel driven to “do what they’re told perfectly.” This pressure can make them lose sight of appropriate judgment.
This proverb points to an eternal human challenge. It’s about balancing seriousness with flexibility, faithfulness with judgment.
In every era and every culture, people receive instructions and carry them out. At those moments, we shouldn’t just follow mechanically.
We need wisdom to understand the purpose and determine the right degree. This is the truth this proverb teaches us.
When AI Hears This
When you view nose-blowing as a control system, an interesting structure emerges. The person giving instructions sets a target value of “blow your nose moderately.”
But the person receiving the instruction only hears “the gap between current state and target.” So the receiver thinks “better too much than too little” and applies too much force.
They blow far beyond the target until blood comes out.
In control engineering, this phenomenon is called overshoot. For example, when you set an air conditioner to 25 degrees, it might temporarily drop to 23 degrees.
This happens when the system’s response speed is too fast. In other words, the gain (amplification rate) is too high.
For humans, the intensity of “I have to do this right” corresponds to gain. The more serious someone is, the more likely they are to overshoot.
Engineering offers two solutions. One is for the instructor to add a damping coefficient by saying “gently, so it doesn’t bleed.”
The other is to give a conservative command value from the start, like “about 80% should be fine.” In other words, good instructions predict the other person’s response characteristics.
They subtract the expected overshoot in advance. This proverb teaches us that human relationships are actually systems requiring sophisticated predictive control.
Lessons for Today
This proverb teaches modern people that seriousness alone isn’t enough.
In today’s society, being faithful to instructions is valued. But situational judgment and flexibility are equally important.
When your boss says “do this work carefully,” it doesn’t mean you can take any amount of time. When a customer says “handle this properly,” they’re not asking for excessive service.
What matters is understanding the purpose behind instructions. Why is that action being requested?
What level is appropriate? Develop the habit of thinking for yourself.
If you’re not sure, have the courage to ask. Saying “what level of detail
Your seriousness is a wonderful quality. But give that seriousness wings of judgment.
Then your efforts will go in the direction that’s truly needed. You’ll become someone others trust.
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