How to Read “Buy and keep an older sister”
Hitotsu ane wa kōte mote
Meaning of “Buy and keep an older sister”
This proverb explains the advantages of marrying a woman one year older than you. An older wife has more life wisdom and skill in managing household finances. She can run a home well and make a good wife.
The expression “buy and keep” shows strong recommendation. It means something is worth obtaining even if you have to pay for it.
People use this proverb when giving marriage advice. It also encourages someone hesitating about marrying an older woman. It tells young people worried about age differences that older is actually better.
Today, love marriages are the norm. Compatibility and affection matter more than age differences. However, the idea still has some persuasive power.
A partner with rich life experience can bring emotional stability and security to daily life.
Origin and Etymology
The exact first written appearance of this proverb is unclear. However, people believe it was widely shared marriage wisdom among common people from the Edo period.
The expression “buy and keep” deserves attention. It means “obtain even if you have to pay money.” For common people in the Edo period, marriage formed an important economic unit supporting the household.
Getting a good wife directly connected to family prosperity.
Why was “one older sister,” meaning a woman one year older, considered good? In that society, women learned housework and household management from childhood.
A one-year difference meant a much bigger experience gap than today. People believed a wife one year older had more life wisdom and housework skills than someone the same age or younger.
She could manage a household better.
People also believed an older wife was more mentally mature. She had the power to support her husband and stabilize the home.
The exaggerated expression “buy and keep” contains the ancestors’ real feeling. It shows just how valuable such a person was.
Usage Examples
- She’s one year older than me, but “Buy and keep an older sister” says it’s actually ideal
- When Mother heard her son would marry an older woman, she happily said “Buy and keep an older sister”
Universal Wisdom
Behind this proverb lies deep insight about human growth and maturity. Even a difference of just one year certainly means different experiences and learning time.
When choosing a life partner, we often get distracted by appearance or emotional excitement. But our ancestors understood what truly matters in daily life together.
It’s the ability to handle difficulties. It’s the wisdom to use limited resources well. It’s the mental strength to support family.
This proverb recognizes that youth and passion alone cannot overcome certain realities. It also shows the real feeling that a small experience difference brings great stability over a long life.
What’s interesting is that this proverb doesn’t just advise “have an older wife.” It uses the strong expression “even if you have to pay.”
This tells how precious invisible values are. Things like life stability and emotional support. Humans have long had the wisdom to look toward long-term happiness rather than immediate attraction.
When AI Hears This
The more a seller wants to sell something, the more you shouldn’t buy it. This is the adverse selection problem created by information asymmetry.
Akerlof’s “Market for Lemons” theory won the 2001 Nobel Prize in Economics. It explains using the used car market as an example.
Sellers know their car’s defects, but buyers don’t. So owners of good cars don’t sell them. Only problem cars flood the market. Then buyers become suspicious and prices drop. Even fewer good products appear in a vicious cycle.
What’s amazing about this proverb is that it recognizes this principle works even in family transactions. These should have the least information gap.
When an older sister recommends “This kimono is good, buy it,” why doesn’t she use it herself? That action itself becomes a signal that “something is wrong.”
The offer to sell functions as information that lowers product value. It’s a paradox.
Economics created warranty systems and third-party certification to solve this problem. But Edo period common people developed the behavioral principle “doubt products actively recommended” without any system.
They practiced sophisticated reasoning games daily. They read hidden information from others’ actions. The higher the seller’s enthusiasm, the more the buyer becomes cautious.
This tension is the essence of markets created by information asymmetry.
Lessons for Today
This proverb teaches modern people the importance of not getting caught up in superficial conditions when choosing a partner. It shows we should look at the power to build life together, not obvious elements like age or appearance.
Modern society emphasizes romantic feelings and compatibility. But that alone may not be enough to walk through a long life together.
We need eyes to recognize partners with judgment in difficult situations. Partners with wisdom to use limited resources. Partners with emotional stability. These plain but reliable powers support life.
This isn’t just about choosing a marriage partner. In business partnerships and friendships too, evaluating experience-backed ability and stability leads to long-term success. Not just glamour and momentum.
When you make important life choices, remember this proverb’s wisdom. Hard-to-see values might actually be the most important things.
Recognizing the value of experience and maturity, and respecting it, becomes the path to rich relationships and stable life.
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