How to Read “絵に描いた餅”
e ni kaita mochi
Meaning of “絵に描いた餅”
This is a proverb that refers to impractical theories or armchair theories that have no real-world utility.
This proverb teaches that no matter how wonderful a plan or ideal may be, it is meaningless without implementation. It is particularly used when criticizing ideals or plans that are unrealistic or proposals made without considering feasibility. It’s also used to point out things that may look impressive but lack practicality. Even today, it’s widely used as an expression cautioning against theories that lack practical application.
Origin and Etymology
This proverb is said to have spread from the Muromachi period to the early Edo period. At that time, mochi was a luxury food for common people, eaten only during special events and celebrations. No matter how beautifully an artist drew mochi, it couldn’t actually be eaten. This situation of “looking good but having no practical use” was suitable for expressing the gap between ideals and reality, and gradually became established as a proverb.
Particularly during the Edo period, as pictorial culture developed with ukiyo-e and wall paintings, more people became familiar with art. Therefore, the expression “Mochi drawn in picture” became widely used as an easily understandable example for many people.
Interesting Facts
It is said that among the ukiyo-e artists of the Edo period, some deliberately created works featuring “Mochi drawn in picture” as their subject, satirically expressing this proverb. It was also used as a subject for artists to compete in their skill by drawing mochi so realistically that it could be mistaken for the real thing.
Usage Examples
- That plan is just a Mochi drawn in picture, with no realistic means of implementation considered
- Just talking about ideals is like a Mochi drawn in picture, let’s take action first
Modern Interpretation
In modern society, the meaning of this proverb has become increasingly important. Especially with the spread of social media, while it has become easier to project images of ideal lifestyles and success, there are many cases where reality doesn’t match these projections. Influencer posts and flashy corporate advertisements sometimes become mere “Mochi drawn in picture”.
In the business world, there’s an increasing trend of proposals and plans that are like “Mochi drawn in picture”. Amid rising expectations for new technologies like AI and metaverse, many concepts are proposed without thoroughly considering their feasibility. In such circumstances, this proverb serves as an important warning when considering the balance between reality and ideals.
When AI Hears This
“A rice cake in a picture” is a perfect example of what information theory calls “dimensional compression.” The moment a three-dimensional real rice cake becomes a two-dimensional picture, the most important information disappears.
In information theory, compressing data always results in something being lost. For example, when music is converted to MP3, high frequencies inaudible to humans are cut out. But with rice cakes, what’s lost is “taste,” “aroma,” and “texture”—the most essential information that defines a rice cake.
What’s fascinating is that visual information is perfectly preserved. A picture of a rice cake can be drawn to look exactly like the real thing. Color, shape, and even texture can be reproduced. In other words, while visual data represents only a tiny fraction of the total information, we fall into the illusion that this constitutes “complete reproduction.”
The same phenomenon occurs with modern VR technology. No matter how realistic the visuals, smell and taste cannot be reproduced. No matter how delicious a YouTube cooking video looks, it won’t fill your stomach.
What this proverb reveals is that the “quantity” and “quality” of information are separate things. Even if you perfectly preserve large-capacity data like appearance, losing just the small piece of data called taste completely destroys the object’s value. It’s remarkable that people 300 years ago intuitively understood this fundamental problem of our modern information society.
Lessons for Today
This proverb teaches us living in the modern era about the “importance of action.” While the development of social media and the internet has made it easier to envision ideal plans and dreams, concrete actions are necessary to realize them.
While having dreams is wonderful, to prevent them from remaining as mere “Mochi drawn in picture,” we need the courage to start with small steps. Even when struggling with the gap between ideals and reality, through continued practice, we can gradually move closer to our ideals.
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