How to Read “If you follow connections, you’ll eat food from Tang China”
En ni yorureba tou no mono wo kuu
Meaning of “If you follow connections, you’ll eat food from Tang China”
This proverb means that if you have the right connections, you can even eat rare foods from distant Tang China.
It expresses the mysterious power of connections that link people to people and people to opportunities.
The proverb teaches a truth about life. Things that seem completely out of reach through your own efforts alone can come to you through unexpected connections.
It shows the wonder of encounters that cannot be explained by effort or planning. These meetings feel both accidental and destined at the same time.
People use this saying when they experience unexpected good fortune. It fits situations where you meet someone who opens surprising doors for you.
For example, you might randomly meet someone who offers you a valuable opportunity. Or a casual encounter might lead to a rare experience.
In these moments, this proverb captures the mysterious nature of connections.
Even today, this saying reminds us to value chance encounters and unexpected luck in life.
It teaches that you cannot control everything through your own power. Invisible connections enrich your life in ways you never planned.
Origin and Etymology
The exact origin of this proverb in historical texts is unclear. However, the structure of the phrase reveals fascinating background.
Let’s focus on the word “Tang” first. For ancient Japanese people, Tang China was a distant foreign land.
During the era of imperial envoys, crossing the sea to China risked death. For ordinary people, tasting anything from Tang was an impossible dream.
Silk fabrics, porcelain, and spices from Tang were extremely precious. Food items especially were so rare that eating them felt almost miraculous.
The expression “if you follow connections” has deep meaning too. The word “follow” suggests being pulled or drawn by something.
It indicates a mysterious force beyond human will or effort. You didn’t plan it or work hard to get it.
You’re simply drawn by an invisible thread of connection. Unexpected fortune arrives this way.
This proverb was likely passed down among common people from before the Edo period.
In an era of strict social classes, your birth largely determined your life. This made belief in the mysterious power of connections and luck a source of comfort.
People needed hope that fate could change their circumstances.
Interesting Facts
The “food from Tang” mentioned in this proverb included actual items. Sugar, pepper, and ginger were among the spices that reached Japan.
Sugar was especially valuable until the Muromachi period. It was so precious that people treated it as medicine.
Common people could never taste it. Sugar truly represented something “you cannot eat without connections.”
The concept of “connections” shows strong Buddhist influence. Buddhism teaches the idea of cause and effect.
All events arise from countless causes and conditions intertwining in complex ways. This proverb reflects that Eastern worldview.
Usage Examples
- I never imagined I’d become friends with a famous overseas chef. This is exactly what “If you follow connections, you’ll eat food from Tang China” means.
- I was really lucky to get into that company. “If you follow connections, you’ll eat food from Tang China” – you never know what life will bring.
Universal Wisdom
This proverb has been passed down because it answers a fundamental human question. That question is: “How much can we control our own lives?”
We want to believe that effort brings rewards. We want to think that planning and working toward goals will bring desired results.
But real life isn’t that simple. Sometimes you work incredibly hard and still don’t get what you want.
Other times, unexpected good fortune suddenly appears.
This proverb doesn’t view life’s uncertainty negatively. Instead, it presents it as hope.
Things that seem completely beyond your current abilities might still happen. The mysterious power of connections could make them real.
This possibility is open to everyone. This idea gives courage to people in any situation.
At the same time, this proverb teaches humility. Don’t become arrogant and think your success came entirely from your own power.
Invisible connections always played a role. Recognizing this cultivates gratitude and helps you value relationships with others.
Humans must believe in their own power while also living within a larger flow beyond themselves.
Balancing these two truths may be the secret to a fulfilling life. Our ancestors tried to pass this wisdom to us through this proverb.
When AI Hears This
When you map human relationship networks, something interesting appears. Strong ties like close friends and family actually share similar information.
For example, friends you see daily watch the same TV shows and visit the same places. Your information overlaps.
Meanwhile, “weak ties” – people you met by chance or distant acquaintances – belong to completely different worlds. They become bridges to entirely new information.
Granovetter’s research showed that about 80% of people who successfully changed jobs found their positions through “acquaintances they rarely see.” Not through close friends.
This can be explained mathematically. Strong ties connect with each other and form clusters.
But weak ties serve as precious bridges connecting different clusters.
The “connections” in this proverb are exactly these weak ties. A chance encounter brings rare food from distant Tang because that person connects to information sources far from your network.
Life-changing opportunities structurally have higher probability of coming from unexpected weak ties rather than close relationships.
What seems like random luck actually hides the geometry of networks.
Lessons for Today
This proverb teaches modern people two important attitudes about life.
First, never neglect effort and preparation. Connections don’t come to those who just wait.
Visit various places, meet many people, and try new things. These accumulated actions create the soil that attracts connections.
The chance to eat food from Tang will never come if you stay locked inside your home.
Second, don’t become too attached to specific outcomes. If you try to control everything according to plan, you’ll miss unexpected good fortune.
Sometimes you need the flexibility to go with the flow and enjoy chance encounters.
What you’ve given up on obtaining now might come to you in an unexpected form.
Modern society values efficiency and planning. But life’s richness doesn’t necessarily come from those things alone.
Unplanned meetings, unexpected developments, and surprising good fortune – keeping your heart open to these “connections” will make your life richer and more full of wonder.
Among the people you meet today and the events that happen today, a connection leading you to distant “Tang” might be hiding.
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