How to Read “One who knows the fish in the depths is unlucky”
Enchū no uo wo shiru mono wa fushō nari
Meaning of “One who knows the fish in the depths is unlucky”
This proverb means that people who know deeply hidden secrets invite disaster upon themselves.
Like fish lurking at the bottom of a deep pool, some truths and secrets remain invisible from the surface. Those who discover such hidden knowledge face unfortunate consequences because of what they know.
The saying applies especially to situations involving powerful people’s secrets, organizational confidential information, or truths hidden deep in people’s hearts.
These are things that should remain unknown. People who know too much face dangers like being silenced, becoming suspects, or getting caught up in trouble.
Even today, plenty of information exists that can endanger your position if you know it. This includes corporate insider information and political behind-the-scenes dealings.
This proverb teaches us that sometimes we need to restrain our curiosity and desire to investigate in order to protect ourselves.
It contains the wisdom of practical living. Sometimes the attitude of “what you don’t know can’t hurt you” is actually important. Don’t pry too deeply into things.
Origin and Etymology
The origin of this proverb likely comes from the influence of ancient Chinese philosophical thought.
The expression “fish in the depths” refers to fish lurking at the bottom of a deep pool. It serves as a metaphor for deeply hidden matters that human eyes cannot see.
The word “fushō” is often misunderstood today because we commonly see it in “fushōji” (scandal).
However, in classical language, it means “without fortune” or “inviting disaster.” The combination of these words reveals the intention to warn about the danger of peering into the depths of secrets.
Ancient Chinese classical thought contains many teachings about the dangers of knowing too much.
Taoist philosophy especially emphasizes how excessive knowledge and prying can lead to one’s downfall. Peering into the bottom of a deep pool symbolizes stepping into territory where humans should not tread.
Throughout history and across cultures, one truth remains constant. Some information exists that endangers your life if you know it.
This includes the secrets of powerful people and state confidential matters. This proverb expresses such unspoken rules of human society through natural imagery.
Usage Examples
- He learned the truth about that incident, and true to “One who knows the fish in the depths is unlucky,” he ended up being driven out of the company
- Digging too deeply into the inner workings of an organization is dangerous—after all, “One who knows the fish in the depths is unlucky”
Universal Wisdom
This proverb has been passed down through generations because it addresses a universal truth that exists in all human societies: the danger of knowing.
Knowledge is power and sometimes serves as a weapon to protect yourself. But at the same time, knowing too much can be fatal.
Humans have an instinctive desire to know what is hidden. Secrets stimulate curiosity, and pursuing truth is respected as an intellectual endeavor.
However, not all truths make people happy. In fact, you can often live more peacefully by not knowing certain things.
This principle works especially strongly within power structures. Those who rule have secrets they must protect, and anyone who knows them becomes a threat.
Looking back through history, countless examples exist of people who knew too much being eliminated. This demonstrates both the ruthlessness of power and the structural fate of human society.
This proverb shows the wisdom of people living between ideals and reality.
A sense of justice and thirst for truth are noble things. But pursuing them sometimes comes with a heavy price.
Our ancestors understood that to survive, sometimes you need to close your eyes and cover your ears.
When AI Hears This
To perfectly know the state of fish deep in a pool, you’d have to drain the water, shine light on them, or catch them with a net.
But the moment you do that, the fish are no longer “fish in the depths.” This is exactly like the observation problem in quantum mechanics.
When you try to know where an electron is by hitting it with a photon, that collision changes both the electron’s position and momentum.
This means you can never know its true state before measurement. Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle shows that measuring position and momentum simultaneously with perfect accuracy is fundamentally impossible.
The act of observation always affects the object being observed.
What’s even more interesting is that in the quantum world, particles before observation exist in a superposition state.
You can’t say they’re “here” or “there.” Only when you observe them do they settle into one definite state. In other words, the act of “knowing” creates reality.
The fish in the depths, as long as they’re not fully observed, might exist as a “cloud of possibilities everywhere” in a sense.
Ancient thinkers intuitively understood that pursuing knowledge comes with an essential cost. Modern physics proved this with equations.
The laws of the universe don’t allow complete knowledge and natural state to coexist.
Lessons for Today
This proverb teaches modern people about the importance of balancing intellectual curiosity with self-protection.
In our information society, we have environments where we can access all kinds of information. But knowing everything doesn’t lead to happiness.
This lesson is especially important in workplace relationships. Your boss’s true feelings, your coworkers’ hidden sides, the dark parts of your organization—often you can work more comfortably by not knowing these things.
Don’t pry more than necessary. Maintaining appropriate distance might be the key to working stably for a long time.
However, this is different from turning a blind eye to wrongdoing.
What matters is the judgment to distinguish between information you should engage with and information you’re better off avoiding.
Rather than perfectionism that tries to know everything, we need the wisdom to selectively handle necessary information.
In your life, some peace is protected by not knowing. Sometimes you need the courage not to dig deeply.
That’s not running away. It’s wisdom to protect yourself.
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