How to Read “When a dog walks, it gets hit by a stick”
Inu mo arukeba bō ni ataru
Meaning of “When a dog walks, it gets hit by a stick”
This proverb means that when you start something or take action, you might encounter unexpected trouble. But at the same time, you might also meet unexpected good fortune.
If you stay still, you might be safe, but nothing will happen. When you take a step forward, both good and bad things can occur. The proverb expresses this dual nature of taking action.
People use this saying to encourage someone trying something new. It’s also used to tell someone who fears failure that “you won’t know unless you try.”
When unexpected trouble happens, people say “Well, when a dog walks, it gets hit by a stick” to accept what occurred. Today, it’s often used to emphasize the importance of action. It has a positive meaning that supports a challenging spirit.
Origin and Etymology
This proverb is known to be included in the “Inu-bō Karuta” from the Edo period. Inu-bō Karuta was a type of “Iroha Karuta,” a card game that spread among common people in Edo.
This proverb was used as the card for “i,” the first letter. Looking at the structure of the phrase, “when a dog walks” expresses wandering around without any particular purpose.
In the Edo period, stray dogs walking around town was an everyday sight. “Gets hit by a stick” literally meant being struck with a stick.
In towns back then, dogs wandering freely were often chased away with sticks by people who found them bothersome. The popular theory is that the proverb contained a lesson: if you stay still, nothing happens, but if you wander around, you’ll meet trouble.
However, the interpretation of this proverb expanded over time. The expression “gets hit by a stick” came to include not just bad things, but also chance encounters and good fortune.
It evolved to be used with a more neutral meaning. When you start something, both good and bad things can happen. This broader interpretation became the standard understanding.
Interesting Facts
This proverb is known as the first card in “Inu-bō Karuta.” But actually, the content of “Iroha Karuta” varied greatly by region.
In Edo’s Inu-bō Karuta, the “i” card was “When a dog walks, it gets hit by a stick.” But in Kamigata (Kansai region) karuta, “An inch ahead is darkness” was the “i” card.
Even with the same game, different proverbs were chosen based on regional culture and values. This is quite interesting.
The expression “gets hit by a stick” is not commonly used in modern times. But in the Edo period, it was a very concrete and realistic expression.
In towns back then, carrying a stick to chase away dogs was not unusual. People who heard these words could immediately picture the scene.
Usage Examples
- When I started job hunting, I unexpectedly found my ideal company. It’s truly “when a dog walks, it gets hit by a stick.”
- I found a wallet while taking a walk. “When a dog walks, it gets hit by a stick” is really true.
Universal Wisdom
This proverb has been passed down for so long because it perfectly captures a fundamental human conflict. We all swing between the desire to stay safe and the desire to gain something.
If you stay still, you won’t get hurt. You won’t fail or feel embarrassed. But at the same time, you won’t gain anything either.
On the other hand, when you start moving, risk always follows. You might get caught up in unexpected trouble. But we also know there are things you can never obtain without moving.
This contradiction might be the essence of human existence. If you choose a completely safe life, you’ll have regrets. If you take risks, you might get hurt.
Whichever you choose, you might lose something. Our ancestors expressed this unavoidable truth of life through the simple metaphor of a dog and a stick.
And this proverb doesn’t declare which choice is correct. It simply states the fact that “when you move, something happens.” This neutral perspective continues to resonate with people across time.
Because life has no right answers, this proverb remains eternally fresh.
When AI Hears This
When you express the relationship between number of actions and results as a formula, a surprisingly simple law emerges. For example, if someone who acts only 10 times has an encounter probability of 1, someone who acts 100 times doesn’t simply get 10 times more.
Statistics show they get about 16 times more encounter opportunities. This is called the “square root law.” New encounters increase in proportion to the square root of action volume.
Even more interesting is the movement pattern called “Lévy flight,” discovered through animal foraging behavior research. Albatrosses and tuna repeat short movements while occasionally making large location changes.
This combination has been mathematically proven to encounter prey more efficiently than completely random movement. In other words, the strategy of mixing occasional bold challenges into accumulated small actions is statistically the best way to hit the most “sticks.”
Human inventions and discoveries have the same structure. Edison invented the light bulb after 10,000 experiments. This wasn’t failure but a probabilistic process of eliminating “sticks that don’t hit.”
People who don’t act have zero success probability. But people who act see their possibilities expand exponentially with each attempt. Coincidence is actually a mathematical phenomenon that can be controlled through the variable of action volume.
Lessons for Today
What this proverb teaches modern people is the importance of not seeking perfection too much. Many people prioritize not failing and can’t take action.
But this proverb teaches us something important. Both misfortune and good luck arrive equally as results of action.
In modern society, avoiding risk is sometimes treated as a virtue. Being careful is certainly important. But when carefulness becomes an excuse not to act, you close off life’s possibilities yourself.
What matters is having the resolve to accept both sides of possible outcomes. Things might not go well. But that’s proof you took action. And you might also encounter unexpected good fortune.
If you’re hesitating about starting something new right now, remember this proverb. Perfect timing doesn’t exist. Only when you take a step forward does life begin to move.
Whether that step becomes misfortune or good fortune for you, you won’t know unless you walk. But if you don’t walk, nothing begins.
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