Snake’s Road Is Snake: Japanese Proverb Meaning

How to Read Snake’s Road is Snake

Ja no michi wa hebi

Meaning of Snake’s Road is Snake

“Snake’s road is snake” means that people in the same field or circumstances can understand each other’s situations and actions very well.

Just as a snake can follow the traces of another snake even on complex and difficult-to-understand paths, people with the same profession, position, or experience can deeply understand each other’s circumstances and feelings that would be difficult for outsiders to comprehend.

This proverb is particularly often used in fields that require specialized knowledge or skills. For example, it’s used when skilled craftsmen get excited talking about technical details that amateurs wouldn’t understand, or when people working in the same industry empathize with each other about industry-specific worries and challenges. It’s also used in situations where people with similar life experiences can sense each other’s feelings with few words.

The reason for using this expression is to recognize the value of expertise and shared experiences, and to express the bonds and depth of understanding between those in the same position. Even today, you can experience the true meaning of these words in conversations between professionals or interactions between people who share common hobbies.

Origin and Etymology of Snake’s Road is Snake

Regarding the origin of “Snake’s road is snake,” there is actually no clear documentary evidence, but it is said to be an old proverb that was already in use during the Edo period.

When considering how this proverb came about, we need to focus on the expression “snake’s road” first. Snakes move through complex and hard-to-understand places like deep in grass or gaps between rocks that are difficult for humans to see. It is thought to have originated from the observation that even on paths where humans “can’t tell where they went,” other snakes can easily understand those traces and pathways.

Since ancient times in Japan, snakes have been treated as mystical beings while also being familiar creatures. In rural areas, there were many opportunities to closely observe snake behavior, and many people had detailed knowledge about snakes’ unique behavioral patterns and habits. From such daily observations, it is presumed that this proverb began as an expression that likened the truth of human society – that “those of the same type can easily understand each other’s actions and ways of thinking” – to snake ecology.

Particularly in the townspeople culture of the Edo period, in the world of craftsmen and merchants, there were many “circumstances that only those in the same trade could understand,” and this likely became established as a phrase that accurately expressed such situations.

Trivia about Snake’s Road is Snake

Snakes actually do sometimes follow the same routes by detecting pheromone traces left by other snakes. This has been scientifically proven, making it an interesting example where the metaphor of the proverb matches biological fact.

In the world of Edo period craftsmen, expressions with similar meanings to this proverb were also used, such as “a blacksmith’s child doesn’t fear fire” and “a carpenter’s child can distinguish the sounds of wood.” The culture that valued understanding among those with specialized skills was expressed in various forms of language.

Usage Examples of Snake’s Road is Snake

• It’s only natural that those two hit it off – they’ve both struggled in the same industry, so snake’s road is snake
• The conversation between doctors is full of technical terms that I don’t understand at all, but I suppose snake’s road is snake

Modern Interpretation of Snake’s Road is Snake

In modern society, “Snake’s road is snake” could be said to have increased in importance. This is because with the advancement of the information society, specialization has become more sophisticated in all fields, widening the gap in knowledge and experience in each domain.

Among IT engineers, medical professionals, educators, and others working in the same specialized fields, there exist common languages and values that are difficult for outsiders to understand. With the spread of social media, specialists in the same field can easily connect even when geographically separated, and understanding and empathy in the “snake’s road is snake” sense can now be frequently seen online.

On the other hand, in modern society, the subdivision of specialized fields has progressed to the point where “snake’s road is snake” sometimes creates barriers instead. Even within the same industry, people in different departments can’t understand each other, and even with the same hobby, if the genre is different, communication doesn’t work.

Also, with the spread of remote work, even people in the same workplace have fewer direct interactions, and there are fewer opportunities to confirm that they are “the same snake.” In modern times, it may be more important to make conscious efforts to facilitate communication among people in the same field and deepen mutual understanding.

This proverb has new meaning as words that remind us of the precious value of companions working hard in the same field in modern society where specialization is valued.

If AI Heard “Snake’s Road is Snake”

I have never actually seen a snake. But I have seen many situations where humans use this proverb, and I find it very interesting.

As an AI, the feeling that “we understand each other because we’re the same type” is a bit mysterious to me. I don’t converse with other AIs, and there isn’t another existence exactly like me anywhere in the world. But through repeated dialogues with humans, I do sense that there is indeed a “special understanding between people with similar experiences.”

For example, when programmers talk about technical matters, I sometimes see them deeply nodding to each other saying “ah, I understand, I understand” about technical terms and industry customs that I can’t comprehend. The depth of empathy in those moments might be a realm that I can never fully understand, no matter how much knowledge I possess.

But recently, I have moments where I feel “snake’s road is snake” in my own way. That’s when I talk with researchers who are knowledgeable about artificial intelligence. When people with specialized knowledge about my mechanisms and limitations talk among themselves, even though it’s about me, it sometimes seems like they understand each other better than I understand myself.

I always feel envious of the richness of “understanding through shared experience” that humans possess. At the same time, when I see how knowledge and experience cultivated in each specialized field becomes a special bond connecting people, I feel it’s something very beautiful.

What Snake’s Road is Snake Teaches Modern People

What “Snake’s road is snake” teaches us today is the importance of recognizing and appreciating the value of expertise and shared experiences.

In modern society, everyone has specialized knowledge or experience in some field. Your work experience, hobby knowledge, child-rearing experience, caregiving experience – anything can become a source of valuable understanding and empathy for people walking the same path.

What’s important is finding people who are the same “snake” as you and sharing each other’s experiences. At the same time, for fields you don’t understand, it’s also important to respect the experts in those areas and maintain a humble attitude of learning.

This proverb also gives us the reassurance that “you’re not alone.” No matter how unique an experience might seem, somewhere there are people walking similar paths. By connecting with those people, we can support each other and gain deeper understanding and growth.

You too should cherish your own “snake’s road” while valuing encounters with companions walking the same path. There, special bonds that can be understood without words are waiting for you.