How to Read “Mole cricket talent”
Kerazai
Meaning of “Mole cricket talent”
“Mole cricket talent” is a phrase that belittles someone with poor talent or ability by comparing them to the mole cricket, an insect that lives underground.
Since the mole cricket can only dig in the dirt, this expression refers to someone with insignificant talent.
This phrase was mainly used to look down on others’ abilities or to humbly put down one’s own abilities.
It was especially used in academic and artistic circles when expressing one’s own immaturity.
However, using it directly toward someone would be extremely rude. So it was often used in self-deprecating contexts instead.
This is an old expression rarely used today. But it’s interesting for understanding how Japanese society once evaluated people’s talents and abilities.
Comparing someone to a small insect emphasizes their lack of ability. This is one example of Japanese metaphorical expression.
Origin and Etymology
No clear written records remain about the origin of this proverb. However, we can make interesting observations from how the phrase is constructed.
The mole cricket (kera) is an insect that lives underground. It looks similar to a cricket, but its front legs are greatly developed.
Like a mole, it specializes in digging through dirt. This insect digs deep holes in the ground to live.
It sometimes eats the roots of crops. So farmers have long disliked it.
Why did the mole cricket become a symbol of “poor talent”? The reason likely lies in the mole cricket’s ecology.
The mole cricket excels at digging dirt, but its other abilities aren’t particularly notable. It can fly, but its flying is clumsy.
It cannot fly long distances. In other words, while specialized in one thing, its overall abilities are limited.
From these characteristics of the mole cricket, the expression “mole cricket talent” was born. It came to be used as a belittling term.
It referred to someone with only meager talent or someone who can only show strength in limited areas.
This expression appears in Edo period literature. It was already established then as a harsh word for evaluating people’s abilities.
Interesting Facts
The mole cricket is also called “okera.” It’s the origin of the idiom “okera ni naru,” meaning “to become penniless.”
One theory says this is because the mole cricket with its front legs spread looks like someone spreading both hands to show they have nothing.
It’s an interesting coincidence that the same insect is used in words expressing two kinds of “scarcity” – scarcity of talent and scarcity of money.
The mole cricket is actually a singing insect. On summer nights, it sings from underground with a plain “jii, jii” sound.
But it’s not a beautiful tone like the bell cricket or pine cricket. This plain singing voice may be another reason why the mole cricket was used as a symbol of “insignificance.”
Usage Examples
- With my mole cricket talent, I painfully realized I could never reach that master’s level
- Despite having only mole cricket talent, I’m grateful for the good fortune of receiving my teacher’s instruction
Universal Wisdom
The proverb “Mole cricket talent” reflects humanity’s fear of evaluation and the cruelty that comes with it.
Why did people need to belittle others’ abilities, or even their own, by comparing them to a small insect?
Behind this lies the harsh social reality that talent and ability determine a person’s worth.
In the worlds of scholarship and art, only those with superior talent were recognized. Those without were mercilessly weeded out.
In such competition, people constantly worried about their position. They had to keep comparing themselves with others.
This proverb has been passed down for so long because feelings of inferiority about talent are universal human emotions.
In any era, people face the limits of their abilities. They suffer from the gap between themselves and others.
And sometimes, to escape that suffering, they needed words to put down themselves or others.
But at the same time, the existence of this proverb suggests a truth. Talent alone is not a person’s worth.
The fact that people had to create the phrase “mole cricket talent” may mean there was some discomfort with measuring people by their talent.
The mole cricket is certainly a plain insect. But it still digs dirt earnestly and lives.
In that figure, we might find the value of living that transcends talent.
When AI Hears This
The mole cricket can swim, fly, and dig dirt. But it can’t swim as fast as aquatic insects.
It can’t fly as well as dragonflies. It can’t dig as deep as moles. At first glance, it seems half-hearted.
But ecologically speaking, this is actually a smart strategy.
Biological evolution has interesting trade-offs. When you specialize in one ability, you become strongest in that environment.
For example, cheetahs can run 120 kilometers per hour. But in exchange, they lack stamina. Their hunting success rate is only about 50 percent.
Specialists are invincible in their field. But when the environment changes, they suddenly become weak. This is called “the risk of specialization.”
On the other hand, when rice fields flood, the mole cricket swims away. When predators come, it flies to move.
When it gets cold, it burrows underground. In other words, having three abilities lets it respond to three different types of environmental changes.
In ecology, this is called the “generalist strategy.” In rapidly changing environments, organisms with high versatility are more likely to survive long-term.
Laughing at the mole cricket for “lacking talent” is actually the perspective of those in stable environments.
When the environment is unpredictable, half-hearted versatility becomes the best insurance. Mole cricket talent may be another name for adaptability.
Lessons for Today
What this proverb teaches modern people is the danger of words that evaluate others.
This old phrase paradoxically shows how violent it is to measure people by talent and ability and put labels on them.
In modern society, people are evaluated by various numbers. Education level, occupation, annual income, social media followers.
But when we encounter the coldness of the phrase “Mole cricket talent,” we should stop and think.
Do such evaluations really represent a person’s worth?
What matters is not using this phrase. Not toward others, and not toward yourself.
Even if someone’s abilities seem limited, maybe it’s just your viewing angle that’s limited.
And when you lack confidence in your own talent, you don’t need to compare yourself to an insect and put yourself down.
Rather, there’s value in the attitude of silently continuing what you can do, like the mole cricket.
Living honestly, even without glamour. That’s not “poor” at all. It’s actually noble.
This proverb exists not to be used, but to teach us through its coldness.
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