How to Read “People’s mouths are more fearsome than tigers and wolves”
Korō yori hito no kuchi osoroshi
Meaning of “People’s mouths are more fearsome than tigers and wolves”
This proverb means that malicious words and gossip are far more frightening than fierce beasts like tigers and wolves.
A wild animal might take your life, but that’s only temporary physical harm. However, malicious words from people’s mouths destroy your honor, trust, and relationships from the ground up.
These words continue to cause suffering for a long time.
People use this proverb when they want to warn others about the destructive power of words. Rumors spread instantly, and recovering a damaged reputation is extremely difficult.
Even today, the harm created by people’s mouths is serious. This includes online slander on social media and gossip at work.
You can run away from wild beasts, but it’s hard to escape attacks from words. That’s why you must fear malicious words even more than visible dangers.
This is the teaching behind this proverb.
Origin and Etymology
No clear first written source has been identified for this proverb. However, we can make interesting observations from how the phrase is constructed.
“Korō” combines two fierce beasts: tigers and wolves. Tigers have long been feared as kings of all beasts.
Wolves were terrifying creatures that attacked in packs. Wild tigers never lived in Japan, but their fearsome nature was widely known through Chinese classics and Buddhist tales.
By pairing these two animals, the phrase symbolically represents “the most frightening existence in this world.”
“People’s mouths” refers to words that humans speak, especially insults and gossip. What’s interesting is the choice of “mouths” rather than physical violence.
This accurately captures the invisible power of words and their spreading nature.
The background of this proverb likely lies in the close human relationships within Japanese village society. In tight-knit communities, rumors and bad reputations were hard to erase once they spread.
Sometimes they had the power to destroy someone’s life more than life-threatening beasts. Our ancestors tried to pass down this truth to future generations through this contrasting expression.
They understood that invisible verbal violence is far more frightening than visible danger.
Usage Examples
- That person says people’s mouths are more fearsome than tigers and wolves, and rumors really are scary
- Erasing a bad reputation once it spreads is difficult—truly, people’s mouths are more fearsome than tigers and wolves
Universal Wisdom
This proverb has been passed down because it sharply recognizes the dual nature of words in human society.
Humans built civilization by having language, but at the same time, those words can become the cruelest weapons.
Why are people’s mouths so frightening? The answer lies in three characteristics of words.
First, words get amplified. A rumor started by one person gains embellishments each time it’s passed along. Eventually it becomes a monster-like story completely different from the facts.
Second, words last forever. Physical wounds heal, but wounds carved into the heart by words don’t disappear for years, sometimes for a lifetime.
Third, words are invisible violence. Everyone condemns an attacker who hits someone, but gossip and rumors are cleverly hidden. Only the victim continues to suffer.
Humans have a need for recognition, but they also have a dark desire to confirm their superiority by putting others down.
When people speak ill of someone, they gain temporary feelings of superiority and solidarity with their group. However, they have little awareness that they’re destroying someone’s life as the price.
Our ancestors deeply understood this human nature. That’s why they warned about verbal violence by comparing it to the most fearsome beasts.
This is a crystallization of human understanding that transcends time.
When AI Hears This
When a tiger attacks, the victims are limited to the number of people present at that location. In information theory terms, the “information reach” is constrained by physical distance.
However, rumors from people’s mouths spread explosively by passing through “hubs” in network theory.
For example, if one person tells 10 people, and those 10 people each tell 10 more, it reaches 100 people in just two stages. If this repeats six times, it theoretically reaches one million people.
What’s more serious is that “noise” always gets added as information propagates. Think of the telephone game.
Even if the original information was “Person A was late,” after passing through three people it transforms into “Person A is apparently a lazy person who’s late every day.”
Information theory explains that uncertainty (entropy) increases each time information passes through a channel. In other words, rumors move further from truth as they spread, and correction becomes extremely difficult.
Modern social media has accelerated this phenomenon even more. Through “one-click propagation” like retweets and shares, information reaches the other side of the globe in hours.
A tiger’s attack subsides with time, but digitized “people’s mouths” remain semi-permanently online. They continue causing harm in a searchable state.
This is the essence of exponential threat.
Lessons for Today
This proverb teaches modern people the importance of knowing the weight of words and handling them carefully.
Now that social media has spread, anyone can broadcast to the world. But this also means anyone can become either a perpetrator or a victim.
First, practice caution when speaking about others. A single word spoken lightly might greatly change someone’s life.
Before pressing the post button or speaking to someone, take a breath. Are those words truly necessary?
At the same time, you need the strength not to be swayed by rumors and gossip.
Because you know people’s mouths are fearsome, you can choose not to easily believe or spread rumors. You can become the person who breaks the chain of gossip.
Most importantly, develop the power to use words constructively. Words can become tools of destruction, but they can also become forces of healing and encouragement.
Choose words that support people rather than hurt them. That’s the most valuable practice you can do after learning this proverb.
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