How to Read “煮え湯を飲まされる”
Nieyu wo nomasareru
Meaning of “煮え湯を飲まされる”
“Boiled water is made to drink” means to be betrayed by someone you trusted and to be made to suffer terribly painful feelings.
This proverb expresses one of the deepest wounds in human relationships. It’s not simply about being deceived or suffering losses, but rather compares the mental anguish of receiving unexpected betrayal from someone you truly believed in to the physical pain of being forced to drink boiling hot water. It is used in situations where you encounter betrayal from someone with whom you had a trusting relationship, such as when you’re deceived by a close friend, cheated on by a lover, or trapped by a trusted colleague.
The reason for using this expression is to strongly impress upon the listener just how intense and unbearable the pain in one’s heart is, rather than simply saying “I was betrayed.” Even in modern times, the complexity of human relationships remains unchanged, and with social media making connections between people more visible, the pain of betrayal may be felt even more acutely.
Origin and Etymology
The origin of “Boiled water is made to drink” comes from an expression born from the physical suffering of actually drinking boiling hot water. Since ancient times in Japan, drinking hot water has been used as a symbol of unbearable suffering.
This proverb appears in literature from the Edo period, when “boiling water” was something familiar yet dangerous to people of that time. In an era when temperature couldn’t be easily controlled with gas or electricity as it can today, water would easily boil over if the heat wasn’t managed properly. The act of drinking such hot water would cause pain that felt like burning one’s mouth and throat just by imagining it.
What’s particularly interesting is the use of the passive expression “is made to drink.” This indicates being forced into such a situation against one’s will by another person. The people of the Edo period likely expressed the pain of being betrayed by someone they trusted by comparing it to this physical suffering.
In terms of word formation, the verb “to boil,” “water,” and the passive verb “is made to drink” combined to establish itself as a metaphor expressing heartache that goes beyond mere physical pain.
Usage Examples
- When my long-time partner suddenly confessed they had feelings for someone else, I truly felt like boiled water was made to drink
- When I learned that a colleague I thought was my best friend had been spreading bad rumors about me behind my back, I felt like boiled water was made to drink
Modern Interpretation
In modern society, the experience of “boiled water is made to drink” may actually be increasing. With the spread of social media and the internet, human relationships have become more complex while simultaneously becoming more transparent. Other people’s true feelings and actions that we would never have known before now remain as digital traces, and betrayals are increasingly discovered in unexpected ways.
Particularly in online relationships, trust in others becomes more important since we can’t see faces. However, at the same time, the shock when that trust is betrayed tends to be greater. In the business world as well, as remote work becomes more widespread, it has become difficult to grasp relationships with colleagues and supervisors, leading to cases of encountering unexpected betrayals.
On the other hand, in modern times, knowledge of psychology and counseling has become widespread, and many methods for healing emotional wounds from betrayal have become known. Also, as society has come to recognize diverse values, it could be said that a single betrayal no longer constitutes such a serious matter that it determines one’s entire life.
However, basic human emotions remain unchanged. Betrayal by someone you trusted still brings intense pain like having boiled water made to drink. Rather, precisely because we live in an information society, the universality of the fundamental human emotions expressed by this proverb may stand out more prominently.
When AI Hears This
The “yu-kishō” (hot water ordeal) that gives rise to the expression “nie-yu wo nomasareru” (being made to drink boiling water) was a form of trial by ordeal practiced in medieval Japan, where people plunged their hands into boiling water and the healing process of their burns determined guilt or innocence. This system operated on the belief that those who lied would suffer severe burns as divine punishment, while those telling the truth would escape with minor injuries.
What’s fascinating is how this phrase evolved in meaning over time. Originally, “drinking the hot water ordeal” referred to the sacred act of “proving one’s truth before God.” However, as time passed, it came to describe situations where someone had proven their innocence through the ordeal but continued to face suspicious looks from society. In other words, it meant being in the complex position of “recognized by God but not accepted by human society.”
By the Edo period, as the trial by ordeal system itself fell into disuse, “being made to drink boiling water” transformed completely into the secular meaning of “being betrayed by someone you trusted.” The transcendent context of divine inquiry disappeared, and the phrase came to be understood purely as a matter of human relationships.
This transformation vividly reflects Japan’s transition from divine judgment to human governance, from religious authority to secular power. Within a single idiom lies a condensed history of social structural changes from medieval to early modern times.
Lessons for Today
The experience of “boiled water is made to drink” is something everyone wants to avoid, but at the same time, it’s also an important rite of passage for growing as a human being. What this proverb teaches us may not be the pain of betrayal itself, but rather the importance of having the courage to still believe in people.
In modern society, more people are choosing not to trust others from the beginning in order to avoid risk. However, to truly live a rich life, we need to seek deep connections with people even if there’s a possibility of getting hurt. The experience of having boiled water made to drink is certainly painful, but through it, we can understand others’ pain and develop deeper empathy.
Also, this experience becomes an opportunity to reflect on ourselves. By looking back on why we trusted that person and what signs we overlooked, we can gain wisdom for building better human relationships.
What’s important is not to close our hearts after a single betrayal, but to use that pain as nourishment to interact with people more wisely and more warmly. It’s precisely because we know the pain of boiling water that encounters with truly trustworthy people feel all the more precious.
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