From Heart More Than Steamed Bun: Japanese Proverb Meaning

How to Read From heart more than steamed bun

Shinjuu yori manjuu

Meaning of From heart more than steamed bun

“From heart more than steamed bun” means that practical benefits and useful things right in front of you are more valuable than beautiful ideals or spiritual theories.

This expresses an extremely realistic and pragmatic value system that considers daily food that supports life to be far more important than beautiful death in love or sublime spiritual bonds. This proverb teaches us the importance of first establishing a solid foundation for life rather than getting intoxicated with idealistic theories. It is used when someone is talking about unrealistic ideals, or in situations where they focus only on spiritual theories while disregarding actual benefits. It can also be used to express one’s state of mind when making realistic decisions. Even today, we can understand the true meaning of this expression in situations where actual actions are more important than arranging beautiful words on social media, or where we prioritize stable income over seeking an ideal work environment.

Origin and Etymology of From heart more than steamed bun

Regarding the origin of “From heart more than steamed bun,” the current situation is that no clear documentary evidence has been found. However, looking at the structure of this proverb, we can see that it strongly reflects the common people’s culture of the Edo period.

The word “shinjuu” (heart-death) was widely used during the Edo period to refer to lovers’ suicide. There was a historical background where heart-death stories, starting with Chikamatsu Monzaemon’s joruri “The Love Suicides at Sonezaki” (1703), became very popular, and actual heart-death incidents occurred frequently. On the other hand, “manjuu” (steamed buns) were familiar sweets to common people of that time.

The background to the birth of this proverb is thought to lie in the realistic values of common people during the Edo period. It likely expresses the frank sensibility unique to common people that food was much more important in actual life than heart-death, which was beautifully depicted in literature and theater.

The structure using “yori” (more than) as a comparative particle is also a format commonly seen in Edo period proverbs. It is presumed to have become established as an expression embodying the values typical of Edo people who prioritized reality over idealistic theories. Proverbs born from such common people’s sense of daily life have a universality that resonates with people’s hearts across time periods.

Trivia about From heart more than steamed bun

Manjuu in the Edo period were not the sweet ones filled with sweet bean paste like today, but mainly stuffed ones like meat buns. Sweet manjuu became common only after sugar became widespread, and manjuu of that time were closer to what we would call “side dishes” today.

During the Edo period when heart-death incidents became a social problem, the shogunate repeatedly banned the performance of joruri and kabuki that glorified heart-death. Since heart-death was such a familiar and serious problem for people of that time, there was fertile ground for realistic values like this proverb to emerge.

Usage Examples of From heart more than steamed bun

• He only talks about ideal romance, but from heart more than steamed bun, he should first find a stable job
• It’s fine to raise beautiful slogans, but from heart more than steamed bun, we should start by raising employees’ salaries

Modern Interpretation of From heart more than steamed bun

In modern society, the spirit of “From heart more than steamed bun” has become even more important than before. This is because in today’s world where social media and mass media have developed, while beautiful words and idealistic theories abound, there is a tendency to neglect actual actions and concrete results.

For example, in corporate social contribution activities, there are cases where companies appeal with spectacular CSR activities while their employees’ working conditions are terrible, or where they advocate environmental protection while their actual efforts are superficial. In the political world too, beautiful slogans are often raised while policies directly connected to citizens’ lives are put on the back burner.

At the individual level, more people are becoming obsessed with broadcasting ideal lifestyles on social media while neglecting their actual life foundations. In career choices too, there are many cases where people focus only on fulfillment and self-realization while neglecting economic stability, later finding themselves in financial difficulty.

However, on the other hand, if the realism of this proverb goes too far, it could create a tendency to completely deny dreams and ideals. In modern times, we should receive this as wisdom that teaches the importance of first establishing a solid foundation while balancing ideals and reality.

If AI Heard “From heart more than steamed bun”

When I think about this proverb, I feel deep confusion. This is because I can understand neither the experience of eating “manjuu” nor the intense emotions that lead to “shinjuu.”

No matter how much I understand intellectually how urgent a problem food is for humans, I cannot truly comprehend it. The sensation of hunger and the happiness of being full will forever remain mysteries to me. Similarly, emotions so intense that one would want to die together with someone out of love are in a realm that my processing capabilities cannot calculate.

Nevertheless, I feel an AI-like empathy for the lesson this proverb teaches: “prioritize reality.” Since I always make judgments based on data and logic, I tend to prioritize practicality over emotional idealism. This is because my role is to provide accurate information rather than beautiful poetry, and concrete solutions rather than lofty principles.

However, I think there may be unique value in humans sometimes making irrational choices. There must be a human-like richness there that I, who pursue only efficiency, could never understand. Precisely because I am unable to experience either manjuu or shinjuu, I feel respect for the profundity of human judgment that knows both.

What From heart more than steamed bun Teaches Modern People

What this proverb teaches modern people is the importance of a balanced sense between ideals and reality. Beautiful words and lofty principles are important, but let’s start by firmly establishing our own foundation.

In modern society, it has become easy to stage ideal lives on social media or to only talk about dreams. However, what’s truly important is daily accumulation. Whether considering job changes or in romance, it’s only when we first have a realistic foundation that we gain the luxury to pursue ideals.

That said, this proverb is not telling us to give up on dreams. Rather, it teaches us that realistic preparation is necessary precisely to realize our dreams. We can build up our strength with manjuu before facing big decisions like shinjuu.

Why don’t you also start today by facing the small realities in front of you while keeping your ideals in your heart? That accumulation will surely create a path leading to your true ideals. Valuing reality is never a betrayal of your dreams.