How to Read “心中より饅頭”
Shinjuu yori manjuu
Meaning of “心中より饅頭”
“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
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.
Interesting Facts
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
- 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
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.
When AI Hears This
During the Edo period, sugar was so precious it was called “white gold,” worth the equivalent of tens of thousands of yen per kilogram in today’s money. The manju of that era were the ultimate luxury items, made lavishly with this extraordinarily expensive ingredient.
In an age when commoners earned the equivalent of about one million yen annually, a single manju was worth several thousand yen in today’s terms. So saying “manju over love suicide” was like saying “a high-end restaurant tasting menu over love suicide” in modern terms. Sugar was a rare commodity imported only through Dejima in Nagasaki, and ordinary people might taste it only a few times in their entire lives. Faced with such a manju, it was only natural to find the sweet taste melting on your tongue far more real and valuable than abstract romantic ideals.
What’s fascinating is that this proverb emerged against the backdrop of Chikamatsu Monzaemon’s love suicide plays taking society by storm. While beautiful romance was celebrated on stage, commoners struggling with daily life were expressing their honest feelings: “Rather than such pretty ideals, something sweet to eat today would make me much happier.” This proverb, difficult for modern people to understand, reveals the extremely practical and heartfelt values of common folk once we grasp just how rare sugar truly was.
Lessons for Today
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.
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