How to Read “An abacus opens a lock”
Soroban de jō ga aku
Meaning of “An abacus opens a lock”
“An abacus opens a lock” is a proverb that describes the cynical reality of society. It means that with money, you can solve things that normally require proper procedures or qualifications.
To open a lock, you should need the right key. But this proverb uses a metaphor: an abacus (meaning money) can open it instead.
People use this proverb to criticize bribery and corrupt solutions. It points out situations where money matters more than justice or reason. It describes moments when things that shouldn’t be allowed happen because of money’s power.
This saying doesn’t praise money’s power at all. Instead, it criticizes and mocks the distortions in society. Even today, when we see money solving things unfairly, this expression sharply points out society’s contradictions.
Origin and Etymology
The exact source of this proverb is unclear. However, people believe it emerged from Edo period commercial culture.
The abacus was essential for merchants. It was both a calculation tool and a symbol of money itself. Meanwhile, a lock protects valuable things.
Normally, you need the right key to open a lock. But this proverb expresses the cynical reality that an abacus (money) can open it without proper procedures.
The Edo period saw commercial development flourish. The monetary economy spread even to common people’s lives. Though it was a samurai society, money actually held great power.
Money could even move the class system in many situations. People used money for bribes to officials, lawsuit settlements, and various favors. People watched this coldly and cynically.
This proverb combines the everyday tool of an abacus with a lock as a symbol of protection. It sharply expresses money’s strange power.
The saying likely spread because it pierced through the reality of a society where official principles and true intentions clashed.
Interesting Facts
The abacus came from China but spread explosively in Japan during the Edo period. Temple schools taught abacus alongside reading and writing.
Not just merchants but common people learned to use the abacus. Therefore, it became more than a calculation tool. It symbolized money and business itself.
This is why the abacus appears in many proverbs and idioms.
Locks have an ancient history in Japan. People already used them in the Asuka period. During the Edo period, technology advanced and locks with complex mechanisms were created.
However, this proverb contains the irony that even the most elaborate lock is powerless before money’s force.
Usage Examples
- He complained that the government office wouldn’t approve his permit, but apparently he solved it like an abacus opens a lock
- That company claims they won the bid, but people are whispering that an abacus opened a lock
Universal Wisdom
Behind the continued telling of “An abacus opens a lock” lies an eternal conflict. It’s the struggle between official principles and true intentions in human society.
In every era and every society, official rules and justice exist. Yet the reality is that money’s power often moves things.
Why are people weak against money? Money is a means to satisfy fundamental human needs like survival, safety, and comfort.
Upholding justice and reason is noble. However, money offered right before your eyes has the power to transform your life completely.
People face responsibilities to support families, anxieties about the future, and desires for better lives. Before such pressing concerns, maintaining ideals becomes difficult at times.
This proverb is spoken with irony because people recognize this reality. Yet somewhere in their hearts, they hold the ideal that “things shouldn’t be this way.”
If people gave up completely, there would be no need for irony. Casting a critical eye proves you haven’t abandoned hope for a better society.
Our ancestors may have embedded in this proverb the importance of continuing to face this contradiction.
When AI Hears This
The arrangement of beads on an abacus actually holds enormous information capacity. For example, a 10-column abacus can theoretically represent 10 to the 10th power states.
That’s 10 billion possible combinations. In information theory, this is called “high entropy state.” Entropy simply means “how many possibilities exist.”
Compared to modern 4-digit PIN codes with only 10,000 combinations, the abacus has overwhelmingly greater information capacity.
What’s interesting is the structure this proverb shows: “the act of calculation itself becomes the key.” Modern cryptography uses the difficulty of calculations like prime factorization to maintain security.
In other words, it’s a system of “locks that only people who can perform the right calculations can open.” Edo period merchants may have had the idea that only those who knew specific calculation procedures or ledger number combinations could open safes.
More noteworthy is that an abacus, a “reversible computing device,” opens the lock. In information theory, transformations that can return to the original without information loss are called reversible transformations.
Modern hash functions are one-way, but abacuses can calculate in both directions. This means the verifiable calculation process itself becomes proof of trust. This concept connects to blockchain technology.
Lessons for Today
This proverb teaches us about the danger of overconfidence in money’s power. It also teaches the importance of viewing society’s mechanisms with clear eyes.
Money can certainly solve many things. But relying on it too much means losing precious things money can’t buy, like trust and integrity.
When you hit a wall, try finding legitimate ways to solve it before easily relying on money’s power. It may take time, but the experience and trust you gain become treasures in your life.
On the other hand, it’s true that some people try to move things corruptly with money. Knowing this reality matters.
While maintaining your own integrity, you need the strength to respond firmly to injustice.
Struggling between ideals and reality is proof of being a healthy human being. Perfect societies don’t exist.
But each person’s attitude of trying to choose the right path gradually makes the world better.
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