Proud or humble
Idioms, Stage 4chunk 14 of 22What people are like
Ego in three: talking down, showing off, staying humble.
- ue kara mesencondescending, talking downliterally “a gaze from above”
- mie o haruput on a front, try to look better off than you areliterally “stretch out vanity”
- koshi ga hikuihumble and polite in mannerliterally “the hips are low”
Mix-ups ue kara mesen (looking down from above) is the opposite of koshi ga hikui (keeping your hips low). mie o haru can be confused with iji o haru in Stubborn.
ue kara mesen
polite ue kara mesen desu
“a gaze from above”
condescending, talking down
In English: look down one's nose
The modern catch-all for a condescending tone, from a boss, a know-it-all friend or a customer: nani sono ue kara mesen? Used as a noun (ue kara mesen da) or with de (ue kara mesen de iwanaide).
Single word: erasou (bossy, full of yourself).
ano hito, itsumo ue kara mesen da yo ne.
He always talks down to people.
あの人、いつも上から目線だよね。
ano hito wa itsumo ue kara mesen desu yo ne.
He's always rather condescending, isn't he?
あの人はいつも上から目線ですよね。
Written 上から目線 · うえからめせんHeard 11× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside koshi ga hikuiMain list ue / shita (Stage 3), itsumo (Stage 2)
mie o haru
polite mie o harimasu
“stretch out vanity”
put on a front, try to look better off than you are
In English: keep up appearances
About spending or pretending beyond your means to look good, like a pricey date or a brand bag on credit: mie hatte takai mise ni shichatta, with o dropped. Bragging about something real is jiman suru, not this. Iji o haru is pride that won't back down, not putting on a front.
Noun: mieppari (someone vain who always puts on a front).
mie hatte takai mise yoyaku shichatta.
I wanted to look good, so I went and booked a pricey place.
見栄張って高い店予約しちゃった。
tsui mie o hatte, takai mise o yoyaku shichaimashita.
I wanted to look good, so I booked a pricey restaurant.
つい見栄を張って、高い店を予約しちゃいました。
Written 見栄を張る · みえをはるHeard 6× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside iji o haruMain list -chau (Stage 1), -te (Stage 1), takai (Stage 3)
koshi ga hikui
polite koshi ga hikui desu
“the hips are low”
humble and polite in manner
Praise for someone important who still treats everyone modestly and politely: shachou na noni koshi ga hikui. The opposite attitude is erasou or ue kara mesen; not koshi ga itai (my back hurts).
Single word: kenkyo (modest).
ano hito, shachou na noni koshi hikui yo ne.
He's the boss, yet he's so humble.
あの人、社長なのに腰低いよね。
ano hito wa shachou na noni koshi ga hikui desu yo ne.
He's the company president, yet so modest.
あの人は社長なのに腰が低いですよね。
Written 腰が低い · こしがひくいHeard too rare in film subtitles to countLearn alongside ue kara mesenMain list -noni (Stage 1)