虎穴に入らずんば虎子を得ず

Japanese
Kanji in this term
虎 穴 入 虎 子 得
こ
Grade: S		 けつ
Grade: 6		 い
Grade: 1		 こ
Grade: S		 じ
Grade: 1		 え
Grade: 5
on’yomi kun’yomi on’yomi kun’yomi

Etymology

虎穴 (“tiger lair”) +‎ に (“locative marker”) +‎ 入らず (“not enter”) +‎ んば (“if”) +‎ 虎子 (“tiger cub”) +‎ を +‎ 得ず (“not gain”).

Calque of Literary Chinese 不入虎穴，不得虎子 (literally “one may not catch a tiger cub without entering a tiger's lair”) from the Book of the Later Han. Attributed to Ban Chao. Compare Chinese 不入虎穴，焉得虎子 (bù rù hǔxué, yān dé hǔzǐ) (the more common form in modern Chinese).

Proverb

虎(こ)穴(けつ)に入(い)らずんば虎(こ)子(じ)を得(え)ず • (koketsu ni irazunba koji o ezu) 

  1. nothing ventured, nothing gained
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