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A may take the form of: *a short saying (言い習わし ''iinarawashi''), *an idiomatic phrase (慣用句 ''kan'yōku''), or *a four-character idiom (四字熟語 ''yojijukugo''). Although "proverb" and "saying" are practically synonymous, the same cannot be said about "idiomatic phrase" and "four-character idiom". Not all ''kan'yōku'' and ''yojijukugo'' are proverbial. For instance, the ''kan'yōku'' 狐の嫁入り ''kitsune no yomeiri'' (Literally: a fox's wedding. Meaning: a sun-shower) and the ''yojijukugo'' 小春日和 ''koharubiyori'' (Literally: small spring weather. Meaning: Indian summer – warm spring-like weather in early winter) are ''not'' proverbs. To be considered a proverb, a word or phrase must express a common truth or wisdom; it cannot be a mere noun. == Usage == Japanese commonly use proverbs, often citing just the first part of common phrases for brevity. For example, one might say to refer to the proverb . Whereas proverbs in English are typically multi-worded phrases ("kill two birds with one stone"), Japanese borrows from Chinese and compactly conveys the concept in one word . The heavy employment of proverbs enables Japanese language to be concise. Evidence might be found in Japanese animation and manga, but also appears in news and cultural programs, and in much fiction. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Japanese proverbs」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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