Translation guide
This English phrase refers to a situation where someone is at the mercy of another, powerless to resist or escape. In Japanese, the most natural equivalent is the idiomatic expression まな板の上の鯉, which literally means 'a carp on a cutting board' and conveys the same sense of resigned helplessness.
To describe a situation where someone has no choice but to accept their fate, often used when facing an unavoidable ordeal.
This is the direct Japanese equivalent. It literally means 'a carp on a cutting board' and is used when someone is completely at the mercy of another, with no way to resist or escape. It often implies a calm acceptance of one's fate.
He waited quietly for the surgery, like a fish on the chopping board.
This phrase means 'as one is made to do' or 'at someone's mercy'. It describes a state of passive submission, where one lets others do as they please. It is less vivid than the carp idiom but commonly used.
Similar to なすがまま, this means 'as one is done to' and emphasizes being passive and unresisting. It is often used in contexts where someone is subjected to something without fighting back.
まな板の上の鯉 is a vivid metaphor that specifically evokes the image of a fish awaiting its fate, often with a nuance of calm resignation. なすがまま and されるがまま are more general expressions of passivity and can be used in a wider range of situations, but they lack the idiomatic punch of the carp phrase.
Do not translate 'fish on the chopping board' literally as まな板の上の魚. While understandable, it is not the natural Japanese idiom. The set phrase uses 鯉 (carp), not 魚 (fish).
During the interview, I felt like a fish on the chopping board.
He was at the doctor's mercy.
She let the hairdresser do as they pleased with her hair.