Translation guide
This concept describes a situation where an attempt to harm another person backfires and ends up causing harm to oneself. It is often expressed through proverbs, idiomatic phrases, or descriptive explanations in Japanese.
To express the idea that seeking revenge or trying to harm someone else ultimately hurts oneself, often used as a warning or moral lesson.
A well-known proverb meaning 'If you curse someone, dig two graves' — one for the person you curse and one for yourself. It warns that wishing harm on others will bring harm upon yourself.
人を呪わば穴二つと言うだろう。復讐はやめておけ。
As the saying goes, 'If you curse someone, dig two graves.' Give up on revenge.
To describe the situation in plain language, explaining that an attempt to harm someone else resulted in self-harm.
A flexible pattern meaning 'tried to do ~, but ended up doing ~ to oneself instead.' Replace the first 〜 with the intended harmful action and the second 〜 with the resulting self-harm.
彼を陥れようとして、かえって自分が信用を失ってしまった。
I tried to bring him down, but ended up losing my own credibility.
Literally 'rust from one's own body,' this idiom means that one's own misdeeds or malice come back to harm oneself. It implies self-inflicted suffering as a consequence of one's own actions.
彼が失脚したのは身から出た錆だ。
His downfall is the result of his own misdeeds — he brought it on himself.
Literally 'to spit at heaven,' meaning that trying to harm someone above you (or the heavens) will only result in the spit falling back on you. It conveys the futility and self-damaging nature of such actions.
上司を陥れようとするなんて、天に唾するようなものだ。
Trying to bring down your boss is like spitting at heaven — it'll just come back to hurt you.
Means 'intended to do ~, but it came back to me.' Used when a harmful action rebounds on the doer.
悪口を言ったつもりが、自分に返ってきた。
I meant to badmouth them, but it came back to bite me.
A four-character compound meaning 'one's own actions, one's own reward,' often used when someone suffers the natural consequences of their own bad deeds. It can imply that the harm they intended for others ended up harming themselves.
彼が罠にかかったのは自業自得だ。
He fell into his own trap — it serves him right.