expression, godan verb (-u)
a child's emotions change easily; the bird that cried now laughs
Proverb describing how quickly a child can switch from crying to laughing; used to comment on fickle or rapidly changing moods.
さっきまで泣いていたのに、もう笑っている。今泣いた烏がもう笑うとはこのことだ。
He was crying just a moment ago, and now he's laughing. This is exactly what the proverb 'the bird that cried now laughs' means.
Standard kanji form for this proverb.
Kana-mixed spelling sometimes used for readability.
Refers to crying and laughing at the same time or in quick succession, whereas the proverb emphasizes the rapid change from crying to laughing.
The exact origin is uncertain; it is a traditional Japanese proverb comparing a child's quick emotional shifts to a crow that was crying a moment ago but is now laughing.