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付和雷同 (ふわらいどう) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb
blindly following others ; following suit without reflection
yojijukugo (four-character idiom)
A yojijukugo describing the act of uncritically going along with the crowd or majority opinion. Often used in negative contexts to criticize lack of independent thought.
He always follows the crowd and never tries to think for himself.
Written forms 付ふ 和わ 雷らい 同どう
Standard kanji spelling for this yojijukugo.
附ふ 和わ 雷らい 同どう
Variant using 和 (harmony) instead of 付 (attach). Less common but still encountered.
不ふ 和わ 雷らい 同どう
irregular kanji usage
Irregular kanji usage where 不 (not) replaces 付; considered non-standard.
Kanji 付 adhere, attach, refer to 和 harmony, Japanese style, peace 附 affixed, attach, refer to Similar words 盲もう 従じゅう 盲従 means blind obedience to a person or authority, while 付和雷同 focuses on going along with group opinion or trends without critical thought.
同どう 調ちょう 圧あつ 力りょく 同調圧力 is the social pressure to conform, whereas 付和雷同 is the act of conforming itself.
Etymology A yojijukugo of Chinese origin, combining 付 (attach), 和 (harmony), 雷 (thunder), and 同 (same). The phrase suggests attaching oneself to the prevailing harmony and echoing it like thunder, implying unthinking conformity.
