also: かりるときのじぞうがおなすときのえんまがお
expression
people look friendly when borrowing but stern when repaying
Proverb comparing a borrower's gentle face to Jizō (Ksitigarbha) and a lender's stern face to Enma (Yama). Used to comment on how attitudes change when money is owed.
「借りる時の地蔵顔、済す時の閻魔顔」とはよく言ったもので、返済の催促をすると急に態度が冷たくなる人がいる。
As the saying goes, 'a Jizō face when borrowing, an Enma face when repaying'—some people turn cold the moment you ask them to pay back.
A traditional Japanese proverb. The exact origin is uncertain, but it draws on well-known Buddhist figures: Jizō (Ksitigarbha) with a merciful face, and Enma (Yama) with a wrathful face, to illustrate the change in demeanor between borrowing and repaying.