expression
being inferior to; being no match for
Classical expression meaning 'is not as good as' or 'cannot compare to'. Often used in proverbs and set phrases, such as 百聞は一見に如かず (seeing is believing).
百聞は一見に如かず。
Seeing is believing. (lit. Hearing a hundred times is not as good as seeing once.)
どんな高級な料理も母の手料理に如かず。
No fancy cuisine can compare to my mother's home cooking.
expression
being best; nothing beats
Used in the pattern 〜に如かず to mean 'nothing is better than ~' or 'the best thing is ~'. Appears in proverbs like 三十六計逃げるに如かず (the best strategy is to run away).
See also: 三十六計逃げるに如かず
三十六計逃げるに如かず。
The best plan is to run away. (lit. Of the thirty-six stratagems, fleeing is best.)
健康には十分な睡眠に如かず。
Nothing beats getting enough sleep for your health.
如く is a classical verb meaning 'to be like' or 'to equal', from which 如かず is derived as the negative form. 如かず is now a fixed expression, while 如く is rarely used independently.
Classical Japanese negative form of the verb 如く (しく, 'to be like, to equal'). The form 如かず (しかず) became a fixed expression meaning 'is not as good as' or 'nothing beats'.