expression
things are not as scary as they seem; fear makes the wolf bigger than he is
Proverb meaning that when you investigate something frightening, it often turns out to be harmless. Literally: 'The ghost, when examined closely, is withered silver grass.'
夜道で怖いと思った影も、よく見ればただの木だった。幽霊の正体見たり枯れ尾花だね。
The shadow I thought was scary on the night road turned out to be just a tree when I looked closely. Things are not as scary as they seem.
あの上司は厳しそうだけど、話してみたら優しかった。幽霊の正体見たり枯れ尾花というやつだ。
That boss seemed strict, but when I talked to him, he was kind. It's a case of fear making the wolf bigger than he is.
Both proverbs encourage facing fears, but 案ずるより産むが易し focuses on the ease of doing something compared to worrying about it, while 幽霊の正体見たり枯れ尾花 emphasizes that the feared thing itself is not as frightening as imagined.
A traditional Japanese proverb. The exact origin is uncertain, but it has been used since at least the Edo period to express that fear distorts perception.