expression
a fortune teller can't tell their own future; people don't know themselves as well as they know others
Proverb meaning that it is difficult to know one's own affairs or future, even if one can see those of others. Often used to point out someone's lack of self-awareness.
彼は他人の恋愛相談には乗るのに、自分の恋愛はうまくいかない。まさに易者身の上知らずだね。
He gives love advice to others, but his own love life doesn't go well. It's truly a case of 'a fortune teller can't tell their own future.'
易者身の上知らずというように、自分のことは意外と見えないものだ。
As the saying goes, 'a fortune teller can't tell their own future'—you surprisingly can't see your own affairs.
Both proverbs express that one is blind to what is close to oneself. 易者身の上知らず specifically refers to knowing others' affairs but not one's own, while 灯台下暗し is about being unaware of what is right under one's nose.
A proverb composed of 易者 (fortune teller), 身の上 (one's own circumstances), and 知らず (not knowing). The exact origin is uncertain, but it reflects the ironic idea that even an expert at reading others' fates cannot see their own.