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猿猴月を取る (えんこうつきをとる) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
expression, godan verb (-ru)
overreach and fail ; try to grasp the unattainable
idiomatic expression
A literary idiom warning against attempting something beyond one's ability or station, with inevitable failure. The literal image is of a monkey trying to catch the moon's reflection and drowning.
See also: 猿猴捉月
His plan is like a monkey trying to catch the moon.
Similar words 猿えん 猴こう 捉そく 月げつ A synonymous four-character idiom with the same literal meaning and warning against overreaching.
身み の 程ほど を 知し る A common expression meaning 'to know one's place'; 猿猴月を取る describes the foolish act of not knowing one's limits.
Etymology A Japanese idiom derived from a Chinese Buddhist parable in which a monkey, seeing the moon's reflection in water, tries to catch it and drowns. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the phrase is used to illustrate futile ambition.
