expression
even a wise person can make a mistake; even Homer sometimes nods
Proverb meaning that no matter how wise or careful someone is, they can still err. Often used to console someone after a mistake or to caution against overconfidence.
知者も千慮に一失というから、あまり自分を責めないで。
They say even a wise person can make a mistake, so don't be too hard on yourself.
ベテランの医者でも誤診することがある。まさに知者も千慮に一失だ。
Even a veteran doctor can misdiagnose. It's truly a case of 'even Homer sometimes nods.'
Both are proverbs about even experts making mistakes, but 猿も木から落ちる emphasizes that even a specialist in their own field can slip up, while 知者も千慮に一失 focuses on a wise person's rare error in judgment.
Similar meaning, but 弘法にも筆の誤り specifically refers to a master calligrapher's brush mistake, highlighting that even a master can make a technical error.
A Japanese rendering of a Chinese proverb from the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji). The original phrase is 智者千慮必有一失, meaning 'a wise person, after a thousand thoughts, will surely have one mistake.'