expression
suffering the consequences of one's own actions; reaping what you sow; paying for one's mistakes
Idiomatic expression meaning that one's own misdeeds or faults come back to cause trouble, like rust (錆) emerging from within. Often used when someone faces a problem they themselves caused.
彼の失敗は身から出た錆だ。
His failure is the result of his own actions.
身から出た錆で、誰も同情しなかった。
It was his own fault, so no one sympathized with him.
A four-character idiom with a very similar meaning: 'you reap what you sow'. 身から出た錆 is more colloquial and vivid, while 自業自得 is more formal and often used in written language.
A Buddhist term for karmic retribution. It carries a heavier, more philosophical tone than 身から出た錆, which is a down-to-earth metaphor.
Literally 'rust that came out from the body'. The metaphor is that rust (錆) appears from within metal, just as trouble arises from one's own character or actions. The exact origin is uncertain, but it is a well-established Japanese idiom.