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人ひと木ぼく石せきに非あらず

Meanings

1

man is not made of stone; man is made of flesh and blood

Proverb meaning humans are emotional beings, not unfeeling like stone; used to excuse or explain emotional reactions.

人ひと木ぼく石せきに非あらず、誰だれでも悲かなしい時ときには涙なみだが出でる。
Man is not made of stone; anyone sheds tears when sad.

Kanji

人person
木tree, wood
石stone
非un-, mistake, negative

Built from

人ひと+木ぼく石せき+非ひ

Written forms

人ひと木ぼく石せきに非あらず
Standard kanji form of the proverb.
人ひと木ぼく石せきにあらず
Variant with に instead of 非ず; less common but still used.

Etymology

Classical Chinese-derived proverb; the exact origin is uncertain, but it reflects a common East Asian sentiment about human nature.