板いた子ご一いち枚まい下したは地じ獄ごく

expression

only a plank between you and a watery grave; on a boat, you're just an inch from death

Proverb warning of the constant danger at sea; literally 'one plank below is hell'. Used to emphasize how fragile a boat is and how close sailors are to death.

• 漁りょう師しは「板いた子ご一いち枚まい下したは地じ獄ごく」と言いって、海うみの怖こわさを語かたった。

  The fisherman spoke of the terror of the sea, saying, 'Only a plank separates you from a watery grave.'