expression, godan verb (-ru)
any event can bring about an effect in an unexpected way; if the wind blows, the bucket makers prosper
Proverb illustrating how seemingly unrelated events can have surprising consequences. Often used to comment on the unpredictability of cause and effect.
風が吹けば桶屋が儲かるというように、物事はどこでどうつながるかわからない。
As the saying goes, 'if the wind blows, the bucket makers prosper'—you never know how things are connected.
A traditional Japanese proverb. The exact origin is uncertain, but it is often explained through a chain of events: wind blows dust, dust gets in people's eyes, blind people increase, blind people play the shamisen, more cat skins are needed for shamisen, cats decrease, mice increase, mice chew buckets, and bucket makers prosper.