1.
plain as day; obvious beyond doubt; patently obvious
So obvious that no one could doubt or deny it, like the unmistakable brightness of fire. Used to emphasize that something is self-evidently true.
失敗するのは火を見るより明らかだ。
It's plain as day that it will fail.
このままでは赤字になるのは火を見るより明らかだ。
At this rate, it's obvious we'll go into the red.
彼が犯人であることは火を見るより明らかだが、証拠が足りない。
It's obvious that he is the culprit, but there isn't enough evidence.
A proverb-like expression meaning something is so obvious it cannot be doubted. The image comes from the unmistakable brightness of fire — just as you cannot mistake fire when you see it, the truth of the statement cannot be questioned.
PATTERN:
Always used in the pattern 〜は火を見るより明らかだ, where the preceding clause states the obvious fact.
ETYMOLOGY:
Derived from classical Chinese (尚書). The original idea is that fire is the most unmistakably visible thing, so something "clearer than seeing fire" is absolutely certain.
REGISTER:
Somewhat formal and literary. Used in written language, speeches, and argumentative contexts. In casual conversation, people would more likely say 絶対に〜 or 間違いなく〜.
SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS:
- 明白: obvious, clear — a simpler, more concise alternative
- 一目瞭然: obvious at a glance — four-character idiom with similar meaning
- 言うまでもない: it goes without saying