反面教師
はんめんきょうし
noun
negative example; someone whose bad behavior serves as a lesson in what not to do
1.
negative example; someone whose bad behavior serves as a lesson in what not to do
A person whose bad qualities or mistakes can teach others what to avoid. The concept originated in Mao Zedong's political theory and is now widely used in everyday Japanese to describe someone who serves as a cautionary example.
あの人は反面教師だ。
That person is a negative example.
父の失敗を反面教師にして生きてきた。
I've lived my life using my father's failures as a lesson in what not to do.
上司の態度を反面教師にして、自分は部下に優しく接するようにしている。
Using my boss's attitude as an example of what not to do, I make sure to treat my subordinates kindly.
Originally from Mao Zedong's political theory, referring to a person whose bad qualities or mistakes can teach others what to avoid. Unlike a role model (手本), a 反面教師 provides a lesson through negative behavior.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 反面教師にする: to use as a negative example
- 反面教師として学ぶ: to learn from a bad example
- 反面教師になる: to become a cautionary example
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 手本: model, example — positive example to follow
- 他山の石: a lesson drawn from others' mistakes — more literary, from a Chinese proverb
- 見本: sample, specimen — shows what something looks like, not necessarily behavioral