1.
even experts make mistakes; even a master can fail; even Homer nods
A proverb meaning that even someone highly skilled can occasionally fail at their own specialty. Literally, 'even a kappa gets swept down the river' — the kappa being a water sprite famed as an expert swimmer.
河童の川流れというやつだ。
It's a case of even the experts slipping up.
水泳の得意な彼が溺れかけるなんて、河童の川流れだ。
For him, a strong swimmer, to nearly drown — even the best slip up.
プロの料理人が塩加減を間違えるとは、まさに河童の川流れだ。
For a professional cook to get the seasoning wrong is truly a case of even a master failing.
A well-known proverb. The 河童 is a legendary water creature said to be an expert swimmer, so for even a kappa to be swept away by the current vividly conveys that anyone, however skilled, can fail at their own forte.
USAGE:
Used to comment on a surprising failure by an expert, often sympathetically. It can also serve as a gentle, self-deprecating excuse for one's own slip.
SIMILAR PROVERBS:
- 弘法も筆の誤り: even Kobo Daishi makes brush errors
- 猿も木から落ちる: even monkeys fall from trees
Related Words
See also:
弘法も筆の誤り (synonymous proverb)