Tempête dans un verre d'eau is a French idiom meaning tempest in a teapot or storm in a teacup, which means a small event that has been exaggerated out of proportion, according to Wikipedia.
In Japanese, we don't have an equivalent idiom, but here is an Japanese saying that has just occurred to me:
I no naka no kawazu taikai wo shirazu.
The frog in the well knows nothing of the great ocean.
We often simply say the first part, "i no naka no kawazu".
Tempête dans un verre d'eauとは、フランス語の熟語で、英語ではtempest in a teapotとかstorm in a teacupと言います。大したことではないのに大騒ぎした時などに使います。
日本語では、同じような熟語はないですが、たった今思いついた諺（ことわざ）を紹介します：
井の中の蛙大海を知らず
いのなかのかわずたいかいをしらず
単に最初の部分「井の中の蛙」を言うことが多いです。
Why has this idiom occurred to me? Because I believe that Laurent Ruquier, who has uttered these words "un tsunami dans un verre d'eau", is like the frog in the well. He should at least try to understand what his casual words can mean to those who have suffered from the tsunami.
何でこんな諺を思い出したかというと、「コップの中の津波」という言葉を吐いたLaurent Ruquierさんは、「井の中の蛙」のようではないかと思うからです。少なくとも、その何気ない言葉を津波の被害者がどう思うかを理解しようと努力すべきだと思います。
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LAURENT RUQUIER NE REGRETTE PAS SA BLAGUE, "UN TSUNAMI DANS UN VERRED D'EAU"
Hiroyuki, I know this man very well (from tv of course) and am not surprised by his horrible joke (it's his "style"), but I am shocked by the fact that he didn't want to apologise and the way he commented it. I can well imagine though how he would react in a reversed situation.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I cannot stop smiling thinking of the saying you have found. Perfectly found. I wish a Japanese person told him this directly.
ReplyDeleteWe call this Krawall journalism, no tragedy is too big, no joke bad enough and whenever someone complaints afterwards they always cry for freedom of journalism or speech...
ReplyDeleteThose kind of guys show plenty lack of delicacy, sadly the audience is not an inch better. Read some comments on international medias, very ashaming. There are many frogs in their little wells paddling blissfully filled with happy ignorant thoughts.
Sissi and Kiki: Thank you both for your respective comments.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'd better just leave him alone in the well. I have a feeling that talking more about him would only make him feel better about himself.