Hebi-geiko

Today I will talk about the Japanese term "hebi-geiko."

The literal meaning of "hebi" is "snake," "geiko" means "enrichment lesson," and "hebi-geiko" means that someone quits enrichment lessons soon.

Usage example: Don't do hebi-geiko (Don't quit something easily).

Snakes are a creature that hibernates during autumn and winter, and starts activities in spring.

We thought that a person who started something in spring and ends in autumn was similar to the snake, then the term "hebi-geiko" was born.

Incidentally, there is another idiom called "mikka bozu, " which has the almost similar meaning of "hebi-geiko."

You can see the etymology in the following article.

http://lang-8.com/kanotown/journals/146010804523318607706596508768806929454

蛇稽古

今日は「蛇稽古」という慣用句を紹介します。

「蛇稽古」は、稽古事が長続きしないことをたとえて言います。

例：蛇稽古はやめにしよう。

蛇は秋に冬眠をして、春に目覚めて活動を始める生き物です。

この蛇のように、春に稽古事を始めてもまた秋には活動をやめてしまうことを例えて、「蛇稽古」という言葉ができました。

ちなみに、同じような言葉に「三日坊主」があります。

以下の記事にて、その語源の説明をしています。