<entry id="1988621" stat="A" corpus="jmdict" type="jmdict">
<ent_corp type="jmdict">jmdict</ent_corp>
<ent_seq>2089460</ent_seq>
<k_ele>
<keb>鳴く猫は鼠を捕らぬ</keb>
</k_ele>
<r_ele>
<reb>なくねこはねずみをとらぬ</reb>
</r_ele>
<sense>
<pos>&exp;</pos>
<misc>&proverb;</misc>
<gloss>empty vessels make the most sound</gloss>
<gloss g_type="lit">the meowing cat does not catch the mouse</gloss>
</sense>
<info>
<audit time="2006-07-09 00:00:00" stat="A">
<upd_detl>Entry created</upd_detl>
</audit>
<audit time="2013-02-03 00:05:21" stat="A" unap="true">
<upd_name>Francis</upd_name>
<upd_detl>The Google Japanese references which I have seen seem to support the meaning shown above. However, I must say that it seems a strange match in the context of the English expression that "empty vessels make the most sound,"  when the likes of Wikipedia give the meaning as "they that have the least wit are the greatest blabbers." In short, a human being concept as opposed to an animal concept.

I did think that the concept of "Softly, Softly, Catchee Monkey" was more apt for the above entry. That is the reverse [the positive as opposed to the negative Japanese sentence above], but it does mean that a noisy animal will not catch the prey. In the context of the usage of the English expression in the main entry, the main deviation is that both stupid cats and wise cats make the same sounds whatever; obviously quite unlike human beings in the same classifications.

Sometimes I think that when the English expression is matched with the Japanese expression there ought to be a note as to whether it is inspired by English thinking or Japanese thinking, e.g., when a Japanese person uses the expression as quoted in the main entry above, that such a Japanese person is really thinking about a dim witted human being who blabbers on without knowledge; as opposed to a sneaky human being who seeks to attack an unwitting target must not let others know what he is up to by making inappropriate noises.</upd_detl>
<upd_refs>Below.</upd_refs>
</audit>
<audit time="2013-02-03 12:33:30" stat="A">
<upd_uid>jwb</upd_uid>
<upd_name>Jim Breen</upd_name>
<upd_email>...address hidden...</upd_email>
<upd_detl>I think Paul Blay's version is pretty much in line with those 国語s.</upd_detl>
<upd_refs>Koj: よくしゃべる者はかえって実行しないことのたとえ。
Daijr: よくしゃべる者はかえって実行をしないことのたとえ。</upd_refs>
</audit>
<audit time="2013-02-06 14:37:19" stat="A" unap="true">
<upd_name>Francis</upd_name>
<upd_detl>Sorry Jim, I did not wish to cause any confusion by my comment on "獲れる", i.e., your reply, "I am afraid you've lost me with "Empty vessels", etc. You'll need to raise those topics under the relevent entries."
I was just trying to somewhat acknowledge that my versions of English may be some what parochial, so to speak, and explain the point by referring to some key words "Empty vessels" from the above. And, then I endorsed that point by referring to "よくしゃべる者はかえって実行しない", which I stated may mean - if I have got it right - that a person who talks well, on the contrary will not perform [carry something out]. And then I stated that it was not quite the same as the cat's meow that alerts the mouse to danger and therefore allows the escape; nor is it quite the empty vessel. Then I concluded with the admission of my parochialism by stating that it is obviously quite difficult to get matches that suit everyone's thinking and in a dictionary it is the majority view that counts.
Sorry to have plagued you with this, but after your comment I thought that I had better complete the circle by returning to the relevant entry as suggested.</upd_detl>
<upd_refs>See below.</upd_refs>
</audit>
<audit time="2013-02-11 05:58:30" stat="A">
<upd_uid>jwb</upd_uid>
<upd_name>Jim Breen</upd_name>
<upd_email>...address hidden...</upd_email>
<upd_detl>I think よくしゃべる is more "talks a lot" rather than "talks well" (it has two senses.)</upd_detl>
</audit>
<audit time="2018-10-09 09:10:36" stat="A" unap="true">
<upd_uid>Marcus</upd_uid>
<upd_name>Marcus Richert</upd_name>
<upd_email>...address hidden...</upd_email>
<upd_detl>I was going to say "the loud cat" because it sounds better, but I guess it had better be strictly literal.</upd_detl>
<upd_diff>@@ -11,0 +12 @@
+&lt;misc&gt;&amp;proverb;&lt;/misc&gt;
@@ -12,0 +14 @@
+&lt;gloss g_type="lit"&gt;the meowing cat does not catch the mouse&lt;/gloss&gt;</upd_diff>
</audit>
<audit time="2018-10-09 10:53:30" stat="A">
<upd_uid>robin1354</upd_uid>
<upd_name>Robin Scott</upd_name>
<upd_email>...address hidden...</upd_email>
</audit>
</info>
</entry>