Departments
甘え
AMAE
psychological dependence on others
“Dependence” generally implies weakness, parasitism, or immaturity in the West. A person who is dependent on another is often accused of “riding another’s coattails,” or “sponging” off another.
Meanwhile, independence is a quality that we greatly admire. Our language is full of expressions like “think for yourself,” and “stand on your own two feet.”
In Japan, however, the individual’s life is seen as a web of interdependent relationships. And each of these relationships contains an element of amae. Children are dependent on parents, spouses are dependent on their partners, and employees are dependent on their parents.
These relationships contain obligations and benefits for both sides, and often the direction of the amae can change according to circumstances. For example, people are dependent on their parents when they are young, but the old are dependent on their children. There is even a Japanese proverb which reflects on this fact: Oite wa ko ni shitagae / 老いては子に従え = “When you are old, listen to your children.”
朝飯前
Asameshi-mae
"before breakfast"
Most people do not have much strength before they have had the first meal of the day. It is therefore difficult to perform heavy labor prior to eating breakfast. Any work done before breakfast must be on the light side.
Asameshi-mae has become a figurative synonym for work that is almost ridiculously easy. If a Japanese person describes a task as asameshi-mae, he or she is saying that the job is so easy that a person could do it on an empty stomach. An English equivalent might be "a piece of cake."
As you might expect, this expression contains an air of boastfulness. Therefore, it is not a good idea to go around describing every other task as asameshi-mae. It is especially humiliating to fail at or struggle with a task that you had previously declared to be a piece of cake.