人を射んとせばまず馬を射よ

人を射んとせばまず馬を射よ

Japanese

Kanji in this term
人	射	馬	射
ひと Grade: 1	い Grade: 6	うま Grade: 2	い Grade: 6
kun’yomi

Alternative spelling
人を射んとせば先ず馬を射よ

Etymology

Calque of Middle Chinese 射人先射馬，擒賊先擒王 (literally “to shoot the rider, first shoot his horse; to capture the thief, first capture the king”).

Proverb

人(ひと)を射(い)んとせばまず馬(うま)を射(い)よ • (hito o in to seba mazu uma o iyo) 

1. begin with the lesser things to obtain the greater; he who would the daughter win, must with the mother first begin[1]

See also

• 将(しょう)を射(い)んと欲(ほっ)すればまず馬(うま)を射(い)よ (shō o in to hossureba mazu uma o iyo)

References

1. Daniel Crump Buchanan, editor (1965) Japanese Proverbs and Sayings, reprint, revised edition, University of Oklahoma Press, →ISBN, page 130