Japanese proverbs
A Japanese proverb (諺, ことわざ, kotowaza) may take the form of: a short saying (言い習わし, iinarawashi), an idiomatic phrase (慣用句, kan'yōku), or a four-character idiom (四字熟語, yojijukugo). Although "proverb" and "saying" are practically synonymous, the same cannot be said about "idiomatic phrase" and "four-character idiom".