# "Japanese" proverb: Floating enemies, river sitting

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-proverb-floating-enemies-river-sitting/547602>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 22, 2010, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-proverb-floating-enemies-river-sitting/547602 "2010-07-22T14:44:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 24

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**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\
**Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-proverb-floating-enemies-river-sitting/547602/24 "2011-10-12T05:23:54Z")

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> [@Lamia](#):
>
> Google Books gives me only about a dozen hits on this saying (the '95 _New Statesman_ article is the earliest), with the majority describing it as a Chinese proverb. I count three claiming that it is Japanese.

A 1995 New Statesman article is the earliest cite? None of these guys has Netflix?

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