付和雷同

• Reading: ふわらいどう
• Romaji: fuwaraido
• Kanji breakdown: 付 (fu/tsu) — attach, casually agree; 和 (wa/yawara) — harmony, agreement; 雷 (rai/kaminari) — thunder; 同 (dou/ona) — same, agree with
• Pronunciation: /ɸɯ.wa.ɾa.i.do.ː/

Meaning

Following others blindly; jumping on the bandwagon; going along with the crowd without independent thought or judgement.

A four-character idiomatic compound (四字熟語, yojijukugo) criticising the tendency to agree with others or follow prevailing opinion without independent judgement. 付和 means 'casually agreeing' and 雷同 means 'echoing like thunder' — the combination paints a vivid picture of mindless imitation. Often used as a criticism in political, social, and intellectual discourse.

Examples

1. 付和雷同せず、自分の信念に基づいて判断することが重要だ。 It is important to make decisions based on your own convictions rather than blindly following the crowd.
2. 他の国の政策に付和雷同するだけでは、独自の外交とは言えない。 Simply going along with other countries' policies cannot be called independent diplomacy.
3. 彼は付和雷同せずに少数意見を守り続けた、稀有な政治家だった。 He was a rare politician who refused to jump on the bandwagon and continued to uphold his minority opinion.

Usage Guide

Context: politics, social criticism, philosophy, intellectual discourse

Tone: negative

Origin & History

A four-character compound of Chinese origin. 付和 (fu-wa) means 'assenting casually' and 雷同 (rai-dou) means 'resonating like thunder' — borrowed from the Confucian classic 礼記 (Book of Rites). Together they describe sycophantic, uncritical agreement with the majority.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical–Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: Educated