Japanese Go proverbs

General Principles

• 碁は生き物 Go is a lifeform (...it often changes shapes through invasions, exchanges, counterplay to kikashi moves, mutual damage etc. See Sakata vs Takagawa)
• 碁は手順なり Go is about order of play
• 地取り石取りみな悪し Territory taking and stone killing are both wrong (...single-minded strategy doesn't work. Important is balance and flexibility between territory and attacking potential) (Honinbo Jowa)
• 敵の急所はわが急所 or 敵の打ちたいところに打て The enemy's key point is yours
• 石音について回るな Don't follow the sound of stone. See Following the Opponent Around
• 常に手抜きを考えよ Tenuki is Always an Option
• わからない時は手を抜け When in doubt, Tenuki (...but...)
• 接近戦で手を抜くな Don't tenuki in close fights
• キカシと味消しは紙一重 A fine line separates kikashi and ajikeshi
• 一路違いで大違い One line difference is a big difference
• 筋の隣はヘボ筋 Bad suji is adjacent to good suji
• 手に緩急あるべし Mix solid moves and fast moves

Psychology

• 勝ち碁を勝ちきる難しさ It's tough to win a winning game
• 負け碁の打ちよさ You have a free hand when losing
• 争碁に名局なし Official challenge matches produce no beautiful games (...you can't show your best under psychological pressure)
• 白の地は大きく見ゆるものなり White's territories look larger (...against a stronger player, don't fear too much)
• 岡目八目 Spectator sees farther
• 石飛んで碁に勝たず Who displaces stones can't win the game (...always keep calm)
• 酒は別腸碁は別智 Drinking is different from eating, Go is different from intelligence
• 師匠の初負け The teacher loses the first game (...it's difficult to play without knowing the opponent's strength. And a pro teacher doesn't like losing a new customer...)
• 見損じはコウで誘え Lure him into oversight with a ko threat (...he might think it is a simple ko threat and make a natural looking reply which is in fact a mistake)
• 碁は運の芸と知るべし Go is, after all, an art of luck (Gennan Inseki)

Opening

• 石立ては相手によりて打ち変えよ Use different openings against different opponents (Honinbo Sansa)
• 生きている石の近くは小さい It's small near living groups (Sonoda Yuichi)
• 大場より急場 Urgent points before big points
• 広い方からカカれ Approach from the wider side
• 広い方をオサエよ Block on the wider side
• 二立三析 From two, extend three
• 一方高ければ一方低く From a high (4th line) stone, extend low (3rd line)
• 二間に肩突き Hit the shoulder of two space extension (on the third line. It's a relatively solid shape, so give it a small life and get outside influence)
• 三間にウチコミあり Three space extension invites an invasion
• 星に三三あり 4-4 point invites 3-3 invasion (...play for outside influence overall)
• 見合いは急ぐな Don't hurry to play miai points
• 三手考えよ Consider three candidate moves (...if you can't easily decide on A or B, they may well be miai points. Consider playing another point C - your opponent's reply may help you decide on A or B.)
• 先のないヒラキを打つな Don't play extensions without further development
• 名人に定石なし The Meijin doesn't need joseki (New Meijin must be able to play better moves than past Meijins)
• 定石を覚えて二子弱くなり Learning Joseki loses two stones strength
• 定石は知りて忘れよ Joseki, learn it and forget it
• 五線六線みだりに押すな Think twice before pushing on the fifth or sixth line
• 四線は勢力、三線は実利 High move (4th line) for influence, low move (3rd line) for territory
• 二線三線よけいにハウな Crawl low only as needed
• 二線ハウべからず Don't push along the second line
• 二線は敗線、四線は勝線 the second line is of defeat, the fourth line is of victory
• 両ガケ食って碁に負ける Double pressed, you are lost (...avoid over-concentration)

Middlegame: Life-and-death

• 死はハネにあり There is death in the hane
• ハネ、キリ、オキ Hane, Cut, Placement
• ヘボの早ナカデ Duffers play inside early (...first enclose the group and reduce eyespace before playing inside. If the group lives or escapes, your inside plays become mochikomi)
• 二の一に手あり Strange things happen at the one two point
• 隅の急所は二の一、二の二 1-2 and 2-2 points are vital in the corner
• 六死八活 Six die but eight live (on the second line)
• 四死六活 Four die but six live (on the third line, or on the second line in the corner)
• 一合マスはコウと知れ The carpenters square becomes ko
• カギ型は死 The L group is dead
• マガリ四目は死 The bent four in the corner is dead
• 中の板六は生き、隅の板六は死に Rectangular six on the side is alive, in the corner is dead
• クシ型は生き The comb formation is alive
• ハネもフトコロのうち Even a hane adds to your eyespace. For example, see Door group
• 広げて生きよ Live by enlarging your eyespace (...get as many points of territory as possible)
• 生きる前にキカせ Play kikashi before living

Middlegame: Capturing Race & Ko fight

• 外から詰めよ Start with outside liberties
• 枝石を攻めるな Don't approach strings not directly touching yours
• 両バネ一手延び Two hanes gain a liberty
• 眼あり眼なしは唐の攻め合い Eyes win semeais (...but...)
• 眼あり眼なしも時によりけり Eyeless group wins sometimes
• ダメの詰まりは身の詰まり Short of liberties cause disaster
• 手数を詰めるホウリコミ Throw-in gains a move
• やたらに打ち欠くな There are unnecessary throw-ins, sometimes
• 三三、四五、五八、六十二 Three is three and Four is five and five is eight and six is twelve
• コウつき攻め合い最後に取れ Take the ko as the last approach move
• コウがいやなら碁を打つな If you don't like ko, don't play go (...ko is inevitable because it's a fundamentally efficient play)
• 取り番に回れ Capture first in a ko fight
• まずコウ立てを数えよ Count ko threats first
• 初碁にコウなし There are no ko threats in the opening
• ソバコウあって大いばり Local ko threats help a lot
• ソバコウは立たず Some local ko threats are useless (...some 'threats' are nullified by resolving the ko)
• 損コウ打って碁に負ける Loss making threats cause defeat (...but...)
• 大コウは小損を顧みず Large ko needs small loss making threats
• 三手ヨセコウはコウにあらず A three-move approach ko is not a ko
• 両コウ三年の患い Double ko is a long worry
• コウは脅して打て Make him defend without starting a ko

Middlegame: Typical Shapes and Tactics

• シチョウ知らずに碁を打つな If you don't know ladders, don't play go
• シチョウは六本 Ladder breaks on six diagonals
• シチョウのノビ出し七目の損 Adding a stone to the ladder loses seven points (...not exact number, anyway a considerable loss)
• ツケてようす見 Probe with an attachment (A typical example is 2-4 Probe against a low corner enclosure)
• ツケにはハネよ、ハネにはノビよ Respond to attachment with hane, and to hane with extend
• 二目の頭は見ずハネよ Hane at the Head of Two Stones
• 二段バネ覚えて初段間近なり Who can play two-step hane with confidence is nearly a dan player
• 二段バネ元ギリに注意 Beware the big cut when playing two-step hane
• キリチガイ一方をノビよ Crosscut then extend
• 切ったほうを取れ Capture the cutting stones
• 取りたい方の逆を切れ Cut the side you don't want
• アタリアタリのヘボ碁かな Beginners play atari
• 空き三角作るべからず The empty triangle is bad
• 一間トビに悪手なし The one-point jump is never bad
• ケイマにツケコシ Strike at the waist of the keima
• ツケコシ切るべからず Don't cut a Tsukekoshi
• ケイマのツキダシ悪手の見本 Don't poke through a knight's jump
• ケイマのツキヌキ許すべからず Cutting right through a knight's move is very big
• ケイマにコスミ Answer keima with kosumi
• 追うはケイマ、逃げるは一間 Drive with keima, escape with one space jump
• 両ケイマ逃がすべからず Don't let the double keima get away.
• ボウシにケイマ Answer the capping play with a knight's move
• 三子の真ん中 Play at the centre of three stones
• 上手まっすぐ下手コスミ (dubious) The strong player plays straight, the weak plays diagonal
• ポン抜き三十目、亀の甲六十目 A ponnuki is worth thirty points (and Tortoise shell sixty, near the center)
• マガリ千両 A turn in the center is worth one-million dollars
• サバキ許さぬブラサガリ Iron pillar denies sabaki
• 切れるところをノゾくな or 生ノゾキすべからず Do not peep at cutting points
• ハスカイノゾキは急所なり Peep diagonally at cutting points (...when cutting is impossible)
• ノゾキに継がぬバカはなし Even a moron connects against a peep
• タケフの両ノゾキ Don't peep at bamboo joints
• タケフに切れたためしなし Don't try to cut a bamboo joint
• タケフが抜けるダメヅマリ The bamboo joint may be short of liberties
• 石は二子にして捨てよ Add a second stone and sacrifice both
• カス石は捨てよ or カス石逃げるべからず Sacrifice junk stones
• 下手の一目惜しみ Duffers don't sacrifice a stone
• 死ぬと捨てるは大違い There is a big difference between death and sacrifice
• 利かした石は軽く見よ You can sacrifice kikashi stones easily
• 大きく捨ててシメツケよ Make a big Sacrifice To Get A Wall
• 車の後押しヘボ碁の見本 Don't push from behind.
• 一線に妙手あり Surprise moves abound on the first line
• 一線にワタリあり Unexpected connection is possible on the first line
• トビマガリにワタリなし There is no connection in the carpenter's triangle
• ヘボ碁にダメなし Duffers make no neutral points (...because they don't care about being short of liberties and play meaningless sente moves in the middlegame)
• 左右同形中央に手あり Play on the point of symmetry
• 手戻りに注意せよ Beware of going back to patch up

Middlegame: Territory and Framework

• 厚みを囲うな Don't use thickness to make territory
• 攻めながら囲え Make territory while attacking
• 両スソアキ囲うべからず Do not defend territories open on two sides (Don't try to enclose when you have an open skirt)
• 中地囲うべからず Don't try to enclose the center
• 一方地は避けよ Avoid one-sided territory
• 四隅取られて碁を打つな (dubious) If you have lost four corners, resign
• 浅く消すにはカタツキ、ボウシ Reduce moyo by a shoulder hit (or by a cap)
• 小さく活かして先手を取れ (against an invasion...) Give him a small life and get sente
• 板のシメツケ避けるべし Don't allow flawless walls

Middlegame: Attack and Defence

• 碁はキリにあり Go is about cutting (...that is, where and when to start local fights) (Hosokawa Senjin)
• 攻むるは守るなり Attacking is defending (...play moves useful for both purposes)
• 攻めは大きく Attack From A Distance (...far moves are more likely to have additional effects, make the target difficult to sacrifice, and are safer to counter-attacks)
• 攻めはまっすぐサバキは斜め Attack with straight moves, defend with diagonal moves (...because diagonals offer eyeshapes and ko possiblities) (Sonoda Yuichi)
• 重くして攻めよ First make him heavy, then start attacking
• モタレて攻めよ Attack with leaning
• カラんで攻めよ Use splitting attacks
• 三方ガラミにシノギなし Three weak groups can't defend against a splitting attack
• 強い石にツケよ Attach to the stronger stone in a pincer
• 弱い石（攻めたい石）にツケるな Don't attach when attacking or Don't touch weak stones
• サバキはツケから Use contact moves for defence
• 大石死せず Big dragons never die
• 浮き石を作るな Don't make floating stones
• 一方石に死になし One weak group can defend (...if there are more than one, splitting attack may kill one of them)
• 取ろう取ろうは取られの元 Your wish to kill causes you killed
• ヘボの長追い Duffers drive longer (...a long fight makes opponent's far stones effective)

Middlegame: Overall Strategy

• 弱い石から動け Develop from the weakest stone (Yoda Norimoto)
• 生きている石から動くな Don't develop from living groups
• 厚みに寄るな Play away from thickness
• 右を打たんとすればまず左を見よ Make a feint to the east while attacking in the west
• マグサ場で力むな Don't fight hard in low potential areas (...it's better to get sente and play elsewhere)
• 常に相手に響く手を打て Pressurize your opponent every move (Cho Chikun)
• 一石碁に負けなし One group wins
• 六つに割れると一つは死ぬ Five groups might live but the sixth will die
• 小を捨てて大に就け Sacrifice plums for peaches and Don't trade a dollar for a penny: One of the Chinese Ten Golden Rules, so not exactly a Japanese proverb
• 貪りて勝ちを得ず Greed for the win takes the win away: Another of the Ten Golden Rules
• 石取って碁に負ける Winning stones may cause your defeat.
• サカレ形は避けよ Avoid split shape
• 兄弟ゲンカは身の破滅 Family feud causes disaster

Endgame

• 両先手逃がすべからず Play double sente early
• 上からキカシて下から寄せよ First restrict from above, then reduce from below
• ハネツギ六目 hane and connect is worth six points (on the second line)
• 大ザル八目 Big monkey jump is worth eight points

Other proverbs (that may apply to Go)

• 金持ちケンカせず A rich man should not pick quarrels
• 虎穴に入らずんば虎児を得ず If you want to catch a tiger, you have to go into a tiger's cave.

See also

Go Strategy by Sonoda Yuichi contains some of his innovative proverbs.