英語の後に日本語が続きます。
An iron fist in a velvet glove." A CEO from Europe often told me this before important meetings. I remember this because it perfectly described him. He appeared gentle, but could be very ruthless.
Japan has a similar (but not identical) saying, "外柔内剛 (
gaiju naigo)," meaning "soft on the outside, but hard on the inside." My father always wanted to have "an iron fist in a velvet glove," but he couldn't. He was hard on the outside, but soft on the inside.
As the eldest son, my dad was raised with the expectation of becoming a "strong" man who never showed emotions or set foot in the kitchen. (Japanese men weren't supposed to cook.) And as a "tough" guy with a judo black belt, he rarely showed weakness or emotion. Even when he got lung cancer, he never talked about it. Right after his surgery, he started exercising in bed using a resistance band so he could go back to work as soon as possible. But just once, he said with a deep sigh, "I admire someone who is soft on the outside, but hard on the inside..." He might have stretched himself too thin, or something might have happened to him... He has changed since then, however. He is now soft on both sides, while my mom is getting harder and harder on both sides!
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「An iron fist in a velvet glove.」 以前、通訳していたCEOがよくミーティング前につぶやいていました。「外柔内剛」に近いでしょうか。表面は穏やかだけど戦う意志を秘めていた彼をよく表していたと思います。
私の父はその逆で悩んでおりました。柔道黒帯の「内柔外剛（笑）」でした。今は「外柔内柔」で、 母はますます「外剛内剛」です（ガオー）。
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