Japanese Saying: Iron Fist In Velvet Globe or Velvet Fist in Iron Globe? 外柔内剛？内柔外剛？

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

"An iron fist in a velvet glove." A CEO often told me before important meetings. He was from Europe. I remember this because it well described himself. He appeared gentle, but was sometimes very ruthless.

Japan has a similar (not the same) saying "外柔内剛," meaning "soft on the outside, but hard on the inside." My father always wanted to have "an iron fist in a velvet globe," but 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 shows emotions or sets a 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 emotions. Even when he got lung cancer, he never talked about it, starting to exercise using a resistance band on bed right after a surgery to go back to work as soon as possible. But just one time, 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 much or something might have happened to him...

He's changed since, however. He's now soft on both sides while my mom is getting harder and harder on both sides!!

「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。

父がその逆で悩んでおりました。柔道黒帯の「内柔外剛」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）。