あの男を説き伏せようとするのは、オオカミに道理を説いて聞かせるようなものだ。

Sentence Analyzer

あの男を説き伏せようとするのは、おおかみに道理を説いて聞かせるようなものだ。

English Translation

You might as well reason with the wolf as try to persuade that man.

Furigana

あの男(おとこ)を説(と)き伏(ふ)せようとするのは、オオカミに道理(どうり)を説(と)いて聞(き)かせるようなものだ。

Romanji

Ano otoko o tokifuseyou to suru no wa, ōkami ni dōri o toite kikaseru yōna mono da.

Words

彼の (あの、かの)

that (someone or something distant from both speaker and listener, or situation unfamiliar to both speaker and listener)

男 (おとこ、おっこ)

man; male; fellow; guy; chap; bloke; male lover; boyfriend; man; manliness; manly honor; manly honour; manly reputation

を (を)

indicates direct object of action; indicates subject of causative expression; indicates an area traversed; indicates time (period) over which action takes place; indicates point of departure or separation of action; indicates object of desire, like, hate, etc.

説き伏せる (ときふせる)

to confute; to argue down; to persuade; to convince; to prevail on

と (と)

if; when; and; with; particle used for quoting (with speech, thoughts, etc.); quoting particle; promoted pawn; indicates question (sentence end)

為る (する)

to do; to cause to become; to make (into); to turn (into); to serve as; to act as; to work as; to wear (clothes, a facial expression, etc.); to judge as being; to view as being; to think of as; to treat as; to use as; to decide on; to choose; to be sensed (of a smell, noise, etc.); to be (in a state, condition, etc.); to be worth; to cost; to pass (of time); to elapse; verbalizing suffix (applies to nouns noted in this dictionary with the part of speech "vs"); creates a humble verb (after a noun prefixed with "o" or "go"); to be just about to; to be just starting to; to try to; to attempt to

の (の)

indicates possessive; nominalizes verbs and adjectives; substitutes for "ga" in subordinate phrases; (at sentence-end, falling tone) indicates a confident conclusion; (at sentence-end) indicates emotional emphasis; (at sentence-end, rising tone) indicates question

は (は)

topic marker particle; indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated); adds emphasis

狼 (おおかみ、おおかめ、おいぬ、オオカミ)

wolf (Canis lupus); wolf in sheep's clothing; womanizer

に (に)

at (place, time); in; on; during; to (direction, state); toward; into; for (purpose); because of (reason); for; with; by; from; as (i.e. in the role of); per; in; for; a (e.g. "once a month"); and; in addition to; if; although

道理 (どうり)

reason; truth

説く (とく)

to explain; to advocate; to preach; to persuade

聞く (きく)

to hear; to listen (e.g. to music); to ask; to enquire; to query; to learn of; to hear about; to follow (advice); to comply with; to smell (esp. incense); to sample fragrance

様だ (ようだ)

(usu. at sentence-end) seeming to be; appearing to be; like; similar to; in order to (e.g. meet goal); so that; indicates hope, wish, request or mild command

者 (もの、もん)

person

だ (だ)

be; is; indicates past or completed action; indicates light imperative