Have you seen these phrases anywhere?
(1)清掃中(せいそうちゅう)です。ご協力お願いします。
(2)コイの餌1（えさ）0円。
(3)嘘（うそ）をつけ/馬鹿（ばか）をいうな。
I came across an interesting article on a website yesterday.
In Japan, (1) and (2) usually are written on signboards.
We use (3) in conversation.
You can see the signboard (1) in front of a restroom in a station, a department store or a mall.
A cleaner brings the signboard to the restroom and put it in front of the restroom.
The cleaner works there for a while, but you can use the restroom.
According to the article, when a man from different countries see the signboard, it seems that he suddenly helps the cleaner in spite of the cleaner does't have a problem.
Does it make sense?
He can read Japanese, but he couldn't understand the nuance of the phrase "ご協力お願いします。".
The phrase, "ご協力お願いします。" means "please help me", but it doesn't have the nuance in this case.
It means "please don't use if you don’t really have to, but you can use it", "excuse me", "We are sorry", or "thank you for your cooperation".
Uh...It's difficult for me to explain.
(2) literally means "koi/carp food is ten yen coin, but it actually means "the price of the food is ten yen."
Koi/carp are sometimes found in ponds in parks in Japan.
.
Sometimes you can see the signboard "コイの餌10円".
Maybe...Japanese people give koi/carp some ten yen coins.
They are fish, not vending machines. lol
(3) "嘘をつけ" literally means "tell a lie", but it actually means "don't tell a lie".
"馬鹿をいえ" means "Don't be silly." It literally means that the opposite of "don't be silly".
I'm not sure what the opposite of it is.
What's the opposite of "don't be silly"?
Be silly? say something stupid?
やっぱり日本語は難しいです。僕にとっても。
