[Annadibath]

Dear all,

I am trying to help a fellow translator (Italian > English) who has found a reference to a Japanese saying or proverb in the text she is translating from Italian. The article is about Italian artist and designer Bruno Munari and the influence of Japanese culture on his works.

In it, the author quotes from one of Munari's books (not yet translated into English) "Design e comunicazione visiva" (Munari, 1968) where Munari writes: "Osservare a lungo, capire profondamente, fare in un attimo", and says that it is an ancient Japanese saying.
Loosely translated, this means "To observe for a long time, to understand deeply, to do/act in a split second".

Does the above ring any bells with you? Could you provide a better or closer English translation of the actual Japanese saying?

Thank you very much for any help with this.

Anna