A proverbial expression listing things to fear: earthquakes, thunder, fires, and (most of all) fathers. An old saying where 'father' implies a strict or feared parent; used sometimes figuratively.
昔、祖母は『地震雷火事親父』と言って、父の厳しさを強調した。
In the past, my grandmother used to say 'earthquakes, thunder, fires, fathers' to emphasize how strict my father was.
彼の父は本当に怖いので、友人は冗談めかして『地震雷火事おやじだ』と言った。
Because his father is really scary, a friend jokingly said, 'He's an earthquake-thunder-fire-father.'
ことわざにある『地震雷火事親父』は昔からの生活の知恵を反映している。
The proverb 'earthquakes, thunder, fires, fathers' reflects folk wisdom from long ago.