The kanji: 自 = oneself 主 = main 独 = alone 立 = standing This is a special kind of Japaneses idiom known as a 四字熟語 (よじじゅくご、yo-ji-juku-go), or 4-character idiom. As the name suggests, these are idiomatic phrases made of 4 kanji characters. They often contain a small life lesson or moral message, similar toContinueContinue reading “自主独立 (ji-shu-doku-ritsu) “Success through one’s own efforts””
Tag Archives: idioms
十人十色 (jū-nin-tō-iro) “Each to their own”
The kanji in this well-known Japanese idiom are: 十 = ten 人 = people 十 = ten 色 = colour(s) So literally: “ten people, ten colours”
一葉知秋 (ichi-yō-chi-shū) “from just one leaf one can know that autumn has come”
一 = one 葉 = leaf 知 = to know 秋 = autumn This phrase is about understanding the essence, changes, or decline of things from noticing slight signs or phenomena. It refers to realising the arrival of autumn by observing a single leaf fall.
晴耕雨読 (sei-kō-u-doku) “in fine weather do work; when it’s rainy, read”
晴 = sunny 耕 = ploughing 雨 = rainy 読 = reading The message here seems to be to do everything at its proper time. Work when it’s sunny, and rest when it rains. This is a special kind of Japaneses idiom known as a 四字熟語 (よじじゅくご、yo-ji-juku-go), or 4-character idiom. As the name suggests, theseContinueContinue reading “晴耕雨読 (sei-kō-u-doku) “in fine weather do work; when it’s rainy, read””
一日一歩 (ichi-nichi-ip-po) “one step at a time”
一 = one 日 = day 一 = one 歩 = step I decided to write this classic Japanese 4-character idiom because it’s January and many people are thinking about their goals and resolutions for the upcoming year. At the moment I’m reading “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. This book says that instead of setting largeContinueContinue reading “一日一歩 (ichi-nichi-ip-po) “one step at a time””
七転八起 (shichi-ten-hakki) “fall over 7 times, get up 8 times”
七 = seven 転 = fall over 八 = eight 起 = get up One of my favourite Japanese 4-character idioms
Calligraphy by Vicky 