Enrich your heart with beautiful four-character idioms! A collection of expressions you'll want to use in everyday life.
Among the four-character idioms that have blended into everyday life—such as “ōka ranman” (cherry blossoms in full splendor) and “kachō fūgetsu” (the beauties of nature)—there are many whose beauty can move you deeply.
These are not mere strings of words; they distill Japanese aesthetics, wisdom, and even life philosophy.
In this article, we introduce accessible four-character idioms chosen for their beautiful meanings and captivating sound.
You’re sure to encounter charming expressions that resonate with your heart.
Try using your favorite idioms in various situations!
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the finishing touch
When you complete something, I’d like you to remember the phrase “gairyō tensei.” It means the crucial final touch and is considered one of the idioms from a Chinese anecdote.
You often hear it in the form “lacking gairyō tensei,” meaning that a key element is missing or the finishing touches are sloppy.
Even when we think something is perfect, we sometimes realize it’s incomplete after someone else points it out—an experience everyone has had.
To reduce such failures and to gain a broader perspective through reviewing your work, why not adopt this phrase as a New Year’s resolution?
Illusory like a dream or a bubble; transient and unreal
@az0202za Mugen-hōyō (Dreamlike and ephemeral) – a Buddhist term; four-character idiom; Māyā
♬ Original Song – 0202civo – az0202za
As you can imagine from the kanji used, this four-character idiom means “a dreamlike phantom or a faint shadow like a bubble.” Dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows are all things you cannot grasp and that vanish in an instant.
By extension, it also serves as a metaphor for how fleeting life and existence are.
Life is constantly and ceaselessly changing, ephemeral and impermanent like bubbles or shadows.
Even when we face hardship and sorrow, this expression seems to remind us to cherish the limited time we have.
Cherry, plum, peach, and apricot (Ōbai Tōri)
@yoji_jukuko Four-character idiomTranslationtranslationCherry, plum, peach, and apricotHere is the revised thumbnail for a past video.
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Using the four kanji for sakura (cherry), ume (plum), momo (peach), and sumomo (Japanese plum), the idiom “ōbai tōri” (桜梅桃李) came from China and is also deeply connected to Buddhism.
Cherry blossoms create a dazzling impression of spring, yet their full bloom is brief, and they flourish with all their might.
Plums overcome the adversity of the cold winter to bloom modest yet beautifully, releasing a strong fragrance.
Peaches and Japanese plums likewise have their own distinct blossoms, each blooming at different times.
In the same way, people each have their own individuality and strengths.
This phrase teaches us to value our true selves and that being just as we are is best.
Carry out one’s original intention to the end
@az0202za #StickToYourOriginalIntentions #Shoshikantetsu #FourCharacterIdiom #Learning
♬ Original Song – 0202civo – az0202za
Everyone experiences their initial aspirations and enthusiasm fading over time due to the passage of time, changing circumstances, or simple familiarity.
The four-character idiom “shoshi-kantetsu” (初志貫徹) expresses the importance of not giving in to such weakness, but instead holding fast to your original resolve and goals to the very end and seeing them through.
Obstacles and hardships are a part of life.
Even then, we want to keep looking forward and see things through without giving up.
It’s a cool phrase that conveys strong will and an unwavering core, so it makes a great motto when you’re setting off toward a new goal.
Snow, Moon, Wind, and Flowers
Setsugekka refers to the beauty of seasonal natural scenery and the act of appreciating nature.
Japan has four distinct seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
The term describes a way of life that delights in the beautiful scenes of each season, enjoying the arts through composing poems, creating paintings, and more.
Although the character for “snow” is included and may evoke winter landscapes, the phrase encompasses spring blossoms, summer storms, autumn moons, and winter snows—both the vistas of each season and the enjoyment of them.
It’s a four-character idiom that perfectly suits the Japanese sensibility of savoring the seasons.
Enrich your heart with beautiful four-character idioms! A collection of expressions you'll want to use in daily life (41–50)
Fall down seven times, get up eight.
This four-character idiom expresses an attitude of not being discouraged by repeated failures, but standing up and trying again.
It’s perfect as a class goal for elementary school students to foster a mindset of taking on challenges without fearing failure.
Even when studies, sports, or performances don’t go well, standing up and saying “Let’s try again” leads to growth.
It will also create an environment where friends and classmates watch over one another’s failures with warmth and encourage each other.
By accumulating small successes, children build confidence and perseverance.
It’s a phrase that teaches the courage to keep challenging oneself and a positive outlook.
Single-minded focus spanning a vast distance
@az0202za Banri-ikkuu (boundless and single-minded focus) #banri ikkuu #four-character idiom #learning
♬ Original Song – 0202civo – az0202za
It’s a four-character idiom that expresses uniting hearts toward the same goal, no matter how far apart we may be.
Displaying it as a class motto fosters an atmosphere where everyone works toward a shared purpose.
During practices for events like sports festivals or choir competitions, picturing the same finish line together heightens the sense of unity.
Even when spirits start to drift, recalling this phrase helps you return to your original intentions.
It’s an inspiring phrase that fills you with courage and lets you feel the joy of cooperating toward a big dream.