[For Seniors] Recommended for Kakizome! Introducing Popular Four-Character Idioms and Their Meanings
For New Year celebrations, there has long been a tradition of writing auspicious four-character idioms (yojijukugo) as the first calligraphy of the year.
Doing kakizome together with older adults not only offers the simple joy of moving one’s hands, but also creates special moments to discuss the meanings and origins imbued in the characters.
We have gathered heartwarming idioms such as “笑門来福” (When laughter is at the gate, good fortune comes) and those associated with older adults, like “鶴寿千歳” (a crane’s thousand-year longevity) and “黄花晩節” (the late-blooming chrysanthemum; dignified virtue in one’s later years).
Savor the feel of the brush, the scent of the ink, and the quiet flow of time as you guide the strokes, writing each character carefully and with sincerity.
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[For Seniors] Recommended for First Calligraphy! Introducing Popular Four-Character Idioms and Their Meanings (11–20)
stretching to the heavens and covering the earth
New Year’s is also a time to think about goals and hopes, isn’t it? Some people will reflect on the future and contemplate grand purposes and ideals.
It’s often called having great ambition, and it conveys a strong will—like “let’s achieve our goals” or “let’s fulfill our ideals.” This four-character idiom carries the sense of not getting hung up on small things and having a large, open heart.
It’s a perfect phrase for kakizome (the first calligraphy of the year) for older adults who have goals or ideals.
It’s also a four-character idiom I’d love to see used by those who charge toward their goals without getting bogged down by trivialities.
fresh and crystal clear
It is a four-character idiom that exudes a beauty so pure it seems to cleanse the heart, like flowers wet with morning dew or a breeze passing through summer shade.
It expresses a state of crystal-clear beauty that evokes freshness.
As we grow older, we come to be drawn less to dazzling brilliance and more to a calm, transparent grace.
Living each day with a clear, transparent heart keeps us from being swept away by emotional waves and leads to a way of life that cherishes the quiet within.
Even small joys can enrich life when we have the heart to savor them with care.
Enveloped in clear light—these are words of pure, gentle, and nourishing beauty.
United in heart and cooperation
This is a four-character idiom that expresses uniting hearts and joining forces toward the same purpose or goal.
Even if each older adult’s individual strength is small, by cooperating with one another they can accomplish things that would be difficult alone, and they can feel reassured by being together.
Even when each person’s opinions and thoughts differ, the attitude of helping one another toward a shared goal is important for building calm, harmonious relationships.
As a phrase that highlights the value of uniting our intentions, it can serve as a slogan we should all keep in mind in community activities and in everyday life.
peaceful and safe; tranquility and well-being
This is a four-character idiom that expresses the wish to spend calm, peaceful, and unchanging days.
“Annon” signifies a state of quiet composure, while “Buji” means being free from misfortune or worries; used together, they form a phrase that prays for a peaceful and healthy life.
For many elderly people, a gentle, uneventful daily life can feel like a great happiness compared to days full of change.
Hence, as a message it feels very warm and gives the recipient a sense of reassurance.
It’s the perfect phrase to convey the hope to a loved one: “May your life continue to be filled with unchanging peace.”
friendly rivalry; mutual improvement through competition
@az0202za Mutual improvement; Sessha Takuma (Sessa Takuma); four-character idiom; competition; debate
♬ Original Song – 0202civo – az0202za
Doing things on your own is wonderful, but achieving goals by cooperating or competing with others is great, too.
For those who want to accomplish daily goals by helping one another, here’s a recommended four-character idiom.
Whether you want to team up with your companions at a care facility to win first prize in a recreation activity, or complete brain-training exercises while competing with those around you—why not adopt this phrase as your New Year’s resolution alongside those simple, everyday goals?
a fresh start; turning over a new leaf
@kotobaano A fresh start#shortsTranslationProverbTranslation
Original Song – Crane Roots and Bear Mark – Kotobāno | Word Explanation
It’s a phrase that can be used when you feel like resetting your mindset or improving your attitude.
Even if you think in your heart, “I want to change,” it can be hard to turn that into action.
Older adults may also feel like “I want to give it a try” or “I’d like to change a little.” With the start of a new year as a trigger, it might be nice to begin changing what you can, along with this phrase.
It could be fun to talk with older adults about what they’d like to take on or change with a fresh mindset.
Because it’s an encouraging, forward-looking phrase, it’s perfect for New Year’s resolutions.
[For Seniors] Recommended for Kakizome! Introducing Popular Four-Character Idioms and Their Meanings (21–30)
A heart like the clouds, a nature like the moon
@yoji_jukuko translationFour-character idiomTranslationCloud-like heart, moon-like nature
♬ Escort – MoppySound
Unshin-gesshō refers to having a heart as supple as clouds and as clear as the moon.
It expresses a way of living that releases attachment and cherishes the softness of the heart.
In a long life, many things won’t go as planned, but if you keep calm within, you naturally become able to accept whatever happens.
Perhaps it is precisely those who have lived long lives who, with more time to quietly face their own hearts, can draw closer to the state of unshin-gesshō.
It is a noble and graceful phrase that evokes an image of someone smiling serenely, unshaken by the outside world.