When welcoming a new year, many people probably picture what kind of year they want it to be.
Expressing your New Year’s resolutions with four-character idioms can tighten your resolve and make them more memorable.
Traditional Japanese yoji-jukugo such as “seven falls, eight rises” (shichiten-hakki: fall down seven times, get up eight) and “advance bravely and steadily” (yūō-maishin) embody life’s wisdom and aspirations.
If you sit with older adults and share your hopes through these idioms, conversation will flow naturally, and your expectations for the new year will grow.
In this article, we’ll introduce a rich selection of four-character idioms perfect for the New Year—find the words that resonate with your heart.
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[For Seniors] Four-character idioms perfect for New Year’s resolutions: a collection of uplifting, heartwarming phrases (1–10)
calm and composed; maintaining serenity and poise (unperturbed)
A person who is always composed and unshaken in any situation gives an elegant and wonderful impression.
There may be seniors who admire such individuals.
Both the terms “taizen” and “jijaku” are said to mean being calm and not flustered.
In business settings as well, they can describe an ideal mindset—responding calmly no matter the circumstances.
Of course, it’s a fitting phrase for a New Year’s resolution too, and when used as a compliment, it becomes a positive expression.
strenuous effort; diligent endeavor
@0qf_harvey_3005 diligent effort#shortstranslationProverb
♬ original sound – 0qf_harvey_3005 – 0qf_harvey_3005
When the year turns and we welcome the New Year, we naturally feel like setting goals—new things to try or areas to improve.
The phrase “striving with all one’s might” means mustering your willpower and tackling something with your fullest effort.
It’s also a word of encouragement you can give yourself as you work toward your goals.
For older adults, it fits goals like brain training or exercise as well.
Someone who throws themselves wholeheartedly into anything gives off a composed, dignified air.
Making that your ideal self—and your New Year’s resolution—might be a great idea.
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.
single-minded devotion
@yojijyukugo.seizan translationworking adultTranslationstudy
♬ Original Song – Sacred Mountain – Four-character idiom / Sacred Mountain
Recommended for those who want to face the new year by resisting temptations around them and focusing firmly on just one thing! Focusing on a single task may look easy, but it’s surprisingly difficult, isn’t it? Many of us have probably reached for something else or abandoned what we started along the way.
But if you’re determined that this new year you’ll steel your resolve and see that one thing through, try making these words your goal.
I hope your daily efforts lead you to achieve your aims.
Fall down seven times, get up eight.
@az0202za #Fall down seven times, get up eight #Yojijukugo (four-character idiom) #Indomitable spirit to keep challenging #Nanakorobi yaoki (fall seven, rise eight)
♬ Original Song – 0202civo – az0202za
No matter how many times you try, some things just don’t go well—but the sight of someone single-mindedly doing their best is wonderful.
Until you succeed, you may feel frustrated or feel like giving up.
In times like that, these are words of encouragement that say: even if you fail again and again, stand up and keep trying.
They’re words you’d want to give to older adults who wish to strive toward their goals.
Life is long, and it holds both good times and not-so-good times.
Because this saying also uses a metaphor for that journey, it carries extra weight when chosen as a resolution by an older person.
indomitable; unyielding; untiring perseverance
@kurukoba Four-character idioms translationIndomitable and unyielding
♬ Original Song – Bird v🔍💙 – Hour of Four Ripe
When a big wall looms in front of us, we tend to think, “Let’s just quit and take a different path,” and end up glossing over the obstacle right before our eyes.
But how about facing it head-on in the new year with an indomitable spirit? One more workout, a small improvement to your diet—these may seem simple, yet for the person confronted with them, they can feel like huge walls.
Instead of giving up on what you used to abandon, let’s stand firm, confront it, and achieve our goals! If you want to spend the new year with that kind of positive, powerful mindset, make this four-character idiom your resolution.
Dripping water wears through stone
@kuroe_voice [Four-character idioms for those who strive #1] I read it hoping it could offer even a little encouragement.TranslationTranslationvoiceVoice actor
Original Song – Genki Kuroe [KUROE GENKI] – Genki Kuroe [KUROE GENKI] / Voice Actor · Narrator
This four-character idiom is recommended for those who value steady, day-by-day effort.
“Tenteki” refers to dripping drops, and the character “sen” in “senshaku” means to bore or make a hole; together, “senshaku” expresses the act of piercing stone.
The idiom teaches that even efforts that seem small and unlikely to achieve a goal at first can, if pursued without giving up, lead to success—as if drilling a hole through stone.
If you want to keep making steady progress toward your goals at your own pace, even with what might feel like only a modest effort, consider using this as your resolution.