Four-character idioms expressing the spirit of perseverance for seniors: encouraging words that give you a gentle push forward

painstaking effort; hard struggle

hard struggle; painstaking efforts; bitter hardship

It is a four-character idiom that describes pouring your heart into accomplishing something and working hard with dedication.

It praises the attitude of facing difficulties not by giving up, but by repeatedly applying ingenuity and effort, and it can be a powerful encouragement for older adults as well.

As we age, various limitations arise and things don’t always go as planned, but this phrase reminds us that “the process of effort itself has value.” It encourages an attitude of taking on challenges without fearing hardship, even starting from small steps, and gives meaning to everyday efforts.

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kojifumi

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Single-minded focus spanning a vast distance

@yoji_jukuko

Four-character idiomTranslationtranslationA clear sky stretching for ten thousand milesThis is a revised thumbnail for a past video.

♬ Escort – MoppySound

This phrase originates from The Book of Five Rings by the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi.

Literally, it is a four-character idiom that expresses the idea that no matter how far you go, the world lies under the same sky.

By extension, it has come to mean “to keep striving toward a single goal.” The higher the goal, the longer the journey and the more effort it requires.

Like the sky that stretches on forever, a bright future surely awaits beyond those efforts.

When times are tough, look up at the sky and remember these words.

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sasashina

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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.

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Nakajima Junko

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Carry out one’s original intention to the end

@az0202za

#StickToYourOriginalIntentions #Shoshikantetsu #FourCharacterIdiom #Learning

♬ Original Song – 0202civo – az0202za

On the first day of the new year, many people set concrete goals for how they want to spend the year, don’t they? If you want the strength to see through the resolutions you set for the new year, try adding this four-character idiom to your pledge! Seeing things through to the end is hard, isn’t it? Sometimes things don’t go well and you feel like giving up, or problems arise that make it hard to keep going… If you tend to give up after just a few days, or often feel like quitting, why not keep this phrase close to your heart as you go into the new year?

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SAKI

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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.

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SAKI

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steady progress day by day; rapid advances being made daily

Daily progress, rapid advances #Shorts #Four-Character Idioms #Proverbs

As we get older, it gets harder to feel our own growth in a tangible way.

But people can grow at any age! For those who want to keep growing in various ways day by day, this four-character idiom is recommended: “nisshin-geppo” (日進月歩).

It means that things grow, develop, and steadily make progress day after day.

While it’s originally used to describe rapid advancement, growth doesn’t have to be fast.

It’s perfectly fine as long as you take a small step forward in the little things of everyday life and keep growing.

If you want to actively recognize your own growth with a positive mindset, why not adopt this phrase as your resolution?

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SAKI

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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.

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mutō

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