Four-character idioms like “united as one” (icchi danketsu) and “fall down seven times, get up eight” (shichiten hakki) are familiar parts of our everyday language.
Simple yet powerfully persuasive, these idioms can support us when we set goals.
Among the commonly used idioms, some even contain hints for achieving your dreams and ideals.
In this article, we’ll introduce four-character idioms that are helpful for people working toward their goals, along with their meanings and example sentences.
Let these resonant words help you take steady steps toward the future you envision.
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Four-character idioms that help you achieve goals! Versatile phrases for everyday situations (1–10)
unity; standing together as one
@kotobaano unity; standing together as one#shortsTranslationProverbTranslation
♬ Original Song – Kotobāno – Kotobāno | Word Explanation
This four-character idiom is a popular slogan used when rallying everyone to unite and achieve a goal, and you may often see it at sports festivals or school festivals.
Everyone understands that unity within a class or group is essential for victory, but using it as a slogan might make it even more effective.
Similar cool expressions include wachu-kyodo (harmonious cooperation) and rikuryoku-kyoshin (pooling strength with one heart), so feel free to use them as appropriate.
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
This four-character idiom is well known and conveys the idea that no matter how many times you fail, you rise again even more.
It expresses an indomitable spirit that always gets back up and refuses to be defeated, no matter how often hardship strikes.
The Daruma doll, modeled after the Indian monk Bodhidharma, is also frequently associated with this idiom because it has a weight at the bottom and pops back up no matter how it’s knocked over.
As for the characters “seven” and “eight,” they signify “many times,” and eight is also considered a lucky number.
Stay true to your original intention.
@hiroaki946 Shoshi Kantetsu Shorts short video mini video idiom four-character idiom proverb Japanese meaning of words wordplay learning education trivia Japanese culture pastime study knowledge trivia everyday life the power of words VOICEVOX: Shikoku Metan Four-character idiom that seems easy but is difficult: “Shoshi Kantetsu” Example sentence: Mr. Tanaka had held onto his dream of becoming a doctor since childhood. He failed the university entrance exams many times, but each time he got back up and never gave up. He finally passed medical school and obtained his medical license. Now, Mr. Tanaka works hard every day to save many patients. His attitude of “shoshi kantetsu” gives courage and hope to many people. Meaning: “Shoshi Kantetsu” means to carry through with one’s initial intention or goal to the very end. Shoshi refers to the first intention or aspiration, and kantetsu means to carry something through. In other words, it expresses accomplishing the goal you first decided on without giving up, no matter what difficulties or obstacles arise. That’s all.
Original song – hiroaki946 – hiroaki946
Many common four-character idioms come from Chinese anecdotes, but shoshi-kantetsu (初志貫徹) is not one of them.
It means to carry through with one’s original intention.
People often find it very difficult to stick to what they first decided, due to various hardships or changes in circumstances.
Having the strong will to see it through to the end is truly admirable.
Opposite-meaning word pairs include chorei-bokai (朝令暮改, changing orders from morning to evening) and rinki-ohen (臨機応変, adapting to circumstances), though rinki-ohen is a positive kind of opposite.
Forge ahead with courage
@az0202za #GoForwardBravely #YūōMaishin #FourCharacterIdiom #ABitTimid
♬ Original Song – 0202civo – az0202za
I felt it was a very positive and energetic phrase.
It expresses an attitude of pressing forward on the path you believe in without being bound by doubt or fear.
What’s striking is the strength and crisp decisiveness that come through in these words.
The tone of advancing with courage—without stopping or looking back—seems to encourage us to take on challenges.
Also, the term “yūō” conveys the will to move forward with courage, while “maishin” suggests a single-minded, earnest drive to push ahead.
steady progress day by day; making rapid strides
@hakatacraftcola0701 Today's theme is "steady progress".#artworksTranslation#shortsvideoVideo#CraftColaImageTranslationtranslationTranslation
♬ Original Song – Hakata Craft Cola – Hakata Craft Cola
It brings to mind the importance of steadily building things up day by day.
In daily life, there are moments when you can do today what you couldn’t do yesterday, and habits gradually take root, right? I feel like it’s a phrase that affirms those small changes.
Whether it’s cooking, exercise, or studying a language, it feels as if it’s telling the me who keeps up with these modest daily efforts, “That’s perfectly fine.” Looking back, there are many times when our steady efforts take shape without us even noticing.
That’s why when I recall “nisshin geppo” (steady daily and monthly progress), I feel it’s a four-character idiom that encourages me to think, “It’s enough if I can move forward even a little today.”
Dripping water wears away stone.
@az0202za Dripping water wears through stone. #Tenteki Senseki #Four-character idiom #Learning
♬ Original Song – 0202civo – az0202za
This is a four-character idiom that conveys the idea that, just as dripping water can bore a hole in stone, great achievements can be accomplished through the accumulation of small efforts.
Although steadily working day by day can be difficult in everyday life, please try to keep going without giving up.
You may come to experience the meaning of this idiom firsthand.
Similar sayings include “Many a little makes a mickle” and “Perseverance prevails,” akin to expressions like “Even dust, when piled up, becomes a mountain” and “Three years on a stone (patience pays off).” People have long understood the necessity of steady, persistent effort.
Indomitable; unyielding (literally: ‘unbent by a hundred setbacks’)
@kuroe_voice Four-character idiom for those who strive: “Hyakusetsu-futō” (literally, “bent a hundred times, never broken”). May it offer you even a little encouragement.Words that resonate with the hearttranslationVoice actorvoice
Original Song – Genki Kuroe [KUROE GENKI] – Genki Kuroe [KUROE GENKI] / Voice Actor · Narrator
I felt these words were very powerful and encouraging.
Once you understand their meaning, you see they express an attitude of never losing heart and continuing to move forward, no matter how many times you fail.
What struck me while reading is that this isn’t mere tough-it-out rhetoric; it conveys a supple kind of strength.
The expression “to bend but not break” holds not only strength but also tenacity and flexibility, making it easy to relate to one’s own challenges and the small efforts of daily life.
When I face setbacks, just remembering these words helps me shift my mindset to, “This isn’t the end; I can keep going.” It’s a four-character idiom that truly serves as emotional support.