Recommended for elementary school class goals! A collection of impactful ideas using four-character idioms
A key to building a bright, positive class is how you choose the four-character idioms that serve as your goals.
Time-honored phrases carry deep meanings—for example, “Nisshin-geppo” (steady daily and monthly progress) expresses the wish for children’s growth, and “Ichigo-ichie” (treasuring each unique encounter) emphasizes valuing every meeting.
By incorporating four-character idioms, your class goals can be transformed into something wonderful that highlights the class’s individuality.
In this article, we introduce four-character idioms that are perfect for elementary school class goals.
We also explain each phrase’s meaning, origin, and usage in an easy-to-understand way, so please use it as a reference.
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Recommended for elementary school class goals! A collection of inspiring four-character idioms (31–40)
Late bloomer
When you set a big goal, you might feel like giving up because it’s hard to achieve.
But don’t give up! The bigger the goal, the more time it often takes to reach.
The phrase “taiki bansei” (great talents mature late) describes exactly this situation, so if your child has set a major goal and is worried because progress feels slow, why not try writing it as their first calligraphy of the year? The first half, “taiki” (great vessel/talent), is also perfect for learning balance, making it an excellent practice phrase for New Year’s kanji calligraphy.
flexible; adaptable; responding appropriately to the situation
If you only ever do things in the one way you think is right, it becomes hard to choose a different path when something happens.
At times like this, it’s important to flexibly reconsider your course.
“Rinki-ōhen” (being flexible) means taking actions suited to the situation.
Acting with flexibility can be difficult, too.
By developing your ability to apply what you know, you’ll become better at adapting, so it’s a good idea to put that resolve into your first calligraphy of the year.
The first half, “臨機,” has many intricate components, so take care not to let the characters lose their form when you write them.
single-minded devotion
Elementary school children are at an age where so many things catch their interest, aren’t they? It’s not uncommon for kids to get so absorbed in various interests that their studies get neglected or they don’t hear what their family is saying.
If this is the year a child has decided to focus on one thing and really commit to it, the four-character idiom ichi-i senshin (single-minded devotion) is a perfect fit.
It’s wonderful to be curious about many things, but to make sure the important things don’t get neglected, let’s write this goal in a New Year’s calligraphy piece and concentrate on our goals and what’s right in front of us!
A fresh start
You couldn’t study hard last year, you didn’t perform well in sports, and you kept getting into fights with your friends.
If that sounds like your child, write this four-character idiom and make a fresh start—reset your mindset! It’s a waste of time to keep regretting what you couldn’t do in the past.
If studying, sports, and relationships with friends didn’t go well, just work hard from the new year! As a declaration of your determination to do your best in the year ahead, try writing these characters.
Note that the characters “機” and “転” contain small components and require fine spacing, so be careful when doing your first calligraphy of the year.
work in the fields on sunny days, read books on rainy days
This phrase means: on sunny days, thoroughly till the rice fields and vegetable patches to prepare the soil, and on rainy days, spend time indoors reading at a relaxed pace.
While such an unhurried lifestyle may differ a bit from that of an elementary school child, try changing the way you think about it.
For example, consider sunny days as important days for challenges and put in your best effort on those days.
See rainy days as days for storing up—sometimes taking a break and taking time to absorb knowledge is important, too.
Try shifting your perspective to your everyday life and incorporating this mindset into the new year through your first calligraphy of the year.
Recommended for elementary school class goals! Inspiring four-character idiom ideas (41–50)
Good fortune comes to a cheerful home.
A smile is a magical expression that brings happiness not only to yourself but also to those around you.
If your child wants the new year to be filled with laughter, have them try writing this four-character idiom for their first calligraphy of the year.
This phrase is like turning the proverb “Good fortune comes to a smiling household” into a four-character idiom, and, just as the words suggest, it conveys that happiness comes to those who are always smiling.
It can be difficult for elementary school children to smile every day—whether they’ve had a fight with a friend or their studies aren’t going well.
But it’s precisely at such times that they should try to keep smiling and use this phrase with the mindset of drawing in good luck!
with all one’s might
If your child has something they want to work hard at in the new year, how about writing this four-character idiom? Isshōkenmei expresses the idea of tackling things earnestly and with full effort.
It’s a phrase that can encourage children who want to devote themselves to something—whether it’s studying, sports, lessons, or anything they want to try harder at or achieve better results in.
The character “ken” (懸) is a bit tricky, so when writing it for the first calligraphy of the year, be careful not to let the finer details get smudged!