Learn the meanings too! Cool four-character idioms that elementary school students will want to remember

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked for 10 years as a kindergarten teacher and for 7 years as an after-school childcare instructor, then took a post as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I also engaged in activities that shared Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational play, working with many children. Afterwards, through freelance writing, planning, and editing work at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and conveying ideas. Leveraging the perspective cultivated in educational settings and my experience as an editor, I aim to deliver practical information—focusing on fields related to music and children—that values both input and output. Hobbies include instruments, singing, handcrafts, toys, drawing, traditional play, the outdoors, books, DIY, and crafts. Special skill: spinning-top tricks.

“I want to learn some cool four-character idioms!” Many elementary school students probably feel that way—wanting to use them in school essays or speeches, or even make them their future goals.

Four-character idioms are full of words that express strong will and admirable attitudes.

Because they carry deep meanings, the more you learn about them, the more appealing they become.

Even though they’re just four characters long, many of them really resonate in your heart.

In this article, we’ll introduce four-character idioms that are easy for elementary school students to remember and use.

If you try them in conversations with friends or in your writing, you’re sure to develop wonderful expressive skills.

Learn the meanings too! Cool four-character idioms that elementary school students will want to remember (111–120)

A fresh start

It means to refresh your mindset and make a positive new start.

For example, when you don’t get a good score on a test or you end up arguing with a friend, deciding to “try again!” and taking action with a renewed attitude is shinki-itten.

You can also use it like this: “I was lazy over summer vacation, but in the second term I’ll make a fresh start—go to bed early, get up early, and work hard on my studies.” Even when you face hardships or failures, thinking “shinki-itten” helps you move forward with energy again.

It’s an important phrase even when you become an adult, so be sure to remember it!

Raise the rankinglower

kepiko

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In conclusion

In the world of four-character idioms that we’ve been familiar with since childhood, there are countless cool expressions waiting to be discovered. The wisdom of our predecessors, distilled into just four characters to convey what truly matters, passes on wonderful lessons in a way that even elementary school students can easily understand. Please take this opportunity to experience the enduring appeal of these idioms that have been handed down through the ages.