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Strive toward your goals! Four-character idiom ideas that resonate with elementary school students

“I want to express my goals with a four-character idiom!” Many elementary school students and educators probably feel the same way.

Four-character idioms are full of wonderful words that can motivate us in all kinds of situations—studies, daily life, club activities, and more.

In this article, we’ll introduce four-character idioms that are perfect for setting goals, along with clear explanations of their meanings.

Please use this as a reference to help children encounter empowering words that inspire them to strive toward their dreams and goals!

Work Toward Your Goals! Four-Character Idiom Ideas That Resonate with Elementary School Students (51–60)

Vast sky and boundless sea

It is a four-character idiom that expresses a heart as vast and expansive as the sky or the sea, and a mindset free of any reservations, open to uninhibited ideas.

It symbolizes boundless possibilities and a carefree spirit, conveying the importance of keeping a broad perspective.

While accepting things as they are, it gives a positive impression of relaxing your shoulders and taking on challenges freely.

Even when facing difficulties, it suggests maintaining a generous heart and approaching situations with flexible thinking.

It can be called the perfect phrase for nurturing a spirit that believes in one’s own potential, thinks freely, and embraces challenges.

side-splitting laughter

What people find funny and laugh at varies from person to person, and their reactions have their own individuality.

One such reaction to laughter is a four-character idiom that describes laughing so hard you clutch your belly and almost fall over.

The expression originates from the ancient Chinese historical text Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), which conveys that laughter itself has a long history.

With its depiction of a big, expressive reaction, the word seems to convey happiness as well.

moment by moment

It’s a four-character idiom that expresses things happening one after another over time, as well as the passage of time itself.

It has an interesting structure that repeats each character in the word for “time,” which both emphasizes the original meaning and conveys a sense of depth.

The repeated sounds are also key: they give the phrase a light, rhythmic feel while evoking the image of time being marked little by little.

It’s a term that seems to carry an anticipation of how circumstances will change as time goes by.

ecstatic; overjoyed; beside oneself with joy

You might not hear ‘uchōtengai’ very often, but you’ve probably heard ‘uchōten,’ right? Uchōten refers to a state where things go so well that you become overjoyed to the point of losing sight of your surroundings.

In other words, uchōtengai describes being even more ecstatic than uchōten.

It’s natural to be happy when things go well, but if you don’t pay attention to your surroundings, you might get into an accident or get hurt.

If you’re going to be uchōtengai, make sure you’ve secured your safety first.

And if you can also think about how your display of joy looks to those around you, that would be wonderful.

Strive Toward the Goal! Four-Character Idiom Ideas That Resonate with Elementary School Children (61–70)

Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Pronounced “seishin-ittō,” it carries the meaning that by focusing your mind, you can accomplish any difficult task, and that even challenging things can surely be achieved through sustained concentration and effort.

It’s an encouraging four-character idiom suggesting that if you stay focused and don’t give up on lessons, studies, or interests, you can reach your goals.

It may also be beneficial for parents to adopt the same mindset—watching over their children and boosting their spirits—as this can have a positive impact on the children as well.

Blue sky beyond the clouds

It is read as “ungai sōten,” and if you interpret the kanji literally, it means “beyond the clouds, a blue and beautiful sky spreads out.” From that, it came to be used with the meaning: “If you keep making an effort while overcoming suffering and failure, a wonderful view or world awaits you.” Choosing the easy path and walking it is simple.

But if a wonderful world awaits beyond our efforts, it encourages our hearts to try a little harder, doesn’t it?

stubborn to the core

This four-character idiom expresses sticking to a decision, idea, or belief to the very end without listening to other people’s opinions.

“Stubborn” can carry a negative impression of being inflexible, and the idiom is sometimes used with that nuance as well.

It’s interesting that it carries both a positive image of staying true to one’s convictions and a negative one.

It feels like a word that directly conveys the strength of will to charge ahead in your own way.