Tag Archives: patience

Waiting to En-gage

縁と月日は末を待て(En to tsukihi wa sue wo mate;“In relationships and in life, wait for the time to come”) Definition: All things come in their own time; the best strategy is not to rush around in a fluster, but to calmly and … Continue reading

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And still the generations of the birds sing through our sighing

(Elizabeth Barret Browning, “Patience Taught by Nature”) 鳴くまで待とう時鳥(Naku made matou hototogisu;“We shall wait until it sings – The lovely cuckoo”) Definition: An expression of patience, of waiting for something good to happen or a good opportunity to arise. If the … Continue reading

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If at first you don’t succeed…

…that’s perfectly normal, so wait. (My records show that this is the 365th kotowaza post in the series! In celebration, I decided to use a saying that includes the character 年, “year.”) 商い三年(Akinai sannen;“Business dealings, three years”) Definition: A business … Continue reading

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If you want good fruit, sleep on it

果報は寝て待て (Kahou wa nete mate; “For good fortune, sleep, wait.”) Definition: Good fortune will come of its own accord, in its own time, so it’s best to prepare and patiently wait for it rather than fretting or trying to force … Continue reading

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The sunny ant of the high seas

待てば海路の日和あり (Mateba kairo no hiyori ari; “If you wait, there will be ideal weather on the sea-routes”) Definition: Good things come to those who wait. Do your best to endure when things are bad, because they will get better. Even … Continue reading

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Rome didn’t fruit in a day

Still faster than truffula trees, though. 桃栗三年柿八年 (Momokuri sannen kaki hachinen; “Peach and chestnut, three years; persimmons, eight years.”) Definition: As Piet Hein said, Things Take Time. The peach and chestnut trees must grow for three years from when they … Continue reading

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