122Japanese proverb ことわざ
百里を行く者は九十を半ばとす
ひゃくりをいくものはくじゅうをなかばとすHyakuri o iku mono wa kujū o nakaba to su
“He who travels a hundred leagues counts ninety as halfway.”
The meaning
The end of a road is its hardest part: fatigue, slackening and impatience lie in wait. Counting ninety as half keeps vigilance to the very end.
At the origin
A Warring-States maxim, dear to Japanese artisans and athletes.
The characters
- 百里 hyakurihundred leagues
- を o(object)
- 行く ikuto travel
- 者
- は
- 九十
- を
- 半ば
- と
- す
をParticleMarks the object: what the action falls upon.
In practice
Near the goal, double your care instead of easing off.
Editorial note
Classical Chinese origin.
Themes
In the collections · Michi