189Japanese proverb ことわざ
一念岩をも通す
いちねんいわをもとおすIchinen iwa o mo tōsu
“A resolute will pierces even rock.”
The meaning
Legend says an arrow shot with total conviction lodged itself in stone. What is undertaken with a whole heart carries a force no calculation explains.
At the origin
A proverb tied to the Chinese anecdote of the archer Li Guang, naturalized in Japan.
The characters
In practice
Choose one thing this week and do it wholeheartedly, without reserve.
Editorial note
Anecdote of Chinese origin.
Themes
Similar proverbs
- 003 千里の道も一歩から A journey of a thousand leagues begins with a single step.
- 200 人の一生は重荷を負うて遠き道を行くが如し A man's life is a long road walked under a burden; there is no need to hurry.
- 302 一日一歩、三日で三歩 One step a day: in three days, three steps.
- 018 百聞は一見に如かず Hearing a hundred times is not worth seeing once.
- 025 念には念を入れよ To care, add care.