157Japanese idiom 四字熟語
日進月歩
にっしんげっぽNisshin geppo
“Advance daily, progress monthly.”
Word for wordDay's advance, month's step.
The meaning
Continuous progress, day after day, month after month, ends up transforming everything. The phrase describes science — it equally describes a person who never stops learning.
At the origin
A four-character idiom from the Meiji era, born with accelerating technology.
The characters
In practice
Each evening, name the millimeter gained that day.
Themes
Similar proverbs
- 108 月日は百代の過客にして The days and months are travelers of a hundred generations.
- 168 菜の花や月は東に日は西に Field of rapeseed — the moon in the east, the sun in the west.
- 302 一日一歩、三日で三歩 One step a day: in three days, three steps.
- 003 千里の道も一歩から A journey of a thousand leagues begins with a single step.
- 009 思い立ったが吉日 The best day to begin is the day you think of it.