114Japanese proverb ことわざ
鉄は熱いうちに打て
てつはあついうちにうてTetsu wa atsui uchi ni ute
“Strike while the iron is hot.”
The meaning
Everything has its malleable moment: the momentum of a beginning, the youth of a learning, the heat of a decision. Acting in that moment takes ten times less force.
At the origin
A universal forge proverb, well rooted in Japanese usage.
The characters
- 鉄 tetsuiron
- は watopic marker
- 熱い atsuihot
- うち
- に
- 打て
はParticleMarks the topic: what the sentence is about — “as for…”.
In practice
Motivation is here? Forge today, not next week.
Editorial note
Probable Western origin, adopted in Japan.