138Japanese idiom 四字熟語
雲外蒼天
うんがいそうてんUngai sōten
“Beyond the clouds, blue sky.”
The meaning
Clouds are never the whole sky. Above the grey layer the azure goes on existing — crossing through is a matter of time and heading, not blind hope.
At the origin
A four-character idiom often chosen as a motto in times of trial.
The characters
In practice
In a dark stretch, remember: you are crossing a cloud, not the sky.
Themes
In the collections · Nanakorobi
Similar proverbs
- 002 七転び八起き Fall seven times, rise eight.
- 163 やせ蛙負けるな一茶これにあり Skinny frog, do not give up — Issa is here.
- 101 月に叢雲、花に風 Over the moon, gathering clouds; over blossoms, wind.
- 110 雪は天から送られた手紙である Snow is a letter sent from the sky.
- 126 一葉落ちて天下の秋を知る One leaf falls, and we know autumn is coming to the world.