KANAE
035Japanese proverb ことわざ

病は気から

Yamai wa ki kara

“Illness starts with the spirits.”

Word for wordSickness comes from the mind.

The meaning

Morale weighs on the body. Without denying medicine, the proverb reminds us that worry and dejection worsen, while calm and cheer help one through.

At the origin

Old popular wisdom on the link between mind and health.

The characters

  1. yamaiillness
  2. watopic marker
  3. から

The complete word-by-word reading, in KANAE.

ParticleMarks the topic: what the sentence is about — “as for…”.

In practice

Care for your morale like a treatment: sleep, walking, company.

Themes

Similar proverbs

See also