朝に道を聞かば夕べに死すとも可なり
Japanese
| Kanji in this term | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 朝 | 道 | 聞 | 夕 | 死 | 可 |
| あした Grade: 2 | みち Grade: 2 | き Grade: 2 | ゆう Grade: 1 | し Grade: 3 | か Grade: 5 |
| kun’yomi | on’yomi | ||||
Etymology
From the Analects of Confucius, a calque of Literary Chinese 朝聞道，夕死可矣.
Literally “if the [correct] path is [heard] next morning, it is sufficient even [if] it dies in the evening”.
Proverb
朝に道を聞かば夕べに死すとも可なり • (ashita ni michi o kikaba yūbe ni shisu tomo kanari)
- one has not lived in vain if he dies after he is told of the true path
References
- 1998, 広辞苑 (Kōjien), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN