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 (zhāo wén dào, xī sǐ kě yǐ).

Literally “if the [correct] path is [heard] next morning, it is sufficient even [if] it dies in the evening”.

Proverb

朝(あした)に道(みち)を聞(き)かば夕(ゆう)べに死(し)すとも可(か)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

Shinmura, Izuru, editor (1998), 広辞苑 [Kōjien] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN

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