Proverb / Kotowaza
入り船あれば出船あり
Just as some ships enter a port while others leave, every parting is balanced by a new meeting.
If there are ships entering, there are ships leaving
Quick Answer
Just as some ships enter a port while others leave, every parting is balanced by a new meeting.
- Literal Image
- If there are ships entering, there are ships leaving
- Closest Equivalent
- For every ship that comes in, there is one that goes out
- How to Use It
- Used to provide perspective when someone is experiencing a parting or a change in circumstances, reminding them that new encounters or different phases will follow.
Meaning
This proverb uses the image of a busy port to illustrate that life is a constant cycle of beginnings and endings. It suggests that encounters and farewells are inseparable and that for every gain or positive event, there is a corresponding loss or negative side.
Literal Image
If there are ships entering, there are ships leaving
Equivalent Proverbs
For every ship that comes in, there is one that goes out
A direct translation of the same nautical metaphor.
How to Use It
Used to provide perspective when someone is experiencing a parting or a change in circumstances, reminding them that new encounters or different phases will follow.
Tone
Reflective and reassuring.
Examples
入り船あれば出船ありというから、別れがあれば必ず出会いもある。
They say that if there's an incoming ship, there's an outgoing ship, so if there's a parting, there's surely a meeting as well.
Learning Notes
Key Vocabulary
Uses the classical 'ari' ending and the 'areba' conditional, but the nautical imagery is straightforward.
入り船
いりふね / irifune
incoming ship
出船
でふね / defune
outgoing ship
あれば
あれば / areba
if there is / when there is
あり
あり / ari
there is / there are (classical)
Usage Profile
Misread Risk
While it mentions ships, it is used as a metaphor for human relationships and life events.
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Related Proverbs
Origin
This proverb originated from the daily observations of a harbor. The natural cycle of ships entering and exiting the port serves as a metaphor for the inevitable nature of human meetings and partings.
Index
Topics, Situations, and Tags
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Source Note
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