Proverb / Kotowaza
人生わずか五十年
Human life is short.
Life is merely fifty years.
Quick Answer
Human life is short.
- Literal Image
- Life is merely fifty years.
- Closest Equivalent
- Life is short.
- How to Use It
- Used to encourage action, pursue dreams, or reflect on the fleeting nature of time, emphasizing that one should not waste their short life.
Meaning
This proverb expresses the brevity and transience of human life. It comes from a time when living to the age of fifty was considered a long lifespan. It serves as a reminder that time is limited and one should act on their desires without delay.
Literal Image
Life is merely fifty years.
Equivalent Proverbs
Life is short.
Both emphasize the brevity of human existence.
How to Use It
Used to encourage action, pursue dreams, or reflect on the fleeting nature of time, emphasizing that one should not waste their short life.
Tone
A reflective tone that encourages decisive action.
Examples
会社を辞めて夢だった旅に出た友人を見て、人生わずか五十年、やりたいことは今やるべきだと思った。
Seeing my friend who quit the company to travel as they had dreamed, I realized that life is only fifty years and we should do what we want to do now.
Learning Notes
Key Vocabulary
Uses basic vocabulary and straightforward grammar.
人生
じんせい / jinsei
human life
わずか
わずか / wazuka
only, merely
五十年
ごじゅうねん / gojunen
fifty years
Usage Profile
Misread Risk
Do not interpret this as an actual statistical claim about life expectancy today; it is a classical expression about making the most of limited time.
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Origin
This phrase originates from a passage in the Kowaka-mai play Atsumori: "人間五十年、下天の内をくらぶれば、夢幻の如くなり" (Human life is fifty years; compared to the lowest heaven, it is like a dream or an illusion). Oda Nobunaga is said to have danced to this piece on the eve of the Battle of Okehazama, expressing the transience and brevity of life.
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