Proverb / Kotowaza
人生山あり谷あり
Life consists of both good times and bad times.
Life has mountains and valleys.
Quick Answer
Life consists of both good times and bad times.
- Literal Image
- Life has mountains and valleys.
- How to Use It
- Used to encourage someone facing difficulties by reminding them that bad times are temporary, or to reflect on the varied experiences of one's own or another person's life.
Meaning
Just as a natural landscape has both high peaks and low valleys, a person's life experiences periods of great joy and success as well as times of hardship and sadness. Good fortune and misfortune naturally alternate over time.
Literal Image
Life has mountains and valleys.
How to Use It
Used to encourage someone facing difficulties by reminding them that bad times are temporary, or to reflect on the varied experiences of one's own or another person's life.
Tone
Reassuring and reflective.
Examples
今は辛いかもしれないが、人生山あり谷ありだ。いつか必ず良いことがあるよ。
It may be tough right now, but life has its ups and downs. Good things will surely happen someday.
Used to encourage someone going through a hard time.
事業に失敗したが、そこから這い上がって成功した。彼の半生はまさに人生山あり谷ありだ。
He failed in his business but crawled up from there and succeeded. Half of his life is truly full of mountains and valleys.
Used to describe someone's eventful life story.
人生山あり谷あり、平坦な道ばかりではないからこそ面白い。
Life has its mountains and valleys; it's interesting exactly because it isn't just flat roads.
Expresses a positive, reflective outlook on life's challenges.
Learning Notes
Key Vocabulary
Uses basic vocabulary for 'life', 'mountain', and 'valley', alongside a simple grammatical structure.
人生
じんせい / jinsei
human life
山
やま / yama
mountain
谷
たに / tani
valley
Usage Profile
Misread Risk
Ensure it is used to comfort or reflect on normal setbacks, not to dismiss someone's serious trauma as just a normal 'valley'.
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Related Proverbs
Origin
The proverb compares the ups and downs of human life to the topographical features of mountains and valleys. It expresses the truth that just as a high mountain has a deep valley beside it, periods of great success in life are balanced by periods of extreme hardship.
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Source Note
Where did this entry get its data from? The reference links are listed below. To understand how to read this section, see Data Sources.