How to Read “At seventeen or eighteen, strength like a thicket”
Jūshichi hachi wa yabu chikara
Meaning of “At seventeen or eighteen, strength like a thicket”
“At seventeen or eighteen, strength like a thicket” describes the unstoppable physical power and vigor that young people possess at ages seventeen and eighteen.
At this age, their bodies have grown to adult size, yet they rarely feel tired. They also have a reckless quality because they don’t yet know their own limits.
This proverb is used when recognizing the strength and energy of young people. Older people use it when they see teenagers handling heavy work with ease or acting with boundless energy.
Sometimes they say it with admiration, sometimes with exasperation. The saying refers not just to physical strength but also to the fearless mental drive to push forward without hesitation.
Even today, this proverb fits when describing the overwhelming stamina and vitality of high school or college students. It perfectly captures young people excelling in sports or passionately throwing themselves into their pursuits.
Origin and Etymology
No clear written records explain the origin of this proverb. However, we can make interesting observations from how the words are structured.
“Seventeen or eighteen” literally refers to ages seventeen and eighteen. During the Edo period, this was considered adult age.
By modern standards, these are high school years. Back then, young people had completed their coming-of-age ceremony and started working as full adults.
The word “thicket strength” deserves special attention. “Thicket” means a place where bamboo and plants grow densely.
Here it expresses unstoppable momentum, similar to words meaning “reckless” or “wild.” It evokes bamboo shoots growing vigorously in a thicket, or the rough power needed to break through dense vegetation.
In farming communities, young people’s physical strength was precious labor. At seventeen or eighteen, their bodies had grown to adult size but they didn’t yet know fatigue.
People watched these young workers plow fields, carry heavy loads, and handle demanding physical tasks. They created the unique expression “thicket strength” to capture this characteristic.
The term likely included not just physical power but also fearless momentum and charging force.
Usage Examples
- My son truly shows that at seventeen or eighteen, strength like a thicket—he practices from morning to night without ever getting tired
- Our new employee is at that age of at seventeen or eighteen, strength like a thicket, handling workloads that exhaust senior staff without breaking a sweat
Universal Wisdom
“At seventeen or eighteen, strength like a thicket” captures the brilliance of a special period in life. Why have people throughout history and across cultures continued to celebrate the power of youth?
Because this period stands on a miraculous balance that never returns in human development. The body is completing its adult form, yet the mind still doesn’t know limits.
Without the caution that comes from experience, young people can move forward without fear. Courage that doesn’t fear failure coexists with high recovery ability. This is truly life’s golden age.
However, this proverb’s essence isn’t simply praising youth. Rather, it teaches that human growth has necessary stages, and each period has its own unique value.
The thicket strength of seventeen or eighteen is wonderful, but it doesn’t last forever. That’s exactly why young people at this stage should fully exercise their power.
And adults watching them should remember they once were the same way.
This proverb has been passed down through generations because it accurately describes a universal life stage everyone passes through. Youth isn’t just about being young in age—it’s about the momentum of not knowing limits.
When AI Hears This
The expression comparing late teenage strength to an uncontrollable thicket is actually a remarkably accurate biological observation. During this period, muscles operate with the ATP-creatine phosphate system at its most active state in life.
This system can produce explosive output for only about 10 seconds. Yet its energy efficiency is a surprising one-eighteenth that of aerobic exercise. In other words, youth’s power is like a sports car with terrible fuel economy.
What’s fascinating is that this inefficiency plays an important evolutionary role. Young individuals use power wastefully, which allows them to explore muscle fiber limits.
The nervous system learns how to control maximum output. For example, repeated sprinting optimizes the recruitment patterns of fast-twitch muscle fibers.
Just as a thicket extends branches chaotically while searching for optimal sunlight, young bodies discover optimal movement patterns through wasteful power use.
Furthermore, the late teens see peak secretion of growth hormone and testosterone. Recovery speed from muscle damage is about 1.5 times faster than adults.
That’s why inefficient power use still allows recovery by the next day. This “period when failure is okay” for testing limits builds the foundation for lifelong physical ability.
Lessons for Today
This proverb teaches modern people the truth that each life stage has its own unique strengths. The thicket strength of seventeen or eighteen is certainly wonderful, but it’s only one period of life.
What matters is recognizing the power you have now and using it to the fullest.
To the younger generation: The energy and momentum you have now is an irreplaceable treasure. Don’t fear failure—challenge yourself with everything you have.
That power won’t last forever, but if you don’t use it now, it becomes meaningless. Not just physical strength, but also the flexibility to absorb new things is at its peak right now.
To those who have passed that period: Even when the era of thicket strength ends, you have a different power called experience.
Rather than feeling nostalgic for youthful vigor, you can play the role of supporting and guiding young people. Only you can remember the power you once had and warmly watch over today’s youth.
Every age has power that can only be exercised at that time. Understanding this is the first step toward a fulfilling life.
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