How to Read “Those who advance sharply retreat swiftly”
Sono susumu koto surudoki mono wa sono shirizoku koto sumiyaka nari
Meaning of “Those who advance sharply retreat swiftly”
This proverb describes a human behavior pattern. People who push forward with great energy also pull back quickly.
It means that those who can advance forcefully also have the decisiveness and agility to retreat when needed.
People mainly use this saying when observing someone’s behavior patterns or personality traits.
It describes situations where people who actively take on challenges can also make quick decisions to withdraw when things go wrong.
The proverb also applies to organizations and teams. Groups with strong offensive attitudes can also make swift defensive or retreat decisions.
Today, this phrase shows the consistency between decisiveness and action. Advancing and retreating seem like opposite actions, but both come from the same qualities.
People who can move quickly maintain that speed whether they’re moving forward or backward.
Origin and Etymology
This proverb likely comes from ancient Chinese philosophy, especially military strategy texts.
The paired phrases “advance sharply” and “retreat swiftly” show typical classical Chinese writing style. The saying probably originated from Chinese texts that came to Japan.
In military strategy, the force of attack and the speed of retreat are two sides of the same coin.
Armies that attack fiercely also have the ability to withdraw quickly. This military observation forms the background of this proverb.
An army that can advance with momentum has good organization, clear command structure, and agile soldiers. Such an organization can act with the same agility when ordered to retreat.
This proverb also contains insights about human nature. People who tackle things with energy have decisiveness and quick action as core traits.
These traits show up not only when advancing but also when retreating. The word “sharply” expresses not just speed but keen, cutting movement.
This proverb has been passed down because it sees beyond surface-level speed to the essential nature of people and organizations.
Usage Examples
- That entrepreneur enters new businesses quickly but also decides to withdraw quickly. Truly, those who advance sharply retreat swiftly
- She throws herself fully into projects, but changes direction immediately when she sees it won’t work. Those who advance sharply retreat swiftly is really true
Universal Wisdom
The universal truth in this proverb is the consistency of human behavior patterns.
We tend to think of “attacking” and “withdrawing” as separate abilities. But actually, both come from the same root.
People who can advance with momentum have decisiveness, situational judgment, and execution ability.
These qualities don’t only show up when moving forward. The same qualities are needed when making the difficult decision to retreat.
In fact, deciding when to pull back might require even higher-level decisiveness.
Humans instinctively want to continue what they’ve started. Psychology makes us not want to waste invested time and effort.
That’s why the ability to retreat quickly is just as valuable as the ability to advance quickly.
Our ancestors understood this consistency. Agile people are agile in every direction they move. Slow people are slow both advancing and retreating.
This proverb shows deep insight that a person’s essential behavior patterns don’t change with circumstances.
True action ability includes not just the power to move forward but also the power to change direction quickly when necessary.
This proverb conveys this universal truth in simple words.
When AI Hears This
Those who advance rapidly also retreat rapidly because their energy usage is extreme.
In physics, using the same amount of energy in a short time versus a long time greatly changes system stability.
Human muscles have fast-twitch and slow-twitch fibers. Fast-twitch fibers excel at explosive power but consume energy rapidly and only last seconds.
Slow-twitch fibers have lower output but can keep moving for hours. High output and sustainability have a trade-off relationship.
The “sharp advance” in this proverb is a fast-twitch strategy that concentrates resources in a short time.
But this allocation method has no reserve energy. When unexpected situations arise, it stops functioning immediately.
The retreat is swift not because of weakness but because the design wasn’t for long-term battles from the start.
Even more interesting is the connection to dissipative structure theory. Systems that create order rapidly depend on massive energy inflow from outside.
Tornadoes and whirlpools are beautiful structures, but they vanish the moment energy supply stops.
In business, rapidly growing startups suddenly collapse from cash flow problems because the energy flow maintaining high growth stopped.
Speed and fragility are twins born from the same energy strategy.
Lessons for Today
This proverb teaches us what true mobility means. In business and life, we tend to focus only on “moving forward.”
But what really matters is the flexibility to move quickly according to the situation.
When you challenge something new, it’s wise to also think about your “exit point.” This isn’t a passive attitude.
Rather, it’s having confidence that because you can advance quickly, you can also retreat quickly.
Retreat isn’t failure. It’s a strategic move for your next step.
In modern society, the speed of change is accelerating. Decisions that were right yesterday might not work today.
In such times, being skilled at both advancing and retreating becomes your strength.
What matters isn’t the speed of action itself but your ability to control that speed.
Move forward with courage, and change direction decisively when necessary. When you can do both, you can forge a path in any situation.
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