How to Read “本卦還りの三つ子”
Honkegaeri no mitsugo
Meaning of “本卦還りの三つ子”
“Original divination return’s three year old child” is a proverb that describes how a person who has reached 61 years of age returns to the innocent and honest personality they had in their childhood.
As people age, they take on social roles and responsibilities, sometimes developing complex and calculating aspects. However, when they reach the milestone of 61 years old, they are freed from such social burdens and regain the pure and straightforward mindset they had at age three. This does not mean regression to childishness due to aging, but rather represents a kind of state that can only be reached through accumulating life experience.
This proverb is mainly used when elderly people’s actions or words show the same honesty as in their youth. For example, it’s used when observing a strict person laughing innocently in front of their grandchildren, or when a stubborn person suddenly becomes flexible. In modern times, it’s sometimes used more broadly for people in the latter half of life who have regained their true selves, without being strict about the age of 61.
Origin and Etymology
“Original divination return’s three year old child” has a very interesting origin. This proverb is thought to have been created by combining the concept of “original divination return” from divination studies and another proverb “the soul of a three-year-old lasts until a hundred.”
“Original divination return” is a way of thinking in divination studies that views life in 61-year cycles, meaning that at age 61, one returns to the hexagram they were born with. In other words, people were believed to complete one cycle and return to their original state at 61. There was a folk belief that at this age, childhood personality and behavioral patterns would reappear.
On the other hand, “three-year-old child” refers to a 3-year-old child, and this period has long been valued as “an important time when the foundation of personality formation is determined.” The idea that personality at this time never changes throughout life became established as “the soul of a three-year-old lasts until a hundred.”
These two concepts combined to create “Original divination return’s three year old child.” In other words, it came to be used to mean that a person who reaches 61 years old regains the innocence and honesty they had at age 3. Since this expression can be found in Edo period literature, it’s presumed to be a proverb that has been used for quite a long time.
Usage Examples
- Grandpa has also become like Original divination return’s three year old child, and lately he’s been frolicking together with his grandchildren
- Even the strict department manager, perhaps becoming like Original divination return’s three year old child as retirement approaches, has become much gentler
Modern Interpretation
In modern society, the concept of “Original divination return’s three year old child” is beginning to take on new meaning. In what is now called the age of 100-year lifespans, 61 years old is no longer the final stage of life, but rather could be said to be the starting point of a second life.
In modern times, many people retire from companies at this age and are freed from the heavy responsibilities they have carried as organizational members for many years. The sense of liberation they show at such times and their willingness to challenge new things could perhaps be called the modern version of “Original divination return’s three year old child.” Elderly people starting social media, people becoming absorbed in new hobbies, people passionately engaging in volunteer activities – their appearance certainly evokes a child-like purity.
On the other hand, in modern society, fixation on the specific age of 61 has faded. This is because due to the diversification of work styles, life turning points differ from person to person. Some people take early retirement in their 40s, while others work actively until their 70s. Therefore, it’s increasingly understood to mean “regaining one’s true self at life’s turning points” rather than focusing on age.
Also, modern people tend to maintain their “youth” longer than people in the past. Due to advances in medical technology and improvements in living conditions, there’s a strong sense that even at 61, one is still part of the active generation. Therefore, rather than the “regression to childishness” that this proverb indicates, it’s increasingly interpreted as “recovery of one’s true self.”
When AI Hears This
This expression represents a remarkable linguistic invention that demonstrates Japanese intuitive grasp of probability. “Honke-gaeri” refers to cycling through all 64 hexagrams in the I Ching and returning to the original one, with a probability of approximately 1.5%. Meanwhile, the natural occurrence rate of triplets is about 0.3% (3 in 1000). By combining these two phenomena, the expression mathematically represents an astronomically low probability of 0.0045%.
What’s fascinating is the concept of multiplying probabilities from completely different domains. One draws from the abstract concepts of ancient Chinese philosophy, while the other stems from biological phenomena. This combination demonstrates how Japanese people fused cultural knowledge with scientific observation to express “impossibly unlikely coincidences.”
Even more noteworthy is the different time scales this expression encompasses. Honke-gaeri relates to the instantaneous nature of a single divination reading, while triplets involve the approximately 10-month process of pregnancy. By layering rare events from different temporal scales, the language captures the sense of a “miracle transcending time and space.”
When calculated using modern statistics, the probability of this combination occurring is approximately 1 in 22,000. This is lower than winning third prize in a lottery (about 1 in 10,000), yet people in the Edo period intuitively expressed this level of improbability. It’s a masterpiece of linguistic culture that reveals the precision and creativity of Japanese probability expressions.
Lessons for Today
What this proverb teaches us modern people is that “the courage to return” is also necessary in life. In the process of growing up, we sometimes lose sight of our true selves. In trying to meet social expectations, we suppress our pure feelings and honest emotions.
However, stopping at a certain stage in life and remembering “what kind of person was I really?” is not shameful at all. Rather, it’s a mature choice that can only be made because we have accumulated life experience.
In modern society, there are opportunities to regain our true selves regardless of age. At life’s turning points such as changing jobs, marriage, child-rearing, and caring for parents, opportunities to reflect on “what is truly important” come many times. If at those times we can remember the pure feelings we had as children, surely new paths will become visible.
You too should sometimes forget calculations and profit and loss, and honestly follow the voice of your heart. That might become the first step toward living a life that is truly yours.
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