How to Read “A hundred days of labor, one day of pleasure”
Hyakunichi no rō ichinichi no raku
Meaning of “A hundred days of labor, one day of pleasure”
“A hundred days of labor, one day of pleasure” means that long-term effort and hard work can be washed away by just one day of enjoyment or indulgence.
The proverb warns about situations where results built up steadily over a hundred days are lost through a brief moment of carelessness, laziness, or excessive pleasure.
This saying is used when teaching the importance of self-control. It applies to many familiar modern situations.
Someone who has been dieting might return to their starting weight after one episode of overeating. A person who has been saving money might spend it all on an impulse purchase.
Someone who has built up trust might lose it through a single mistake.
The reason for using this expression is to convey how dangerous short-term temptations can be. The extreme contrast between “a hundred days” and “one day” vividly illustrates both the weight of accumulated effort and the frightening speed at which it can be lost.
Origin and Etymology
The exact source of this proverb is unclear, but we can make interesting observations from its structure. The contrasting time expressions “a hundred days” and “one day” form the core of this saying.
“A hundred days” is used symbolically to represent a long period rather than literally meaning one hundred days. In Japanese, the number “hundred” has long been used to mean “many” or “long.”
You can see similar usage in many other proverbs, such as “even a hundred years of love can cool” and “seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times.”
Meanwhile, “one day” represents a short time, just a brief moment. This extreme time contrast emphasizes the imbalance between long-term effort and short-term pleasure.
The character for “labor” means work or hardship, while “pleasure” means enjoyment or comfort. These two characters also represent contrasting concepts, dealing with the universal theme of balancing suffering and pleasure in life.
This proverb probably originated from experiences in agricultural society. Farmers would cultivate fields and grow crops over long periods, yet one day of carelessness or laziness could ruin the harvest.
The harsh reality witnessed by our ancestors is condensed into these words as a lesson.
Usage Examples
- I quit smoking for three months, but if I have just one cigarette at a drinking party, it’ll be a hundred days of labor, one day of pleasure
- I’ve been studying for my certification exam for six months, but if I stay up late partying the night before the test, it could become a hundred days of labor, one day of pleasure
Universal Wisdom
Behind the continued telling of “A hundred days of labor, one day of pleasure” lies a deep insight into fundamental human weakness. We humans tend to prioritize immediate pleasure over long-term benefits.
In psychology, this trait is called “present bias.” It’s thought to have been acquired through evolution.
Prioritizing the certain present over an uncertain future may have been rational as a survival strategy. However, in modern stable societies where long-term planning is possible, this instinct sometimes holds us back.
What this proverb teaches is the fragility of human will. No matter how firm our determination, it can waver before a moment’s temptation.
A hundred days of effort is certainly precious, but to protect it requires the same resolve on the hundred-and-first day and the hundred-and-second day.
Our ancestors understood this human nature. The difficulty of continuing effort, and the danger of losing it in an instant. That’s why they left us this warning.
This proverb succinctly expresses the truth that success is not a single achievement but an accumulation of continuous self-control.
The hardest thing in life is not starting something but continuing it. And not letting go of what you’ve continued. This universal truth is what keeps this proverb alive across the ages.
When AI Hears This
The phenomenon where something built up over a hundred days collapses in one day aligns surprisingly well with the “law of entropy increase” in physics.
Entropy, simply put, is the “degree of disorder.” As a law of the universe, there’s a property that things inevitably move from order to disorder when left alone.
For example, cleaning a room takes hours, but messing it up takes minutes. This isn’t coincidence.
Physically speaking, an organized state has “only one arrangement,” while a messy state has “countless arrangement patterns.” Probabilistically, the messy state is overwhelmingly more likely to occur.
In other words, an orderly state is statistically extremely rare and unstable.
A hundred days of labor is the act of investing energy to maintain a low-entropy state (order). However, according to the second law of thermodynamics, the moment you stop inputting energy, the system spontaneously tries to return to a high-entropy state (disorder).
Just as organisms die if they stop eating, companies decline if they stop making efforts—it’s the same principle.
What’s interesting is that maintaining order requires continuous energy input. It collapses after one day of laziness because that’s the natural order of things. Effort is the act of continuously defying the laws of the universe.
Lessons for Today
What this proverb teaches modern people is the importance of continuous self-management. Modern society is filled with temptations for short-term pleasure: social media notifications, streaming services, online shopping.
That’s precisely why this old teaching has more meaning than ever.
What’s important is not completely denying one day of pleasure. Appropriate rest and enjoyment are necessary to continue long-term effort.
What this proverb warns against is excessive indulgence in pleasure that ruins what you’ve built up.
Specifically, it’s effective to clarify your own “line to protect.” Even while dieting, eat what you like once a week, but don’t binge.
Take breaks between studying, but don’t play games all day. By being conscious of the balance between enjoyment and moderation, you can protect your hundred days of labor.
If you’re working hard toward something now, don’t forget the value of that accumulation. When you’re about to give in to one day’s temptation, remember these words.
Your hundred days of effort is a treasure worth protecting.
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