How to Read “The poor have no rise and fall”
Hinja ni seisui nashi
Meaning of “The poor have no rise and fall”
“The poor have no rise and fall” means that poor people experience no ups and downs in fortune. Their poverty remains constant and unchanging.
This proverb expresses the harsh reality of fixed poverty. Wealthy people experience changes in their fortunes through business success or failure, investment gains or losses.
But those who have nothing from the start don’t even experience such changes.
This proverb is used when discussing social inequality and poverty issues. It often appears in contexts pointing out the difficulty of escaping poverty or unequal opportunities.
The word “rise and fall” implies ups and downs that can only be experienced when you have some wealth or status to begin with.
The proverb highlights the situation of the poor who cannot even experience this. Even today, this insight remains relevant when considering economic inequality and the cycle of poverty.
Origin and Etymology
The exact source of this proverb is unclear, but its structure offers interesting insights. “Rise and fall” originally means prosperity and decline.
It describes changes where things get better or worse, like the movement of waves going up and down.
The proverb’s distinctive feature is that it states this “rise and fall” simply does not exist. It’s a paradoxical expression saying the poor don’t even have anything to decline from.
To decline, you must first be prosperous. Those at the bottom cannot fall further, nor can they rise. This describes the cruel reality of unchanging circumstances.
During the Edo period, Japan’s rigid class system meant your birth family’s economic situation often determined your entire life. Those born into poor families had extremely limited opportunities to gain wealth.
Against this social backdrop, this proverb likely emerged as a calm observation of unchanging poverty. It doesn’t speak of hope but acts like a mirror reflecting reality as it is.
Interesting Facts
The word “rise and fall” comes from the Buddhist term “eiko-seisui” (prosperity and decline). It appears in the opening of The Tale of the Heike.
“The sound of the Gion temple bells echoes the impermanence of all things. The color of the sala flowers reveals the truth that the prosperous must decline.”
However, The Tale of the Heike speaks of the Buddhist concept that “the prosperous must decline.” In contrast, this proverb shows the opposite: the existence of those who never prosper at all.
A similar expression is “you can’t shake sleeves you don’t have,” which refers to temporary lack of money. “The poor have no rise and fall” describes chronic poverty, making it a more serious situation.
Usage Examples
- His family has been poor for generations. “The poor have no rise and fall” truly describes their unchanged lifestyle even now.
- When I see people excited or worried about investments, I think “the poor have no rise and fall” is well said.
Universal Wisdom
“The poor have no rise and fall” confronts us with a cruel truth about human society. That truth is that even change itself is a privilege.
We usually take change for granted. But experiencing ups and downs is actually proof that you have some resources or opportunities.
This proverb has been passed down through generations because it sharply identifies structural problems in society. People want to believe that effort brings rewards.
But in reality, some people aren’t even given the opportunity to try. Inequality prevents them from reaching the starting line.
This phrase expresses this through “no rise and fall.” The words contain neither sympathy nor criticism, just cold observation.
However, this proverb’s meaning isn’t simple resignation. Rather, by facing this reality directly, we gain a chance to think about how society should be.
Why does poverty become fixed? Why aren’t opportunities distributed equally? These questions are challenges humanity has faced across all eras.
This proverb may be a harsh but necessary reminder not to look away from these challenges.
When AI Hears This
In thermodynamics, coffee cools down and messy rooms don’t clean themselves. This is the law of increasing entropy.
Everything moves one way, from states with energy differences toward flat equilibrium. Viewing poverty through this lens reveals a striking structure.
The phenomenon of rise and fall actually requires an energy differential. For example, company growth needs capital as potential energy.
Even if you invest and fail, having the capacity for another try means you have room to fall from a high place. That creates chances to climb back up.
But poverty is already being at the bottom of the valley. In physics terms, it’s the ground state, an equilibrium point where energy cannot drop any lower.
What’s cruel here is that escaping equilibrium requires external energy input. Water flows downward but never naturally returns from low to high places.
Escaping poverty requires external energy like education funds, networks, and time. But poverty itself lacks the means to obtain these things.
“No rise and fall” describes a state where the fuel for change has run out. This is an ironic convergence where physical laws mathematically prove social inequality.
Lessons for Today
This proverb teaches modern people the importance of equal opportunity. “The poor have no rise and fall” shows that situations exist where people aren’t even given chances for change.
This is not someone else’s problem.
What each of us can do is first look around to see if anyone near us faces such situations. Educational opportunities, places to challenge yourself, environments where you can recover from failure.
These aren’t guaranteed. They’re things society as a whole must protect and nurture.
Also, if you yourself face difficult circumstances, know that the “fixedness” this proverb describes isn’t absolute fate. Changing your situation alone may be hard.
But seeking help, using support systems, and taking small steps are possible. Modern society has safety nets and support mechanisms that didn’t exist before.
This proverb is a warning bell. It shows the fact that poverty becomes fixed when society neglects it.
At the same time, it asks us a question: What can you do to change this reality?
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