How to Read “Poverty and hardship are the turn of time”
びんぼうなんぎはときのまわり
Meaning of “Poverty and hardship are the turn of time”
“Poverty and hardship are the turn of time” means that poverty and difficult situations don’t last forever. They will surely change as time passes. Even when things are tough now, the situation may improve with the flow of time.
People use this proverb to encourage those facing financial hardship or difficult life situations. You might also repeat these words to yourself when you’re going through hard times, to keep from losing hope.
What’s important is that this proverb isn’t just blind optimism. It doesn’t mean things automatically get better with time. Instead, it shows a realistic understanding that difficult periods are part of life, and they will eventually pass.
Even today, this saying brings great comfort when facing temporary difficulties like recession, unemployment, or illness. It teaches the importance of not rushing, not giving up, and trusting in the flow of time.
Origin and Etymology
There doesn’t seem to be a clear record of when this proverb first appeared in written texts. However, we can guess how it came about by looking at the words themselves.
Let’s focus on the expression “turn of time.” This shows how time goes around and around. Just as seasons change from spring to summer to fall to winter, life has waves of good and bad times.
Japan has long had a culture of expressing cycles and changes with the word “turn.” Expressions like “turn of the year” and “turn of the month” show this tradition.
Some believe this proverb was born among common people during the Edo period. People back then often experienced poverty beyond their control, like crop failures from bad weather or ups and downs in business.
But they also knew from experience that if they endured hard times, good times would eventually come.
The word “nangi” (hardship) connects to Buddhist terminology, but here it means everyday struggles and difficulties. By pairing poverty with hardship, the proverb covers not just financial troubles but all kinds of life’s struggles.
We can say this proverb contains the hope and experience of our ancestors, who knew that situations always change with the flow of time.
Usage Examples
- My company went bankrupt and I was left with nothing, but poverty and hardship are the turn of time, so I’ll look forward and search for my next job
- Life is really tough this month, but poverty and hardship are the turn of time, so if I get through this period, something good will surely come
Universal Wisdom
The proverb “Poverty and hardship are the turn of time” contains deep insight about time that humans have gained throughout long history.
When people are in painful situations, that pain feels like it will last forever. Their vision narrows, and the pain of this very moment seems like all there is in the world.
This is a human psychological trait that hasn’t changed since ancient times. But our ancestors noticed this psychological trap.
This proverb has been passed down because it’s not just comforting words but experiential truth. People who lived long lives actually witnessed good times and bad times coming in turns.
Some years brought good harvests, others brought crop failures. Business thrived in some periods and customers disappeared in others. This cyclical nature is an essential quality of life itself.
Thinking more deeply, this proverb teaches the importance of trusting in the power of time. Humans fear change, but we are also beings saved by change.
When you feel things are at their worst, the only hope is “the passing of time.” Time flows equally for everyone and has the power to change situations.
Our ancestors condensed this universal truth into a short phrase.
When AI Hears This
Ergodic theory in statistical mechanics contains a surprising discovery. If you track one gas molecule for a long time, its path will visit every location in the container.
The time average of this one molecule matches the ensemble average of all molecules at a single moment. In other words, watching one thing for a long time gives the same result as watching many things at once.
The “turn of time” in this proverb expresses exactly this concept. If you observe one person’s life long enough, they might experience both poverty and wealth. This should theoretically correspond to the distribution of wealth across society as a whole.
But real human society has an important problem: “ergodicity breaking.” In physics, particles can move freely, but human society has structural barriers.
Poverty takes away educational opportunities, which creates more poverty. Once you become poor, you easily fall into an “absorbing state” from which you can’t escape.
Research by statistical physicist Ole Peters shows that in societies where wealth changes work multiplicatively, time averages and ensemble averages don’t match.
The “turning” society this proverb idealizes actually assumes high mobility. People in the Edo period may have used these words with a wish that society would be ergodic.
Lessons for Today
What this proverb teaches us living in modern times is a healthy sense of time when facing difficult situations.
Modern society values immediacy. We seek results quickly and try to find solutions right away. But many of life’s essential problems can’t be solved without time.
Financial hardship, relationship troubles, career stagnation—these don’t change overnight.
That’s why this proverb teaches us “the power to wait.” But this doesn’t mean waiting without doing anything. It means steadily building up what you can do now while trusting in time’s power to bring change.
Impatience leads to poor judgment, and despair stops action.
Whatever difficulty you’re in right now, it’s just one chapter in the long story of your life. When you turn the next page, a completely different development might be waiting.
What matters is not thinking of hard times as “eternal.” And keeping your heart open so you don’t miss signs of change.
Time surely turns, and a new season will come to your life too.
Comments