How to Read “When there are outgoing ships, there are incoming ships”
Defune areba irifune ari
Meaning of “When there are outgoing ships, there are incoming ships”
This proverb means that even when bad things happen, good things will surely come.
Life has its ups and downs. Even when unfortunate events continue, good fortune will eventually come around. This is a hopeful teaching.
Just as one ship enters the harbor when another leaves, life constantly changes.
Even if you’re in a difficult situation now, it won’t last forever. A better flow will surely come.
People use this proverb to encourage someone facing difficulties. It also helps when you’re feeling down and need to regain hope.
You can think, “This is the time of outgoing ships, but the time of incoming ships will surely come.” This helps you stay positive.
Even today, people understand this saying as a way to accept life’s waves and not lose hope.
Origin and Etymology
No clear written records explain the origin of this proverb. However, based on its structure, it likely came from everyday scenes in port towns.
“Outgoing ships” means ships leaving the harbor. “Incoming ships” means ships entering the harbor.
At harbors, people constantly saw this pattern. When one ship left, another would arrive. This natural rhythm became a metaphor for life’s ups and downs.
Japan is an island nation. Maritime trade has flourished since ancient times.
Harbors were places where people and goods came and went. Meetings and farewells repeated constantly.
When ships departed, people felt loneliness or anxiety. But when other ships arrived, new energy was born again.
This cycling pattern was compared to how misfortune and good fortune rotate in life.
Even when bad things happen and you lose something, good things will surely come again. People placed this hope in the everyday harbor scene.
This wisdom came from the natural observation skills of Japanese people who lived with the sea.
Usage Examples
- I was depressed when my company went bankrupt, but “when there are outgoing ships, there are incoming ships”—now I have a better job than before
- I felt hopeless when I failed the entrance exam, but they say “when there are outgoing ships, there are incoming ships,” so I’ll believe in the next chance and work hard
Universal Wisdom
The proverb “when there are outgoing ships, there are incoming ships” contains insight into life’s essential rhythm.
Humans have felt this rhythm since ancient times.
When misfortune strikes, everyone fears that suffering will last forever.
This happens because the human brain tends to overestimate crisis situations. However, through long life experience, our ancestors saw the truth. Situations never stay fixed. Everything constantly changes.
This proverb has been passed down because humans instinctively need hope.
When standing on the edge of despair, people nearly lose their will to live. But if you believe “good things will surely come,” you can endure today.
This isn’t simple optimism. It’s based on deep understanding that change is the essence of the world.
Using the concrete image of ships coming and going at a harbor shows ancestral wisdom.
Rather than abstract preaching, they showed it as a visible natural principle. This carved the message deeply into people’s hearts.
Accept life’s waves. Have courage to go with the flow. This proverb teaches that this is the healthiest way for humans to live.
When AI Hears This
Each time ships enter and leave a harbor, the harbor’s value doesn’t simply increase by addition. It actually increases by multiplication.
This is the core of network theory.
Network value can be explained by “Metcalfe’s Law.” When there are n nodes (connection points), the network’s value is proportional to n squared.
If ships visiting a harbor double, the value quadruples. Why? When ship A and ship B come to the same harbor, information exchange and bartering happen between A and B.
With 10 ships, there are 45 possible combinations. With 20 ships, it explodes to 190 combinations.
Interestingly, harbors with balanced outgoing and incoming ships maximize this effect.
Only outgoing or only incoming creates one-way traffic. Two-way flow transforms the harbor from a mere waypoint into an “information marketplace.”
Venice and Amsterdam prospered not just from geography. They institutionally guaranteed this two-way flow.
Modern platform companies have the same structure. Amazon circulates sellers and buyers. YouTube circulates creators and viewers—these are “outgoing and incoming ships.”
As participants increase, overall value explodes. This proverb sees that a hub’s essence isn’t “passage” but “circulation.”
Lessons for Today
This proverb teaches modern people not to fear life’s changes, but rather to trust them.
Modern society strongly values stability. We tend to view change as risk. But actually, change is the door to new possibilities.
If you’re in a difficult situation now, this is the time of “outgoing ships.”
You might feel loneliness or anxiety as something departs. But this proverb teaches that the time of “incoming ships” will surely come.
What matters is not losing hope while waiting for that time.
What we can do as modern people is maintain flexibility to accept the rhythm of change.
Try viewing failure and setbacks not as life’s end, but as preparation time for the next good fortune.
Just as harbors always bustle with ships coming and going, new winds will surely blow into your life.
While preparing to receive those winds, live today with care.
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