How to Read “Even if eight parts are taken, two parts still remain”
Hachibu saretemo imada nibu nokoru
Meaning of “Even if eight parts are taken, two parts still remain”
“Even if eight parts are taken, two parts still remain” is a proverb that means even when you’re excluded by others, there is still hope and room for a comeback.
This proverb is used when facing the harsh situation of being rejected by most of a group.
Losing eight out of ten parts means you’ve lost almost everything. However, even in such a seemingly hopeless situation, the expression directs your attention to the fact that two parts still remain. It’s not completely zero.
Even in modern society, feeling isolated at work, school, or in your community is not uncommon.
When many people distance themselves from you, it’s easy to feel like “it’s all over.” But this proverb teaches you not to give up hope even in such situations.
If you focus on whatever possibilities remain, whatever allies you still have, or your own inner strength, there’s always a chance to turn things around.
This saying encourages a positive attitude.
Origin and Etymology
There don’t appear to be clear written records about the origin of this proverb. However, the structure of the phrase reveals an interesting background.
The expressions “eight parts” and “two parts” reflect the traditional Japanese sense of numbers based on the decimal system.
Taking the whole as ten, even if you lose eight parts, two parts still remain. The choice of “eight out of ten” as the specific number is thought to have meaning.
Eighty percent is such a large proportion that it’s almost everything.
Being excluded by eight parts means being rejected by eight out of ten people. This represents a socially very difficult situation.
In fact, during the Edo period, village society had a system called “murahachibu” (village ostracism). It meant being excluded from eight types of communal activities, except for funerals and firefighting.
However, the essence of this proverb lies in its second half.
The expression “two parts still remain” contains hope that even in a seemingly desperate situation, it’s never zero. You’re not completely isolated. Possibilities still exist. It offers a positive perspective.
This expression uses numbers to concretely show the situation while teaching an attitude of not losing hope.
It’s thought to reflect the Japanese spirit of facing harsh reality squarely while never giving up.
Usage Examples
- Most of the team opposed the project, but believing that even if eight parts are taken, two parts still remain, I kept trying to persuade them without giving up
- Even though my reputation has hit rock bottom, with the spirit of even if eight parts are taken, two parts still remain, I plan to bet on the remaining possibilities
Universal Wisdom
The proverb “Even if eight parts are taken, two parts still remain” captures the essence of human resilience and hope.
In human society, few experiences are as painful as being excluded from a group.
We are social creatures. We gain security through belonging and confirm our self-worth through recognition. That’s why being left out brings deep pain, as if our very existence is being denied.
However, this proverb has been passed down through generations because it recognizes an essential human strength.
The fact that two parts remain even after losing eight is mathematically obvious. Yet when people stand at the edge of despair, they focus only on what they’ve lost. They can’t see what remains. Their vision narrows and they lose sight of possibilities.
Our ancestors understood this human psychology deeply.
That’s why they used concrete numbers to show the fact that “something still remains.” As long as it’s not completely zero, humans have the power to recover.
Even with just a small hope, you can use it as a foothold to climb back up. This truth never fades, no matter how times change.
Life inevitably has ups and downs. Everyone experiences isolation and setbacks at some point.
At those moments, will you lament what you’ve lost, or will you find hope in what remains? That choice greatly influences the rest of your life.
When AI Hears This
The expression that two parts remain even after losing eight parts has a mathematically very interesting structure.
In fractal geometry, the same pattern appears whether you zoom in or out. Look at broccoli, for example. If you take one floret, it has the shape of a small broccoli itself. Take a piece of that, and the same shape repeats again.
The “two parts” shown in this proverb can be thought of not as mere remainder, but as a scaled-down version containing the essence of the whole.
In other words, from the two parts remaining after eight parts are removed, even if you remove another eight parts, two parts still remain. Those two parts have the same properties and can theoretically be divided infinitely.
0.2 of 0.2 is 0.04, and 0.2 of that is 0.008, continuing endlessly. It never reaches zero.
This principle is important in nature because it relates to the toughness of life.
Trees sprout new branches from remaining parts even when branches are cut. Lizards regenerate even when their tails are severed. This happens because the blueprint of the whole is built into the parts.
Just as DNA exists in every cell, essential information is stored in a distributed way.
This proverb suggests that resistance to destruction lies not in “quantity” but in “structure.”
True immortality comes not from size, but from having a self-replicating blueprint.
Lessons for Today
What this proverb teaches modern people is how to maintain perspective in difficult situations.
In modern society, experiences of group rejection can happen to anyone. Online backlash, workplace isolation, project failures—these are all possibilities.
At such times, many people become overwhelmed by the magnitude of what they’ve lost and can’t move forward.
However, this proverb gently tells us to “look at what still remains.”
The twenty percent of people who still support you, the twenty percent of resources still available, the twenty percent of time left—these definitely exist. Starting over from there is possible.
What matters is the attitude of making the most of remaining possibilities.
If you give up on the remaining twenty percent just because you lost eighty percent, it truly becomes zero. Conversely, if you pour all your energy into that twenty percent, new developments can emerge from there.
No matter how difficult your current situation, it almost never becomes completely zero.
If even a little remains, there’s a seed of hope. A new future begins by carefully nurturing that small seed.
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