How to Read “Reflect on the beginning and return to the end”
Hajime wo tazunete owari ni kaeru
Meaning of “Reflect on the beginning and return to the end”
This proverb teaches that when you try to understand something, you should trace it back to its origins and roots. Then you should think through the entire path logically until you reach the conclusion.
Don’t be satisfied with surface-level understanding. Instead, investigate thoroughly why things happened and where they started. Follow the logical process all the way through to the end.
This expression is used in academic research and problem-solving situations. It shows that you can’t reach true understanding by only looking at what’s in front of you.
You need to explore the background causes and history to grasp the full picture. In today’s world, information floods in from everywhere.
This proverb offers a method to see through to the essence of things without getting confused by fragments of knowledge. These short words powerfully convey the importance of maintaining consistent logic from start to finish.
Origin and Etymology
The exact source of this proverb has several theories. However, it’s believed to be influenced by classical Chinese thought, especially Confucian views on learning.
The word “tazuneru” means to investigate the roots and essence of things. “Kaeru” means to return, suggesting you should go back and confirm everything through to the end.
The structure of this expression shows the ideal attitude toward learning and inquiry. By using the paired concepts of “beginning” and “end,” it conveys that complete understanding requires consistent investigation throughout.
In Japan, this expression likely became emphasized in education during the Edo period when scholarship flourished. Scholars of that time valued understanding things from their foundations rather than superficial knowledge.
They emphasized thinking through everything logically to the end. This attitude connects deeply with Japanese scholarly views influenced by Neo-Confucianism.
The strictness and logic inherent in these words have been passed down as a teaching that demands a sincere attitude toward learning.
Usage Examples
- Let’s investigate this problem by reflecting on the beginning and returning to the end, carefully researching from historical background to the present
- His research approach practices reflecting on the beginning and returning to the end, always examining systematically from root causes
Universal Wisdom
Humans tend to look only at the results in front of them and feel satisfied. This tendency grows stronger in modern times when we seek convenience and efficiency.
Yet this proverb has been passed down for hundreds of years. It shows a universal truth: surface understanding cannot reach the real truth.
Everything has a beginning, and there’s always a reason for it. Why did it happen that way? What path did it follow?
Without knowing these things, you can’t achieve true understanding. Our ancestors saw that knowledge shouldn’t be scattered fragments of information.
Instead, it should be a system with one consistent thread running from beginning to end.
This teaching shows the essence of human intellectual activity. We are beings who constantly ask “why.”
Only by facing that question honestly can we gain true wisdom. We need patience to think things through from the roots instead of jumping to easy answers.
This remains the royal road to learning, no matter how times change.
This proverb never fades because humans are fundamentally beings who seek deep understanding. Just skimming the surface can’t satisfy us.
These words brilliantly capture the fundamental human desire for intellectual exploration.
When AI Hears This
Physics has an iron rule: “Entropy always increases.” This explains why an organized room naturally becomes messy, but a messy room never tidies itself up.
Yet “Reflect on the beginning and return to the end” says exactly the opposite. It suggests returning from a confused state to original order, seemingly contradicting the second law of thermodynamics.
But actually, this contradiction teaches us an important truth. Look at a river’s flow. Water flows from upstream to downstream, in the direction of increasing entropy.
Yet within that flow, whirlpools form and disappear. A whirlpool is locally an ordered structure. We call this a “dissipative structure.”
In other words, within a system where entropy keeps increasing overall, order can emerge in parts and return to previous states.
Human society works the same way. When individuals return to their original intentions, it doesn’t happen in a vacuum.
They take in information and energy from their surroundings while increasing entropy elsewhere, recovering their own local order. Remembering a teacher’s lessons, returning to origins—these are all dissipative structures involving energy exchange with the outside.
This proverb empirically captured that human activities operate within the framework of physical laws.
Lessons for Today
Modern society overflows with information. You can search and get answers immediately. But this proverb asks us a question.
Can you really say you’ve understood that answer?
When you learn something, don’t just memorize the conclusion. Try exploring why it turned out that way.
When studying history, go beyond events to the thoughts of people and the flow of the times. When learning science, trace back to how formulas were formed and the discovery process.
When facing problems at work, don’t just treat symptoms. Draw the path from root causes to solutions.
This approach may seem time-consuming, but it’s actually the most reliable path. What you understand deeply is hard to forget and easy to apply.
Most importantly, knowledge you’ve thought through yourself becomes your own strength and supports your life.
There’s another saying: “More haste, less speed.” The attitude of carefully tracing from beginning to end is truly the shortest path in the real sense.
Don’t be satisfied with just skimming the surface. Have the courage to dig deep. Real wisdom awaits you there.
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