How to Read “The road you came a hundred miles, you return a hundred miles”
Hyakuri kita michi wa hyakuri kaeru
Meaning of “The road you came a hundred miles, you return a hundred miles”
“The road you came a hundred miles, you return a hundred miles” is a proverb that shows the symmetry of effort involved in any round trip.
You must travel the same distance back as you did coming.
This proverb teaches us that when starting something, we need to see it through to the end.
The farther you go, the longer your return journey becomes. This applies not just to distance, but to time, effort, and cost as well.
The energy you use on the way there will also be needed on the way back.
People use this saying when making plans or advising someone who wants to rush into things without thinking.
For example, when planning a trip, you must consider not just the travel time there, but also the return time.
When starting a project, you need to think about how to end it or withdraw from it.
Today, we understand this as a lesson that everything has a “return” process.
You need preparation and resolve for that return journey too.
Origin and Etymology
No clear written records explain the origin of this proverb.
However, we can make interesting observations from how the phrase is constructed.
“Hyakuri” (a hundred ri) is a unit of distance based on the shakkanho system from China.
One ri equals about 4 kilometers. So a hundred ri means about 400 kilometers.
This was an extremely long distance to travel on foot.
Even the famous Tokaido road from Edo to Kyoto in the Edo period was only about 500 kilometers.
This shows just how significant a hundred ri was.
This proverb likely emerged from the real experience of travel when walking or riding horses was the main way to move.
The farther you go, the longer your return journey. This seems obvious, but people often forget it before setting out.
The phrase “the road you came” is especially noteworthy.
It means taking the same road back. You must face the same difficulties and fatigue on the return that you experienced going.
Our ancestors expressed a life truth through the concrete experience of travel.
Every action requires effort both ways. This proverb contains the wisdom of seeing the whole picture before taking action.
Usage Examples
- If you’re going mountain climbing, remember “the road you came a hundred miles, you return a hundred miles” – save energy for coming down
- It’s fine to play late at night, but “the road you came a hundred miles, you return a hundred miles,” so think about the last train home
Universal Wisdom
“The road you came a hundred miles, you return a hundred miles” contains deep insight into a psychological blind spot humans tend to have.
When starting something, people get caught up in the beginning and lose sight of the end.
Excitement about new adventures, passion for goals, curiosity about the unknown – these positive emotions drive us to action.
But at the same time, that enthusiasm hides the reality of “going back.”
This is a fundamental human trait. Our brains evolved to respond strongly to immediate rewards and goals.
Primitive hunters had to focus on chasing prey.
But those who couldn’t think about the safety of the return journey or their remaining energy might have lost their lives.
This proverb has been passed down through generations because this human tendency never changes across time.
Modern people fall into the same mental state when starting new projects, beginning relationships, or making big purchases.
The excitement of starting makes the difficulty of ending invisible.
Our ancestors understood this human nature. That’s why they used the simple metaphor of travel to convey the truth that everything involves a round trip.
When AI Hears This
When hearing about traveling a hundred miles and returning a hundred miles, you might think the same distance means returning to the same state.
But the second law of thermodynamics teaches us this symmetry is a complete illusion.
The universe has an absolute law: “Entropy always increases.”
Entropy measures the degree of disorder. When you drop ink into water, it spreads and dilutes over time.
Returning it to a single drop is practically impossible. Every change has direction and cannot be completely reversed.
While walking a hundred miles, your body burns food to create energy.
This process inevitably generates heat. That heat scatters into the surroundings and can never be gathered and used again.
Your shoe soles wear down, fatigue substances accumulate in your muscles, and cells age slightly.
Walking another hundred miles back makes these changes progress further. Physically, you after the round trip have definitely “degraded” from when you started.
Even more interesting is that memory as information is also affected by entropy.
The scenery on the way there is carved into your brain as fresh information.
But on the way back, it gets overwritten as vague “I’ve seen this” memory. The freshness of information decreases.
The return journey feels shorter on the same road because the brain switches information processing to energy-saving mode.
Lessons for Today
This proverb teaches modern people the importance of seeing the whole picture.
We face various choices every day. Starting a new hobby, changing jobs, moving, building relationships.
All of these are attractive to “begin,” but continuing them or ending them requires just as much energy.
In modern society especially, the barrier to starting things has lowered.
You can buy products with one click and easily register for new services.
But everyone has experienced the hassle of cancellation procedures or worrying about disposing of unwanted things.
To apply this lesson, develop the habit of asking yourself before starting something: “What will it take to end this?”
This isn’t being pessimistic – it’s being realistic.
By thinking about the return journey, you can proceed on the outward journey with more confidence.
If you’re about to start something new right now, stop and think.
Can you imagine yourself when returning on that road? When you can make that imagination, your plan becomes more solid.
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