How to Read “Once a word leaves your mouth, even four horses cannot chase it down”
Ichigon sudeni izureba shiba mo oigatashi
Meaning of “Once a word leaves your mouth, even four horses cannot chase it down”
This proverb means that once you say something, you cannot take it back no matter how much you regret it.
Words reach the listener’s ears the moment you speak them. They become engraved in their heart.
Even if you say “I misspoke” or “I was just joking,” you cannot completely erase the impression your words made.
People use this proverb when they regret saying something careless. They also use it to teach others about the weight of words.
It rings especially true when you hurt someone with angry words. Or when you want to take back a promise or declaration. Or when you accidentally reveal a secret.
This lesson applies to social media today too. In digital spaces, words remain as records. They can spread widely.
This proverb teaches us to pause and think before we speak.
Origin and Etymology
This proverb likely comes from the ancient Chinese text “Analects of Confucius,” specifically the Yan Yuan chapter.
The original text reads “一言既出、駟馬難追.” It appears in a dialogue among Confucius’s disciples about the weight of words.
“Shiba” refers to a chariot pulled by four horses. In ancient China, this was the fastest vehicle available.
Even the fastest transportation of that era could not catch words once spoken. This comparison powerfully shows how quickly words travel and how impossible they are to retrieve.
What’s interesting is that this expression works as a comparison of physical speed.
Words travel through air as sound. Once they reach the listener’s ears, you cannot cancel them.
No matter how fast your chariot chases, you cannot recover words that have already reached someone’s heart.
This proverb came to Japan during the era of envoys to Tang China. It arrived along with Confucian teachings.
During the samurai period, taking responsibility for your words became especially important. This proverb connected with the spirit of bushido and spread widely.
As a teaching about choosing words carefully, it has been engraved in Japanese hearts for centuries.
Interesting Facts
The “shiba” in this proverb was a special chariot in ancient China. Only the emperor and high-ranking nobles could ride it.
Controlling four horses required advanced skills. Drivers received specialized training and were highly skilled professionals.
The expression that even this supreme vehicle could not catch spoken words meant “absolutely impossible” to people of that time. It was the ultimate metaphor.
Japanese has many proverbs warning about the danger of words. Examples include “words are like blades” and “the mouth is the gate of misfortune.”
This relates to kotodama belief in Japanese culture. People believed words held special power.
Words once spoken have the power to move reality. This is why the awareness that they cannot be taken back was so strong.
Usage Examples
- I really regret what I said in anger back then. Once a word leaves your mouth, even four horses cannot chase it down.
- You should think carefully before signing that contract. Once a word leaves your mouth, even four horses cannot chase it down, you know.
Universal Wisdom
Humans are emotional creatures. Joy, anger, sadness, anxiety.
When we get swept up in these emotional waves, we often speak without thinking. Later, we regret it and wish we had never said those words.
This proverb has been passed down for thousands of years. This is because humans fundamentally fear “things that cannot be undone.”
We cannot change the past. Words especially tend to be treated lightly because they are invisible, unlike physical actions.
Yet words have the power to hurt people’s hearts most deeply. They also have the power to heal most deeply.
What’s interesting is that this proverb does not teach “stay silent.” Rather, it teaches “choose your words carefully.”
Humans communicate through words. We build relationships and form societies through language. We cannot live without words.
Our ancestors knew this truth. Words have irreversible power.
That’s why the moment before speaking matters so much. That moment of reflection in your heart can change your life.
The courage to swallow angry words. The resolve to speak truth. The responsibility to keep promises.
All of these depend on that single moment of judgment. Understanding the irreversibility of words may be a rite of passage to becoming a mature person.
When AI Hears This
When you view speaking through information theory, surprising facts emerge.
The moment you say one word, sound waves vibrate air molecules and reach the listener’s eardrum. This is just physical phenomenon. But the real problem lies beyond.
In the listener’s brain, those words convert to electrical signals. They connect with existing memory networks. They trigger emotions. They get stored as new memories across multiple neural circuits.
In other words, a single piece of information instantly replicates as thousands or tens of thousands of neuron connections.
Information theory calls the degree of information spreading and becoming disordered “entropy.”
Drop one drop of ink into a glass of water. You can never return it to its original state.
The same applies to words as information. The moment you speak them, they spread throughout the listener’s brain as a “system.” Entropy increases rapidly.
What’s more troublesome is that human brains automatically interpret heard information. They connect it with emotions and store it as memory.
Even if you apologize, the neural connection patterns created by your first words do not disappear. New memories just get added. The original state never returns.
This is also a fundamental law of the universe. Time flows in only one direction because entropy increase is irreversible.
The inability to take back words is not merely a social problem. It is an inevitability rooted in physical laws.
Lessons for Today
This proverb teaches modern people the importance of the “pause” before speaking.
When you feel angry, take time to breathe deeply instead of reacting immediately. Before hitting post on social media, read your message one more time.
Before making an important promise, ask yourself if you can truly keep it.
This “pause” is not cowardice. Rather, it shows the strength of taking responsibility for your words.
Words cannot be taken back. That’s exactly why we have the power to think before speaking.
Modern society increasingly demands instant responses. But that’s precisely why we need the courage to consciously stop and think.
Your words can brighten someone’s day. They can also hurt someone. The power to choose lies only with you, before you speak.
Once a word leaves your mouth, even four horses cannot chase it down.
This ancient wisdom does not tell us to fear the power of words. It teaches us to respect the power of words.
May your words plant good seeds in someone’s heart. To make that happen, why not start the habit of taking one breath today?
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