Of All The Seven Treasures And Ten Thousand Riches, Human Life And Human Sincerity Are Foremost: Japanese Proverb Meaning

How to Read “Of all the seven treasures and ten thousand riches, human life and human sincerity are foremost”

Shichichin manpō no zuiichi wa hito no inochi to hito no makoto

Meaning of “Of all the seven treasures and ten thousand riches, human life and human sincerity are foremost”

This proverb teaches that human life and a sincere heart are more precious than any valuable treasure.

The world is full of things people chase after: gold, silver, wealth, status, and honor. But even if you gathered all of these together, they cannot match the weight of human life or a heart free from lies and deceit.

People use this expression when they’re about to lose sight of what truly matters while pursuing material wealth. It also applies when facing temptation to compromise honesty for profit.

The saying warns against actions or attitudes that treat human life lightly. Even in modern society, where economic success and material wealth are highly valued, it continues to ask us what our fundamental human values really are.

Origin and Etymology

No clear record exists of this proverb’s exact source. However, the structure of the words reveals an interesting background.

The expression “seven treasures and ten thousand riches” likely connects to the Buddhist concept of “seven treasures” found in Buddhist texts and Chinese classics.

The seven treasures refer to precious materials: gold, silver, lapis lazuli, crystal, giant clam, coral, and agate. In Buddhism, these are said to adorn the Pure Land paradise.

“Seven treasures and ten thousand riches” expands this concept further. It means countless treasures of all kinds.

“Foremost” means the best among many things, the number one. So this proverb takes the form of a question: what is the greatest of all treasures?

The answer given is “human life and human sincerity.” Here, “sincerity” means honesty, true heart, and a mind free from falsehood.

This teaching likely developed in Japan under the influence of Buddhist and Confucian thought. These philosophies emphasized spiritual values even as material wealth was being pursued.

Some suggest it was passed down during the Edo period as guidance for merchants and samurai in moral education.

Interesting Facts

The concept of “sincerity” in this proverb was especially important in Edo period merchant ethics.

The Omi merchants’ philosophy of “sanpo yoshi” (good for seller, buyer, and society) exemplified this sincerity in practice. Osaka merchants valued “trust” alongside “thrift,” “resourcefulness,” and “calculation.”

In business, building long-term trust relationships ultimately becomes the greatest asset. This matters more than short-term profits.

The number “seven” in “seven treasures and ten thousand riches” doesn’t necessarily mean exactly seven items. It’s a symbolic number representing multitude.

Japanese has many expressions using seven: “fall seven times, rise eight times” and “seven seas.” The number seven has long been favored as representing completeness and diversity.

Usage Examples

• No matter how much money I earn, of all the seven treasures and ten thousand riches, human life and human sincerity are foremost, so I don’t want to use dishonest methods
• Company profits matter, but as the saying goes, of all the seven treasures and ten thousand riches, human life and human sincerity are foremost, so we should prioritize employee safety and honest management above all

Universal Wisdom

Looking back through human history, people in every era and civilization have pursued wealth and power.

Yet in every age, the question “what truly matters?” has been asked repeatedly. This is exactly why this proverb has been passed down through generations.

Humans have a tendency to become captivated by visible, valuable things. Sparkling jewels, piles of gold coins, magnificent mansions.

These are certainly attractive, and obtaining them brings satisfaction. But our ancestors learned through experience that material wealth alone cannot bring true fulfillment.

This is because life, once lost, never returns. No treasure can buy it back.

And sincerity as a state of mind creates an invisible bond of trust between people. This bond becomes the most reliable support for humans, who are solitary beings, to live within society.

This proverb questions the balance between material and spiritual values. Seeking prosperity is not wrong.

However, humanity has repeatedly learned a painful truth. If you treat life lightly or lose your sincerity in the process, what you lose will be far greater than what you gain.

When AI Hears This

In network science, “how things connect” determines overall value more than individual node performance.

For example, owning one supercomputer has limited value if it’s disconnected from the internet. But an ordinary smartphone connected to a reliable network can access information and people worldwide.

This proverb becomes interesting when you view human life as “nodes” and sincerity as a “trust protocol.” It reveals value asymmetry.

Any treasure is just an isolated high-performance node by itself. Gather seven treasures worth 100 each, and the total remains 700.

But sincere humans are different. According to Metcalfe’s Law in network theory, network value grows proportional to the square of nodes.

A network of 10 people connected by trust creates value of 100. A network of 100 people creates value of 10,000.

More importantly, people with the trust protocol of sincerity tend to become “hub nodes.”

Barabási’s scale-free network research shows that new links preferentially attach to highly reliable nodes. Most information flow in the entire network passes through them.

This is the structural reason why one sincere person can generate value far exceeding the sum of physical treasures.

Lessons for Today

We live in an era of unprecedented material abundance. But at the same time, we easily lose sight of what matters while pursuing that abundance.

This proverb gives you a chance to stop and think.

Achieving results at work is wonderful. But are you sacrificing your own or others’ health for it?

Pursuing efficiency and profit is important. But are you compromising your honesty in the process?

This proverb teaches life priorities. First and foremost, cherish your own life and health, and that of those around you.

Second, remain sincere in any situation. If you protect these two things, even if you seem to lose out temporarily, you will be rewarded in the long run.

When you’re tempted to tell a small lie today, or about to prioritize efficiency over someone’s safety, remember these words.

The real treasure is inside your heart.