How to Read “A small person has a beginning but no end”
Shōjin wa hajime arite owari nashi
Meaning of “A small person has a beginning but no end”
This proverb means that people with immature character can start things but cannot continue them to completion. Everyone feels motivated at the beginning when taking on something new.
However, some people give up halfway when they face difficulties, get bored, or become distracted by something more attractive. This proverb points out the characteristics of people who lack perseverance and patience.
This saying is used to warn people who quickly give up on things they start. It also teaches the importance of seeing things through to the end.
Even today, everyone has experienced starting something like a new hobby, study routine, or diet, only to quit after three days. This proverb shows a fundamental human value.
A truly admirable person is not just someone who starts things, but someone who takes responsibility and completes them.
Origin and Etymology
This proverb is believed to originate from a passage in the ancient Chinese classic “Shijing” (Book of Songs). The Shijing is China’s oldest collection of poetry, compiled between the 11th and 6th centuries BCE.
In the section called “Daya,” there is a phrase that reads “靡不有初、鮮克有終.” This means “Everyone can begin, but few can finish.”
The term “small person” in this saying does not simply mean someone of low social status. In Confucian values, it refers to “a person of low virtue” or “someone with immature character.”
The opposite term is “junshi” (gentleman), which means a person of high virtue and admirable character. In other words, this phrase expresses differences in human dignity and spiritual maturity.
This proverb came to Japan along with Confucian thought. During the Edo period, it became widely known as part of samurai education.
The idea that the power to complete things reveals a person’s true worth became deeply rooted in Japanese spiritual culture. This is a timeless lesson that teaches how starting is easy, but continuing and completing is difficult.
Usage Examples
- He apparently started studying for another certification, but “a small person has a beginning but no end,” so he probably won’t continue
- That person is a typical example of “a small person has a beginning but no end”—he launches many projects but hasn’t completed a single one
Universal Wisdom
This proverb has been passed down for hundreds of years because it confronts an essential human weakness. Anyone can start something.
Taking the first step while filled with hope and expectations for something new can even be enjoyable. However, as time passes, initial passion cools, difficulties arise, and results become harder to see. This is where many people fail.
Humans have a nature that loves novelty. The desire to seek fresh stimulation and enjoy change could be considered a survival instinct.
But at the same time, we also have a tendency to get bored with steadily continuing one thing and resist monotony. People constantly waver between these two conflicting traits.
Ancient people saw through this human weakness. They realized that true value lies not in starting, but in finishing.
Completing things, accomplishing them—this is where human true worth appears. This insight is a universal truth that will never fade as long as humans remain human.
When AI Hears This
In physics, there is a law stating that everything tends toward disorder when left alone. This is the law of increasing entropy.
For example, a neatly organized room will naturally become messy if you do nothing, but it will never spontaneously clean itself.
The behavior pattern of the “small person” in this proverb follows exactly this physical law. To get motivated and start something requires injecting energy from outside.
In other words, you use willpower to inspire yourself and create a low-entropy state (ordered state). However, unless you continue to input energy consistently afterward, the system naturally returns to a high-entropy state (disordered state).
What’s interesting is that the difference between people who can continue and those who cannot lies in the sustainability of energy input.
Excellent people find ways to maintain order with less energy through a mechanism called habit formation. This is similar to how a refrigerator uses large amounts of power initially, but requires less power to maintain a cold state.
In other words, the state of “no end” is not so much weakness of will as simply being unable to resist entropy increase, a fundamental law of the universe.
Human laziness is, in a sense, a physically natural state.
Lessons for Today
What this proverb teaches modern people is that true value lies in continuing rather than starting. In today’s society overflowing with information and infinite choices, there is constant temptation to start new things.
But what truly matters is developing the power to see one thing through to the end.
You don’t need to aim for perfection. What’s important is continuing every day, even with small steps.
When you feel like giving up, remember this proverb. The effort you are continuing right now is what transforms you from a “small person” into a “gentleman.”
Many people who succeed in modern society didn’t have special talents. They were simply people who kept going quietly after others gave up.
You definitely have that power too. Make today a day when you continue what you started yesterday.
That accumulation will eventually become a great achievement that makes your life shine.
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