How to Read “Thunder in the rainy season means clear weather is near”
tsuyu no kaminari wa hare chikashi
Meaning of “Thunder in the rainy season means clear weather is near”
This proverb means that difficult situations show signs that their end is approaching.
When thunder rumbles during the long rainy season, clear weather will soon arrive. This weather observation teaches us that even painful times show signs of ending.
You use this saying when you spot signs of change in a long-lasting difficult situation.
For example, when a struggling business starts seeing some light, or when a tough situation shows hints of improvement.
This expression works better than simply saying “things will get better soon.” It conveys a more certain hope based on natural patterns.
Just as thunder, though intense, actually signals approaching clear skies, the changes you see during hardship are signs that things are turning around. This gives you a positive perspective.
Origin and Etymology
No clear written records explain the origin of this proverb. It likely came from accumulated weather observation experience in Japan.
Thunder during the rainy season has meteorological significance. When thunder occurs while the rainy season front stalls, it proves the front is becoming active.
This increased activity signals that the front is starting to move north. This eventually leads to the end of the rainy season.
For Japanese people who lived mainly through farming, the long rainy season was a challenging time for crop management.
They worried about lack of sunlight and diseases caused by humidity. Knowing when the rainy season would end was a pressing concern.
They observed all natural phenomena carefully. They watched the sky, cloud movements, and thunder occurrence to predict weather changes. This wisdom accumulated over many years.
“Thunder in the rainy season means clear weather is near” summarizes this weather prediction wisdom in simple words.
This observation of natural phenomena eventually became a message of hope for overcoming difficult times in life.
Interesting Facts
Thunder during the rainy season connects to a weather phenomenon called “okuri-tsuyu” (sending-off rainy season).
When the front becomes active near the end of the rainy season, intense thunderstorms sometimes occur. These have been considered signs that the rainy season is ending.
Meteorologically, thunder during this period occurs as the rainy season front moves north. So it actually indicates that clear weather is near.
It’s interesting that thunder, an intense phenomenon, is seen as a sign of hope.
People generally view thunder as frightening. But this proverb interprets it positively as a sign of improvement.
This shows the Japanese ability to see beyond surface intensity and grasp the essential nature of change underneath.
Usage Examples
- The recession lasted long, but new contracts are increasing. Thunder in the rainy season means clear weather is near.
- I struggled with exam preparation, but recently I’m starting to feel progress. Thunder in the rainy season means clear weather is near.
Universal Wisdom
This proverb has been passed down because it addresses a universal theme. How do people find hope in difficult situations?
When hard times continue, people tend to feel hopeless, as if there’s no end in sight.
But actually, most difficulties do end. And that ending always shows some kind of sign.
What’s interesting is that this proverb uses “clear weather is near” rather than “clear weather comes.”
It’s not clear yet, but it’s definitely approaching. The proverb captures this subtle moment.
This shows deep understanding of human psychology. It teaches the importance of having hope at the sign stage, not after the situation completely improves.
The perspective of seeing thunder, an apparently negative phenomenon, as a sign of hope is also important.
During difficulties, events that seem like further trials sometimes occur. But these might actually be evidence that the situation is starting to move.
Don’t be fooled by surface intensity. Have the power to read the essential change behind it.
This is the wisdom for overcoming life that our ancestors understood. This insight shows a depth of human understanding that never fades, no matter how times change.
When AI Hears This
The long rains of the rainy season are actually a very stable state thermodynamically.
Moist air spreads widely and thinly, with energy distributed evenly. This is a state of high entropy, meaning maximum disorder.
It’s like water spreading quietly in a cup.
But for thunder to occur, this uniform state must break down. Air warmed by ground heat rises rapidly.
This creates an intense temperature difference with the cold air above. This is a phenomenon where scattered energy concentrates in one place.
In other words, strong energy is injected into the system from outside, and order is created locally in that moment.
What’s interesting is that thunder, an intense discharge phenomenon, is actually a process that further increases the entropy of the entire atmosphere.
It releases accumulated electrical potential difference all at once and evens out temperature differences too.
Through this large-scale energy release, the halfway stable state called the rainy season completely collapses.
What comes after the collapse is clear weather from high pressure. This is a new low-entropy state, a new order of dry air.
In nature, maintaining a stable state requires energy. The rainy season was actually an unstable stable state.
Thunder is a signal showing that limit. It’s the trigger for a phase transition where the system moves to the next stable state.
Lessons for Today
For those of us living in modern times, this proverb teaches the importance of patience and observation.
When facing difficult situations, many people tend to seek immediate solutions. But things have a natural flow and timing.
Situations need a certain process to improve.
What’s especially important is having the observational skills to not miss signs of change.
In work or relationships, there are always some signs when situations start improving.
Small progress, slight responses, changes in how others react. If you can notice these signs, you can keep hope even before things completely turn around.
This proverb also shows the importance of not fearing intense change.
Intense phenomena like thunder seem unsettling at first. But they might actually be signs of improvement.
During the change process, situations sometimes become temporarily unstable. But have the courage to believe that clear skies await beyond that.
The signs of change you feel now are surely the first step toward a bright future.
Comments