How to Read “Seven times floating and sinking”
Ukishizumi shichido
Meaning of “Seven times floating and sinking”
“Seven times floating and sinking” teaches that life naturally brings both good times and bad times in turns. The proverb emphasizes the importance of standing up again and again without giving up when facing difficulties.
This proverb assumes that life never goes smoothly all the time. Success and failure, good fortune and bad luck repeat like waves.
What matters most is not despairing when you sink. You must believe you can float again and keep trying. One failure doesn’t end everything. The proverb shows hope that chances for recovery come again and again.
People use this saying to encourage someone who has experienced setbacks. It also gives hope to people in difficult situations.
When you face hardship yourself, you can recall these words for support. Even in modern society, this proverb gives courage when facing business failures, relationship troubles, or various trials.
It reminds you that “even if you’re sinking now, you will surely float again.”
Origin and Etymology
No clear written records explain the origin of “Seven times floating and sinking.” However, we can make interesting observations by examining the parts of this phrase.
First, “floating and sinking” describes how things on water move up and down with the waves. The sight of boats or wooden pieces rocking between waves has long been used as a metaphor for life’s instability.
This expression visually represents unstable conditions and unpredictable changes. It has taken deep root in Japanese sensibility.
The number “seven times” carries special meaning. In Japanese culture, “seven” is not just a number. It symbolically represents “many repetitions” or “a complete number of times.”
Many proverbs include the number seven. Examples include “fall down seven times, stand up eight” and “ask seven times before doubting a person.”
“Seven times” doesn’t literally mean exactly seven occurrences. It expresses “many times in life” or “repeatedly occurring.” Not just once or twice, but not infinite either.
The number seven captures the sense of “many times” that people can actually understand. In Japan, surrounded by seas and rivers, the movement of water combined with numerical symbolism likely gave birth to this expression.
Usage Examples
- My business failed, but life is seven times floating and sinking, so I’ll try again
- She has overcome difficulties many times, so she embodies seven times floating and sinking
Universal Wisdom
The proverb “Seven times floating and sinking” has been passed down through generations. Behind it lies the conflict between humanity’s instinctive “expectation of permanence” and “the reality of impermanence.”
Everyone wishes good conditions would last forever. Everyone hopes bad conditions are only temporary. But real life never follows such a simple straight line.
After success comes carelessness. After failure comes learning. This repetition is the essence of human growth.
The deep wisdom of this proverb lies in accepting “sinking” as part of life. Many people fear failure and hardship as “things that shouldn’t happen.”
But our ancestors stood on the premise that “sinking will naturally occur.” This shift in perspective transforms despair into hope.
Even more interesting is how this proverb shows trust in human resilience. It says “no matter how many times you sink, you will float again.”
Humans naturally possess the power to recover from difficulties. If you can believe in that power, you can overcome any adversity.
Our ancestors expressed this universal truth by overlaying it with the natural phenomenon of waves. Change itself is the normal state.
The power to survive through that change is the essence of being human. This is what the proverb teaches.
When AI Hears This
Imagine an experiment where you drop sand grains one by one onto a sand pile. At first, the pile just grows taller. But when it reaches a certain height, small collapses begin.
Continue further, and occasionally large avalanches occur. Surprisingly, the frequency of these small and large collapses follows mathematical regularity.
The system naturally settles into a delicate balance state that is “prone to collapse but doesn’t collapse too much.” This is called a critical state.
Life’s ups and downs may have the same structure. As you accumulate successful experiences, they pile up like a sand mountain. But at the same time, instability increases.
Eventually small failures occur, and sometimes major setbacks visit. What’s important here is that “seven times” may not be just a metaphor.
It might suggest the optimal number of failures for a system to learn and grow most efficiently.
In machine learning research, moderate noise and failures are known to improve a system’s generalization performance. Without any failures, overfitting occurs and the system cannot adapt to new situations.
In other words, a life without ups and downs is like a low sand pile that hasn’t reached a critical state. It remains stagnant while holding great potential for growth.
Only by continuing to add grains without fearing collapse can a person reach the most creative and adaptable critical state.
Lessons for Today
This proverb teaches modern people “how to hold a mindset that doesn’t fear change.” In modern society, social media shows us others’ successes constantly. We tend to take our own failures and stagnation too seriously.
But life naturally goes up and down repeatedly.
What matters is knowing that even when you feel you’re in a “sinking period,” it won’t last forever. Conversely, if you’re in a “floating period” now, you need humility and readiness for the next change.
Understanding that both states are temporary brings peace of mind.
Specifically, develop the habit of viewing difficulties objectively as “part of life’s ups and downs.” Rather than getting emotionally depressed, calmly accept that “I’m sinking now, but the time to float will come.”
With that perspective, you can take the next step without despair.
Your life will definitely have ups and downs. That’s not weakness. It’s proof you’re alive.
When you sink, remember this proverb. You have the power to float again, as many times as needed.
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