006Japanese proverb ことわざ
雨垂れ石を穿つ
あまだれいしをうがつAmadare ishi o ugatsu
“Dripping water wears through stone.”
Word for wordRaindrops from the eaves pierce the stone.
The meaning
A tiny but constant force overcomes hardness. What power cannot do, regularity obtains.
At the origin
A proverb of ancient Chinese origin, fully adopted in Japan.
The characters
In practice
Return to the same difficulty every day: it will yield to wear.
Editorial note
Ancient Chinese origin.