121Japanese proverb ことわざ
隗より始めよ
かいよりはじめよKai yori hajimeyo
“Begin with Kai.”
The meaning
Great projects need a first concrete case — and the nearest is oneself. Starting small, here, now, sets the great in motion.
At the origin
In the Chinese anecdote, the sage Guo Wei advises the talent-seeking king to start by treating well him, the modest one: the great will follow. In Japan the phrase means "start with yourself, with what is near".
The characters
- 隗 KaiKai (proper name)
- より yoristarting from
- 始めよ
In practice
The change you preach: apply it to yourself first.
Editorial note
Chinese anecdote (Stratagems of the Warring States).