KANAE
083Japanese proverb ことわざ

蒔かぬ種は生えぬ

Makanu tane wa haenu

“The unsown seed does not grow.”

The meaning

Hoping without acting is awaiting a harvest without sowing. Results have causes, and causes are called deeds.

At the origin

Farming wisdom among the oldest in the Japanese corpus.

The characters

  1. 蒔かぬ makanuunsown
  2. 種 taneseed
  3. は
  4. 生えぬ

The complete word-by-word reading, in KANAE.

In practice

For every wish, sow something this week: a call, an hour, an attempt.

Themes

In the collections · Kaizen

Similar proverbs

  1. 042 A kite can give birth to a hawk.
  2. 044 The doctor neglects his own health.
  3. 088 To ask is a moment's shame; not to ask is a lifetime's shame.
  4. 154 Hardship is the seed of joy.
  5. 173 Honesty is the treasure of a lifetime.

Related expressions

  1. 304 Bloom where you were sown.
  2. 290 Japanese poetry has the human heart as its seed, from which grow myriad leaves of words.
  3. 184 To gain one life out of nine deaths.
  4. 185 Bringing back to life what seemed dead.

See also