040Japanese proverb ことわざ
二兎を追う者は一兎をも得ず
にとをおうものはいっとをもえずNito o ou mono wa itto o mo ezu
“He who chases two hares catches neither.”
The meaning
Divided attention fails twice. To choose is to renounce — and that very renunciation is what gives effort its strength.
At the origin
A proverb of probable Western origin, fully naturalized in Japanese.
The characters
- 二兎 nitotwo hares
- を oobject marker
- 追う outo chase
- 者
- は
- 一兎
- を
- も
- 得ず
をParticleMarks the object: what the action falls upon.
In practice
This week, pursue only one goal at a time.
Editorial note
Probable Western origin, adopted in Japan.