272Japanese proverb ことわざ
六十の手習い
ろくじゅうのてならいRokujū no tenarai
“Learning calligraphy at sixty.”
The meaning
There is no age after which learning would be out of place. Starting late is not starting too late — it is starting, and that is all that counts.
At the origin
A proverb of encouragement for late learning.
The characters
- 六十 rokujūsixty
- の noof (link)
- 手習い
のParticleLinks two words: possession or belonging, like “of”.
In practice
The discipline you think is "too late": take its first lesson.