140Japanese idiom 四字熟語
質実剛健
しつじつごうけんShitsujitsu gōken
“Sincere simplicity, quiet strength.”
Word for wordPlain and true, firm and robust.
The meaning
Without ornament or pose: true, solid things built to last. An ideal of character as much as of craft — less adornment, more substance.
At the origin
A four-character idiom, a frequent motto of Japanese schools and institutions.
The characters
In practice
Remove one ornament — from a text, an object, a habit — and keep the solid.
Themes
In the collections · Kanso