207Japanese proverb ことわざ
勝負は時の運
しょうぶはときのうんShōbu wa toki no un
“The outcome of a contest belongs also to the hour.”
Word for wordVictory is the fortune of the moment.
The meaning
One can do everything right and lose, everything wrong and win: the share of circumstance is real. This thought keeps winners modest and losers whole.
At the origin
A proverb of the martial arts and of games, quoted after honorable defeats.
The characters
- 勝負 shōbucontest
- は watopic marker
- 時
- の
- 運
はParticleMarks the topic: what the sentence is about — “as for…”.
In practice
Judge your efforts by what depended on you — leave the rest to the moment.