202Japanese idiom 四字熟語
泰然自若
たいぜんじじゃくTaizen jijaku
“Calm and equal to oneself, whatever happens.”
The meaning
Remaining yourself in the storm: same voice, same gestures, same judgment. This calm is not indifference — it is a strength that steadies everything around it.
At the origin
A four-character idiom, an ideal of composure in Japanese culture.
The characters
In practice
In the next commotion, deliberately slow your voice and your gestures.
Themes
Similar proverbs
- 063 武士は食わねど高楊枝 Even unfed, the samurai holds his toothpick high.
- 082 我、事において後悔せず In my deeds, I know no regret.
- 178 義を見てせざるは勇なきなり To see what is right and not do it is to lack courage.
- 155 若い時の苦労は買ってでもせよ The hardships of youth — buy them if you must.
- 228 不二ひとつうづみ残して若葉かな The young leaves have buried everything — except, alone, Mount Fuji.