A1 Proverb Neutre

人生山あり谷あり

Jinsei yama ari tani ari

Life has mountains and valleys

Phrase in 30 Seconds

A comforting way to describe the natural fluctuations of life's successes and challenges.

  • Means: Life consists of both good times (mountains) and bad times (valleys).
  • Used in: Consoling friends, reflecting on career changes, or discussing personal growth.
  • Don't confuse: It is not used to describe physical terrain, only metaphorical life paths.
Mountain (success) + Valley (failure) = Balanced life perspective

Explanation at your level:

This phrase means life has good and bad times. We use it to say that bad things will pass and good things will come back.
It describes the natural cycle of life. Just as mountains go up and valleys go down, our lives have successes and failures. It is a very common way to encourage someone.
This proverb is used to express the inevitability of change. It serves as a philosophical reminder that life is not a straight line, but a series of peaks and troughs that everyone must navigate.
The phrase functions as a metaphorical framework for resilience. By framing life as a landscape, it encourages the speaker to maintain a long-term perspective, acknowledging that current hardships are merely a 'valley' in the broader topography of one's existence.
This idiom encapsulates the Japanese aesthetic of 'mujo' or impermanence. It is a linguistic tool for emotional regulation, allowing speakers to externalize their struggles by situating them within a cyclical, naturalistic worldview that transcends individual experience.
At a near-native level, this phrase is understood as a cultural shorthand for stoicism. It functions as a cognitive frame that mitigates the impact of negative events by contextualizing them as necessary components of a complete life, reflecting a deeply ingrained societal preference for balance and emotional restraint.

Signification

Life has its ups and downs.

🌍

Contexte culturel

The phrase is often used in New Year's greetings or speeches to acknowledge the hardships of the past year while looking forward to the next. Similar concepts exist in Chinese culture, emphasizing the balance of Yin and Yang.

💡

Use it for comfort

This is a great phrase to use when someone is feeling down about a minor setback.

Signification

Life has its ups and downs.

💡

Use it for comfort

This is a great phrase to use when someone is feeling down about a minor setback.

Teste-toi

Fill in the missing part of the proverb.

人生山あり＿＿あり。

✓ Correct ! ✗ Pas tout à fait. Rponse correcte : 谷

The idiom is 'yama ari tani ari'.

🎉 Score : /1

Aides visuelles

Questions fréquentes

1 questions

It is neutral and can be used in most situations.

Expressions liées

🔗

七転び八起き

similar

Fall seven times, stand up eight.

Où l'utiliser

🫂

Comforting a friend

A: 最近、悪いことばかりだよ。

B: 人生山あり谷ありだよ。元気出して！

informal
💼

Reflecting on a career

A: この10年、いろいろあったね。

B: 本当に。人生山あり谷ありだね。

neutral

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Imagine a hiker climbing a mountain (success) and then walking through a deep valley (failure).

Visual Association

A line graph of a heartbeat or a mountain range drawn on a piece of paper.

Story

Kenji lost his job. He felt sad. His friend said, 'Don't worry, life is like a mountain and a valley.' Kenji realized the valley is just a place to rest before the next climb.

Word Web

山 (mountain)谷 (valley)人生 (life)経験 (experience)変化 (change)忍耐 (patience)

Défi

Write down one 'mountain' and one 'valley' from your last month in Japanese.

In Other Languages

Spanish high

La vida tiene sus altibajos.

The Spanish term 'altibajos' is a single compound word.

French high

La vie est faite de hauts et de bas.

French uses 'made of' (est faite de) rather than the 'existence' (あり) structure.

German high

Das Leben hat seine Höhen und Tiefen.

German uses abstract nouns rather than the concrete geographical imagery.

Japanese partial

七転び八起き (Nana korobi ya oki)

This phrase focuses on the action of recovery, whereas 'yama ari tani ari' focuses on the state of life.

Arabic moderate

الحياة يوم لك ويوم عليك

Arabic emphasizes the 'luck' or 'fate' aspect more than the 'landscape' aspect.

Easily Confused

人生山あり谷あり vs 山を越える

Learners think it means 'life's ups and downs'.

This means 'to pass the peak' or 'to get over the worst part'.

FAQ (1)

It is neutral and can be used in most situations.

C'tait utile ?

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