A Strong Will Reaches Heaven 一念通天
ichinen tsūten4 characters23 strokes
一念通天 (ichinen tsūten) means that when you pour a strong will into one goal, it reaches heaven and you can accomplish it.
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Meaning 意味
What 一念通天 means
A Japanese four-character idiom, yojijukugo, read ichinen tsūten.
LiterallyOne thought reaches heaven.
一念通天 says that if you devote yourself to one thing with a strong will, your wish will reach heaven and you will achieve it. 一念 is a single, focused thought, and 通天 means it gets through to heaven.
Where it comes from. It is read as a short sentence, 一念、天に通ず (ichinen, ten ni tsūzu), "a single-minded thought reaches heaven."
“I practiced for a whole year with ichinen tsūten in mind, and I finally passed the exam.”
When people write it in Japan. It suits a New Year resolution, or any piece that carries a strong resolve to keep working toward a goal.
Japanese children know every kanji here by 4th grade.
How to write it 書き方
Brush tips for 一念通天
Three things to watch
- Draw 一 rising slightly to the right. Press the brush down firmly at the start and the end, and keep the middle a little thinner.
- In 念, spread the 1st and 2nd strokes, the sweeps to the left and right, wide so they cover the part below.
- In 通, the 10th stroke is the last stroke of the road radical (shinnyō). Sweep it long to the right so the upper part sits on it.
Stroke order
Follow the vermilion stroke, frame by frame.
Stroke order data: KanjiVG by Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0.
How to practice 練習
Trace first, then copy
- PrintPrint both pages at actual size, on US Letter or A4. Page 1 is the model. Page 2 is the tracing sheet.
- TraceTrace the outlines with a brush pen. Or lay thin hanshi paper over the page and trace with brush and ink.
- CopySet the model beside your paper and copy it stroke by stroke. Look at the model more than at your own paper.
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