A Focused Mind Achieves Anything 精神一到
seishin ittō4 characters32 strokes
精神一到 (seishin ittō) means that if you focus your whole mind on one thing, you can achieve it, however difficult it is.
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Meaning 意味
What 精神一到 means
A Japanese four-character idiom, yojijukugo, read seishin ittō.
LiterallyThe spirit, gathered as one.
精神一到 says that when you gather your whole mind and put it to one task, even very hard things can be done. It is a classic motto for study and training.
Where it comes from. It comes from the Zhuzi Yulei, the recorded sayings of the Chinese scholar Zhu Xi: "When the spirit is focused as one, what cannot be achieved?"
“I went into the exam with seishin ittō and stayed focused to the very last question.”
When people write it in Japan. It suits a New Year goal, or a piece about doing your best in study or lessons.
Japanese students learn the last of these kanji in junior high school.
How to write it 書き方
Brush tips for 精神一到
Three things to watch
- In 精, keep the rice radical on the left (komehen) narrow and slim. Give 青 on the right plenty of room.
- Because 一 has so few strokes, write it thick and firm across the full width so it is not outdone by the other three characters.
- In 到, bring the 8th stroke of 刂 on the right, the long vertical, straight down. Finish with a flick to the upper left.
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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