Nana Korobi Ya Oki & Grit
I first came across the phrase Fall 7, Rise 8 (literally meaning fall down seven times, get back up eight times) when listening to a summary of Angela Duckworth’s book Grit. You can read our own summary of that book here. Duckworth has famously said if she were ever to get a tattoo, it would be this Fall 7, Rise 8.
There’s an old Japanese saying: ‘Fall seven, rise eight.’ If I were ever to get a tattoo, I’d get these four simple words indelibly inked.
Angela Duckworth
What does “Nana Korobi Ya Oki” actually mean?
OK, so there does seem to be some debate over this. If you think about it deeply enough you’ll already realize that fall 7, rise 8 doesn’t make literal sense. How can you fall 7 times then rise 8 times? Surely you would only rise 7 times. But here’s the thing … it’s a proverb … it doesn’t really need to make sense. Its purpose is to teach, inspire, motivate. It absolutely speaks to the qualities of resilience and grit. That resistance to giving up – that perseverance in the face of adversity. So you choose what it means for you.
Fall7, Rise 8 – two interpretations
Some claim that to Fall 7, Rise 8 means first to rise, then to get knocked down seven times and rise back up again. That adds up to rising eight times, right?. For me this interpretation speaks strongly to the human spirit proclaiming loudly “I will not be defeated!”. You can knock me down as many times as you want and I will get back up again. Every. Single. Time.
Another interpretation is that after being knocked down 7 times and then rising 7 times, you rise one more. You are advancing forward, taking another step. This speaks to me of the determination to advance toward your goal in spite of setbacks.
I personally like to believe both interpretations. What really matters is take hope and inspiration from this simple mantra to keep getting up, time after time after time. When life knocks you down, you rise again.
Nana Korobi Ya Oki – origins and pronunciation
I came across this brilliant explanation by Sarah Kent of the origins (and pronunciation) of the Japanese proverb, Nana Korobi Ya Oki – fall down 7 times, get up 8. I also really love the story behind Daruma-san and the symbolism of the Daruma dolls.
Daruma-san, an ancient Japanese monk, sat in meditation for so long that his legs molded into one and his bottom became rounded so that when he was knocked down he just rolled back up again.
Don’t forget to check out our book “Unbroken: Navigating Life’s Highs and Lows with Resilience and Grit”.