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idiom
Japanese

fall down seven times, get up eight

fawl DOWN SEV-un TYMZ get UP AYT

fɔːl daʊn ˈsɛvən taɪmz ɡɛt ʌp eɪt

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Syllable breakdown

falldownseventimesgetupeight

Dictionary meaning

Resilience and perseverance are the keys to success; no matter how many times you fail, you must continue to rise

History and origin

Japanese proverb: 七転び八起き (nana korobi ya oki); widely adopted in English as a resilience maxim

Examples

  • He failed the bar exam twice but kept the Japanese proverb in mind: fall down seven times, get up eight.
  • The coach told her players that champions fall down seven times and get up eight.

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