万事开头难

You started learning Chinese last week. You can barely say hello. It feels impossible. You’re tempted to quit.

This proverb says: that feeling? That’s normal. That’s the beginning. It won’t always be this hard.

The Characters

• 万 (wàn): Ten thousand, all, every
• 事 (shì): Thing, matter, affair
• 开 (kāi): To open, start, begin
• 头 (tóu): Head, beginning
• 难 (nán): Difficult, hard

万事 — ten thousand things, meaning everything, all matters.

开头 — opening the head, meaning the beginning, the start.

难 — difficult.

The structure is simple: Everything + beginning + hard. No qualifiers. No exceptions. Every single thing is hardest at its start.

Where It Comes From

This proverb appears in the Records of the Grand Historian (史记), written by Sima Qian around 94 BCE. In the “Biography of Li Guang,” Sima Qian quotes an earlier saying: “In all things, the beginning is difficult” (凡事为无其始最难).

The full proverb 万事开头难 gained popularity during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) and became a common saying by the Song Dynasty. It appears in the poetry of Lu You (1125-1210), who wrote: “万事开头难，更上一层楼” — “All things are difficult at the beginning, then you ascend another floor.”

The proverb has been quoted continuously for over a thousand years, used by scholars, merchants, and ordinary people to encourage perseverance through the initial struggles of any endeavor.

The Philosophy

The Asymmetry of Beginnings

Starting requires enormous energy for minimal output. A rocket uses most of its fuel in the first few minutes. A boulder needs the most force to start rolling. The beginning is where inertia is strongest — not because you’re weak, but because physics demands it.

The Universality of Struggle

Notice the proverb says 万事 — all things. Not “some things” or “hard things.” Everything. Learning to cook, starting a business, learning a language, forming a habit, building a relationship. The difficulty of beginning isn’t a sign you’ve chosen wrong. It’s a sign you’re beginning.

The Temporariness of Difficulty

If the beginning is hard, then by definition, what comes after is easier. The proverb contains a hidden promise: this difficulty is temporary. The struggle of starting will pass. What feels impossible now will become routine.

Permission to Struggle

Western culture often says “if it’s hard, you’re doing it wrong.” This proverb says the opposite: if it’s hard, you’re exactly where you should be. Struggle in the beginning isn’t failure. It’s the tax every endeavor charges at the door.

Cross-Cultural Parallels

The English say “well begun is half done” — but that emphasizes importance rather than difficulty. The Japanese have shoshin (beginner’s mind), which Zen philosophy treats as an opportunity. The Chinese proverb is more honest: starting feels terrible. That’s normal. Keep going.

Aristotle wrote that “the beginning is the most important part of the work.” Again, importance. The Chinese version validates the emotional experience instead — yes, this is hard. That’s the point.

When Chinese Speakers Use It

Scenario 1: Encouraging someone starting something new

“I just started learning to code. I feel so stupid. Everyone else seems to get it.”

“万事开头难. They all felt stupid at first too. You’re just in the hard part. It gets easier.”

Scenario 2: Explaining your own struggles

“How was your first month at the new job?”

“万事开头难. Lots of confusion, lots of mistakes. But I’m starting to get the hang of it.”

Scenario 3: Parenting

A child frustrated with learning to write: “I can’t do it! My letters are ugly!”

Parent: “万事开头难. Remember when you couldn’t walk? Now you run. This is the same. Ugly letters now, beautiful letters later.”

Scenario 4: Business context

“The first year of our startup was brutal. We almost quit.”

“万事开头难. Every business owner says the same. The first year breaks most people. You made it through.”

Tattoo Advice

Good choice — honest, encouraging, universally relatable.

Strengths:

1. Honest: Doesn’t promise easy. Acknowledges reality.
2. Encouraging: The difficulty is normal, not a sign of failure.
3. Universal: Everyone has experienced this.
4. Hopeful: Implies it gets easier.
5. Short: 5 characters.

Length considerations:

5 characters. Very short. Fits anywhere — wrist, ankle, behind ear, ribcage.

No need to shorten: Already minimal.

Design considerations:

The proverb is abstract, but the concept of “beginning” could be represented through sunrise imagery, a sprouting seed, or the first stroke of a calligraphy brush.

Some people incorporate it with imagery of mountains (the beginning of a climb is hardest) or water (the source of a river is often the steepest).

Tone:

This is a patient, realistic proverb. It’s about accepting difficulty without being defeated by it. The energy is steady and resilient.

Alternatives:

• 千里之行，始于足下 — “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” (8 characters, same theme, more famous)
• 只要功夫深，铁杵磨成针 — “If you work hard enough, an iron pestle can be ground into a needle” (10 characters, about persistence)
• 不怕慢，就怕站 — “Don’t fear slow, fear standing still” (6 characters, related theme)