Four-Character Idiom · Conviction & Will · Kyojuro Rengoku
Meaning
A will that will neither bend (撓) nor yield (屈), no matter the difficulty or setback. The doubled negation emphasises absolute resistance.
強い意志を持ち、どんな困難や挫折にも決して心が折れないこと。
The Kyojuro Rengoku line
Verbatim from the source article
「心を燃やせ歯を喰いしばって前を向け」
"KEEP YOUR HEART BURNING, GRIT YOUR TEETH AND MOVE FORWARD."
Why it fits Kyojuro Rengoku
Rengoku's catchphrase "Keep your heart burning" is the modern Japanese voicing of this ancient idiom. The phrase comes from his dying breath but he repeats it as a teaching — a virtue meant to be inherited by those who survive him.
Cultural note
Origin in classical / Buddhist / Confucian tradition
From classical Chinese texts about scholar-officials who refused to bend under political persecution. The bookend doubling — 不…不… — is a classical rhetorical device emphasising totality.
Sources
- デジタル大辞泉 — 不撓不屈 (dictionary)
- 精選版 日本国語大辞典 — 不撓不屈 (dictionary)