人事を尽くして天命を待つ

Japanese

Kanji in this term
人	事	尽	天	命	待
じん Grade: 1	じ Grade: 3	つ Grade: S	てん Grade: 1	めい Grade: 3	ま Grade: 3
kan’on	goon	kun’yomi	kan’on		kun’yomi

Alternative spelling
人事を盡くして天命を待つ (kyūjitai)

Etymology

Partial calque of Literary Chinese 盡人事，聽天命 (jìn rénshì, tīng tiānmìng). Originally read as 人事を尽くして天命に聴す (jinji o tsukushite tenmei ni makasu) in kanbun kundoku.

Literally "exhausting man's deeds, waiting for God's will", in which the back-formation of this form in pseudo-kanbun would be 盡人事，待天命.

Proverb

人(じん)事(じ)を尽(つ)くして天(てん)命(めい)を待(ま)つ • (jinji o tsukushite tenmei o matsu) 

1. to do one's level best and leave the rest to God's will; man proposes, God disposes