When your friend is not sure about her efforts and is thinking of taking an easy way out in her reckless haste, you say…
「一生懸命」 issho kenmei
言い訳もせず、ズルもせず、とにかくがんばるしかないでしょ。一生懸命やっていれば、いつか報われるから。
iiwake mo sezu, zuru mo sezu, tonikaku gambarushika naidesho. isshokemmei yatteireba, itsuka mukuwarerukara.
With no excuses, without cutting corners, just do your best, believing all the hard work will eventually pay off.
一生：a lifetime
懸命：devotedly, desperately, to commit one’s whole life
Originally, 一所懸命
一所：one place, one plot of land
懸命：devotedly, desperately, to commit one’s whole life
After establishing the new military headquarters (what is referred to as the shogunate) in Kamakura, the first shogun laid out the feudal system. Under the system, the shogun guaranteed the ownership of land; in return, samurai warriors pledged their loyalty and work hard to secure their land. Over time, the emphasis on securing land has changed into that on a once-in-a-lifetime significance or effort. There has been the strong undertone of feudal loyalty and moral integrity throughout the ages, even in these modern days.
幕府と呼ばれる武家政権を鎌倉に確立した後、将軍は封建制度を整えた。将軍が所領を保証する代わりに武士たちは忠誠を誓い、土地の確保に励んだ。やがて、所領確保から、一生に一度ぐらいの重要性や努力を強調するようになった。それ以来、現代においても、封建的な忠誠心や、正直さを強調する流れが続いている。
