expression, i-adjective
make the best of a bad situation; turn a setback into an opportunity
Proverb describing someone who never misses a chance to gain something, even from a mishap. Literally 'even if they fall, they don't get up empty-handed'.
彼は転んでもただでは起きない性格で、失敗からも何かを学び取る。
He has a personality that turns every setback into an opportunity, learning something even from failure.
Standard kanji spelling for this proverb.
Variant using the less common kanji 只 for ただ.
したたか describes a tough, shrewd person who is hard to beat, similar to the attitude in this proverb, but it is an adjective, not a set phrase.
A Japanese proverb. The exact origin is uncertain, but it likely arose from everyday observation of resilient behavior.