turn everything to profit; make the best of a bad situation
Proverb describing a person who never misses a chance to gain something, even from a mishap. Literally 'even if he falls, he doesn't get up empty-handed'.
See also: 転んでもただでは起きない
He's the type who turns everything to profit, learning something even from his failures.
With a 'never get up empty-handed' spirit, he turned a crisis into an opportunity.
Standard kanji spelling for this proverb.
Variant using the kanji 只 for ただ.
A Japanese proverb. The exact origin is uncertain, but it reflects a traditional pragmatic mindset.