森羅万象(しんらばんしょう)

FOUR-CHARACTER IDIOM (四字熟語(よじじゅくご)):
森羅(しんら) (dense, countless things) + 万象(ばんしょう) (myriad phenomena)

Etymology

• 森(しん): forest, dense
• 羅(ら): net, to spread out
• 万(ばん): ten thousand, myriad
• 象(しょう): phenomenon, form

Derived from Buddhist philosophy, particularly the concept that all things are interconnected and part of one universal whole.

Usage

Used in philosophical, religious, or literary contexts to refer to the totality of existence. Common in discussions of Buddhism, Shinto, or nature.

Cultural connection

Relates to the Japanese concept of 万物(ばんぶつ) (all things) and the Shinto belief that spirits (神(かみ)) inhabit all natural phenomena.

Similar words

• 万物(ばんぶつ): all things
• 宇宙(うちゅう): the universe
• 天地万物(てんちばんぶつ): all things in heaven and earth