1.
rise and fall; ups and downs; vicissitudes
the fluctuation between success and failure, prosperity and decline
会社の浮沈がかかっている。
The fate of the company hangs in the balance.
Common expression
企業の浮沈は経営者の判断に左右される。
A company's rise and fall depends on the decisions of its management.
業界の浮沈を見てきた人物だ。
He is someone who has witnessed the ups and downs of the industry.
浮沈を繰り返しながら成長してきた企業だ。
It is a company that has grown through repeated ups and downs.
国の浮沈を賭けた戦い。
A battle with the nation's fate at stake.
2.
floating and sinking
the physical act of rising to the surface and sinking
潜水艦の浮沈を調整する。
To adjust the surfacing and submerging of a submarine.
ブイが浮沈を繰り返している。
The buoy is bobbing up and down.
浮沈子の原理を理科の授業で習った。
We learned the principle of the Cartesian diver in science class.
浮沈子 (Cartesian diver) is a classic science experiment demonstrating buoyancy
浮沈 literally means "floating and sinking" and is most commonly used figuratively to describe the rise and fall of organizations, careers, or nations.
COMMON EXPRESSIONS:
- 浮沈がかかっている: the fate is at stake
- 浮沈を共にする: to share the same fate
- 浮沈を繰り返す: to go through repeated ups and downs
COMPOUNDS:
- 浮沈子: Cartesian diver (a science experiment demonstrating buoyancy)
RELATED TERMS:
- 栄枯: prosperity and decline
- 盛衰: rise and fall
- 興亡: rise and fall (of nations)
REGISTER:
A formal, literary word. More common in written Japanese, news, and formal speech than in everyday conversation.
Related Words
Synonym:
栄枯 (prosperity and decline)