幽玄(ゆうげん)

ゆうげん
noun
profound mystery; subtle elegance; yugen
1. profound mystery; subtle elegance; yugen
A key aesthetic concept in Japanese art and literature, referring to subtle, profound beauty that evokes a sense of mystery and depth beyond what is directly expressed.
能(のう)の世界(せかい)は幽玄(ゆうげん)に満(み)ちている。
The world of Noh theater is full of yugen.
月光(げっこう)に照(て)らされた庭(にわ)は幽玄(ゆうげん)な美(うつく)しさだった。
The moonlit garden had a mysteriously profound beauty.
幽玄(ゆうげん)の美(び)は言葉(ことば)で説明(せつめい)しにくい。
The beauty of yugen is difficult to explain in words.

幽玄(ゆうげん) is a fundamental aesthetic concept in Japanese art.

WORD FORMATION:

  • 幽(ゆう) (faint, profound) + 玄(げん) (mysterious, dark)

CULTURAL CONTEXT:

幽玄(ゆうげん) became central to Japanese aesthetics through Noh theater and waka poetry. It describes beauty that is:

  • Subtle rather than obvious
  • Suggestive rather than explicit
  • Evoking depth and mystery

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 幽玄(ゆうげん)の美(び): the beauty of yugen
  • 幽玄(ゆうげん)な世界(せかい): a world of profound mystery
  • 幽玄(ゆうげん)の境地(きょうち): the realm of yugen

RELATED CONCEPTS:

  • 侘び寂び(わびさび): wabi-sabi (rustic simplicity)
  • 物(もの)の哀(あわ)れ: mono no aware (pathos of things)
general
Added 2026.1.31 11:16
09000/09056_yuugen