幽玄(ゆうげん)

ゆうげん
noun
profound mystery; subtle elegance; yugen
formalcultureart
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.

Common collocations

Cultural note

  • A central ideal of medieval Japanese aesthetics, developed in waka poetics and made the guiding principle of Noh by Zeami. It values beauty that is suggested rather than stated: depth, dimness, and what lies beyond words.

Related words

Related Words

Related: 侘(わ)び寂(さ)び (wabi-sabi)
Related: 物の哀れ (mono no aware)
general
Added 2026.1.31 11:16 · Revised 2026.9.30 2:54
09000/09056_yuugen