1.
time; the passage of time
A literary word for time, especially the swift passage of time. Most commonly encountered in the proverb 光陰矢の如し (time flies like an arrow).
光陰矢の如し。
Time flies like an arrow.
Famous proverb equivalent to English "time flies."
光陰は人を待たない。
Time waits for no one.
光陰の流れは速く、あっという間に十年が過ぎた。
The passage of time was swift, and ten years went by in the blink of an eye.
USAGE:
A literary and somewhat classical word. In everyday speech, 時間 or 時 is used instead. 光陰 appears most often in proverbs, essays, and formal writing to evoke a poetic sense of time passing.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Chinese. 光 (light) refers to sunlight (daytime) and 陰 (shadow/dark) refers to the moon (nighttime), together representing the cycle of days and the passage of time.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 光陰矢の如し (time flies like an arrow)
- 光陰を惜しむ (to treasure one's time)
- 光陰の流れ (the flow of time)