1.
sense of impermanence; feeling of transience
an awareness or emotional sense that all things are fleeting and nothing lasts forever, a key concept in Japanese aesthetics and Buddhist philosophy
桜を見ると無常感を感じる。
Looking at cherry blossoms, I feel a sense of impermanence.
平家物語には深い無常感が漂っている。
A deep sense of impermanence pervades The Tale of the Heike.
戦争を経験した祖父は、人生の無常感をよく語っていた。
My grandfather, who experienced the war, often spoke about the transience of life.
Composed of 無常 (impermanence, a Buddhist concept) and 感 (feeling, sense). Refers to the emotional or aesthetic awareness that all things in life are temporary. This concept is central to Japanese literature, art, and philosophy.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 無常感を感じる: to feel a sense of impermanence
- 無常感が漂う: for a sense of impermanence to pervade
- 深い無常感: a deep sense of transience
CULTURAL NOTE:
The Buddhist concept of 無常 (impermanence) has profoundly influenced Japanese culture. The famous opening of 平家物語 — 祇園精舎の鐘の声、諸行無常の響きあり — encapsulates this sentiment. Cherry blossoms, autumn leaves, and other seasonal imagery are traditionally appreciated as expressions of this transience.
RELATED TERMS:
- 無常: impermanence — the core Buddhist concept
- 諸行無常: all things are impermanent — the Buddhist teaching itself
- 儚さ: ephemerality, fleeting nature — a more emotional, literary term
- 物の哀れ: the pathos of things — a related aesthetic concept emphasizing sensitivity to beauty and sadness