1.
once in a lifetime; a unique and unrepeatable occasion
Describes something that happens only once in one's entire life, or an opportunity so rare that it should be treated with great importance.
一生一度の経験だった。
It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
結婚式は一生一度のことだから、後悔したくない。
A wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event, so I don't want to have regrets.
一生一度のチャンスを逃すわけにはいかない。
I can't afford to let a once-in-a-lifetime chance slip away.
A four-character expression composed of 一生 (one's whole life) and 一度 (one time). Emphasizes the rarity and irreplaceability of an occasion or opportunity.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 一生一度の経験: once-in-a-lifetime experience
- 一生一度のチャンス: once-in-a-lifetime chance
- 一生一度の思い出: a lifetime memory
- 一生一度の買い物: a once-in-a-lifetime purchase
CULTURAL NOTE:
Closely related to the tea ceremony concept of 一期一会 (one time, one meeting), which teaches that every encounter should be treasured as if it may never happen again.
SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS:
- 一期一会: treasure every encounter — philosophical concept from tea ceremony
- 一生に一度: once in a lifetime — the particle-connected variant with identical meaning
- 滅多にない: rare, seldom — describes rarity but without the lifetime emphasis