一 生(いっしょう)一 度(いちど)

いっしょういちど

expression

once in a lifetime; once-in-a-lifetime

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(いっしょう)一度(いちど)の経験(けいけん)だった。

It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

結婚式(けっこんしき)は一生(いっしょう)一度(いちど)のことだから、後悔(こうかい)したくない。

A wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event, so I don't want to have regrets.

一生(いっしょう)一度(いちど)のチャンスを逃(のが)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(いっしょう) (one's whole life) and 一度(いちど) (one time). Emphasizes the rarity and irreplaceability of an occasion or opportunity.

Common collocations

一生(いっしょう)一度(いちど)の経験(けいけん): once-in-a-lifetime experience
一生(いっしょう)一度(いちど)のチャンス: once-in-a-lifetime chance
一生(いっしょう)一度(いちど)の思(おも)い出(で): a lifetime memory
一生(いっしょう)一度(いちど)の買(か)い物(もの): a once-in-a-lifetime purchase

Cultural note

Closely related to the tea ceremony concept of 一期一会(いちごいちえ) (one time, one meeting), which teaches that every encounter should be treasured as if it may never happen again.

Similar words

一期一会(いちごいちえ): treasure every encounter — philosophical concept from tea ceremony
一生(いっしょう)に一度(いちど): once in a lifetime — the particle-connected variant with identical meaning
滅多(めった)にない: rare, seldom — describes rarity but without the lifetime emphasis

Related Words

Compare: 一期一会(いちごいちえ) (treasure every encounter)

general

Added 2026.4.8 16:48 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02

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