1.
like a revolving lantern; memories flashing before one's eyes
A figurative expression describing the rapid succession of vivid memories, especially in moments of extreme danger, emotion, or reflection. Derived from the spinning images of a traditional revolving lantern.
思い出が走馬灯のように浮かんだ。
Memories flashed before my eyes like a revolving lantern.
事故の瞬間、人生が走馬灯のように駆け巡った。
At the moment of the accident, my life flashed before my eyes like a revolving lantern.
卒業式の日、学校生活の思い出が走馬灯のように次々と蘇ってきた。
On graduation day, memories of school life came flooding back one after another like a revolving lantern.
A 走馬灯 is a traditional revolving lantern (回り灯籠) that projects spinning silhouette images when the candle inside creates a rising air current. The expression 走馬灯のように describes memories flowing in rapid, vivid succession — similar to English "life flashing before one's eyes."
This is one of the most well-known literary expressions in Japanese and appears frequently in novels, manga, and anime, especially in dramatic near-death or deeply emotional scenes.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 走馬灯のように駆け巡る: to flash through (one's mind)
- 走馬灯のように蘇る: to come flooding back
- 走馬灯のように浮かぶ: to float up (in one's mind)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 走馬灯: revolving lantern — the literal object; also used alone figuratively
- フラッシュバック: flashback — a loanword for sudden vivid recall, often of traumatic events
- 回想: recollection, reminiscence — a calmer, deliberate act of looking back at the past