1.
lust; sexual desire; carnal desire
Strong sexual desire or craving, often with a negative or moralistic connotation. Originally a Buddhist term referring to one of the worldly desires that lead to suffering.
色欲に溺れる。
To drown in lust.
色欲は仏教で煩悩の一つとされている。
Lust is considered one of the worldly desires in Buddhism.
その王は色欲に目がくらみ、国を滅ぼしたと伝えられている。
It is said that the king was blinded by lust and brought his kingdom to ruin.
A literary and somewhat formal term rooted in Buddhist philosophy. 色 here refers to physical/sensory phenomena (particularly related to the body and sexuality), and 欲 means desire or craving. In Buddhism, 色欲 is one of the 五欲 (five desires) that bind humans to the cycle of suffering.
In modern Japanese, the word carries a strong negative or moralizing tone and appears most often in literary, religious, or historical contexts rather than casual conversation.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 色欲に溺れる: to drown in lust
- 色欲に目がくらむ: to be blinded by lust
- 色欲を抑える: to suppress lustful desires
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 性欲: sexual desire — neutral, clinical term without moral judgment
- 欲望: desire, craving — broader, covering all types of desire
- 煩悩: worldly desires — Buddhist term for all earthly cravings