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On'yomi
セイ・ショウ
SEI / SHOU
Kun'yomi
い.きる・い.かす・い.ける・う.まれる・うま.れる・う.まれ・うまれ・う.む・お.う・は.える・は.やす・き・なま・なま-・な.る・な.す・む.す・-う
ikiru / ikasu / ikeru / umareru / umareru / umare / umare / umu / ou / haeru / hayasu / ki / nama / nama / naru / nasu / musu / u

life · genuine · birth

Details

Strokes5
Frequency#29
Radicallife(5)

Stroke Order

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Strokes5

Cultural Context

Etymology

Pictograph of grass sprouting from the ground.

Symbolism

Life, growth, nature. One of most common characters in Japanese names.

Spiritual Meaning

Represents birth and existence of life, spiritual concept questioning preciousness and meaning of living.

Anime & Manga

新世紀エヴァンゲリオン

Neon Genesis Evangelion(1995)

anime

Philosophical mecha anime questioning the meaning of 'life.'

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Games

サバイバルゲーム各種

Survival Games(2010)

全プラットフォーム

Developer: Various

Survival games where the goal is to 'live.'

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Words & Expressions

Four-Character Compounds

一生懸命

いっしょうけんめい

very hard; with utmost effort; as hard as one can; very hard

一切衆生

いっさいしゅじょう

all living creatures; all living creatures

一蓮托生

いちれんたくしょう

sharing one's lot with another; being in the same boat; sharing one's lot with another

起死回生

きしかいせい

revival from the brink of death; recovering from a hopeless situation; resuscitation; revival from the brink of death

九死一生

きゅうしいっしょう

narrow escape from the jaw of death; narrow escape from the jaw of death

後生大事

ごしょうだいじ

with religious zeal; with utmost devotion; take great care of; with religious zeal

人生哲学

じんせいてつがく

philosophy of life; philosophy of life

酔生夢死

すいせいむし

idling one's life away; living to no purpose; idling one's life away

生殺与奪

せいさつよだつ

(having) life-and-death power (over); (having) life-and-death power (over)

生者必滅

しょうじゃひつめつ

all living things must die; all living things must die

耐乏生活

たいぼうせいかつ

hard life; life of austerity; hard life

半死半生

はんしはんしょう

all but dead; half killed; all but dead

無理往生

むりおうじょう

forced compliance; coercion; compulsion; forced compliance

七生報国

しちしょうほうこく

unfailing devotion to one's country; serving one's country for seven lives; unfailing devotion to one's country

適者生存

てきしゃせいぞん

survival of the fittest; survival of the fittest

殺生禁断

せっしょうきんだん

prohibition against hunting and fishing; prohibition against hunting and fishing

極楽往生

ごくらくおうじょう

rebirth in paradise; peaceful death; rebirth in paradise

生存競争

せいぞんきょうそう

struggle for existence; struggle for existence

自力更生

じりきこうせい

working out one's salvation by own efforts; rehabilitating oneself by one's own efforts; rectifying one's ways of life without relying on others' help; working out one's salvation by own efforts

衆生済度

しゅじょうさいど

enlightenment of the masses; leading the masses on the path of enlightenment (Buddhism); enlightenment of the masses

人生行路

じんせいこうろ

journey of life; journey of life

生々世々

しょうじょうせぜ

eternity; forever; through all eternity; eternity

生々流転

せいせいるてん

all things being in flux through the endless circle of birth, death, and rebirth; the circle of transmigration; all things being in flux through the endless circle of birth, death, and rebirth

生死流転

しょうじるてん

all things being in flux through the endless circle of birth, death, and rebirth; the circle of transmigration; all things being in flux through the endless circle of birth, death, and rebirth

生老病死

しょうろうびょうし

the four inevitables in human life (birth, aging, sickness, and death); the four inevitables in human life (birth, aging, sickness, and death)

万死一生

ばんしいっしょう

advancing in the face of death; having a narrow escape from the jaw of death; advancing in the face of death

輪廻転生

りんねてんしょう

all things being in flux through the endless circle of birth, death, and rebirth; the circle of transmigration; all things being in flux through the endless circle of birth, death, and rebirth

一生不犯

いっしょうふぼん

(strict) observance of the Buddhist precept of lifelong celibacy; (strict) observance of the Buddhist precept of lifelong celibacy

一殺多生

いっさつたしょう

it is justifiable to kill one person to save the lives of many; it is justifiable to kill one person to save the lives of many

気韻生動

きいんせいどう

being animated (vivid) with grace (elegance, refinement); being animated (vivid) with grace (elegance, refinement)

後生可畏

こうせいかい

the young should be regarded with respect; the young should be regarded with respect

人生朝露

じんせいちょうろ

man's life vanishes like a dew; a person's life is as fleeting as a morning dew; man's life vanishes like a dew

転生輪廻

てんしょうりんね

all things being in flux through the endless circle of birth, death, and rebirth; the circle of transmigration; all things being in flux through the endless circle of birth, death, and rebirth

十死一生

じっしいっしょう

narrow escape from the jaws of death; there being barely a chance of escaping death; narrow escape from the jaws of death

片利共生

へんりきょうせい

commensalism; commensalism

是生滅法

ぜしょうめっぽう

the law of arising and ceasing; the law of creation and destruction; the law of arising and ceasing

生滅滅已

しょうめつめつい

going beyond life and death and entering Nirvana; going beyond life and death and entering Nirvana

不老長生

ふろうちょうせい

perpetual youth and longevity; long life without growing old; perpetual youth and longevity

Proverbs & Idioms

生きとし生けるもの

いきとしいけるもの

All living things

Every creature that lives

生兵法は大怪我のもと

なまびょうほうはおおけがのもと

A little knowledge is dangerous

Half-baked skills lead to serious mistakes

Poetry

和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

立ち別れ いなばの山の 峰に生ふる まつとし聞かば 今帰り来む

Poem #16 from Hyakunin Isshu

中納言行平Chūnagon Yukihira
9th century
和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

浅茅生の 小野の篠原 しのぶれど あまりてなどか 人の恋しき

Poem #39 from Hyakunin Isshu

参議等Sangi Hitoshi
10th century

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