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Bundle 34: A Taste of Transience

Buddhist views of impermanence once influenced words for "fragile life," words that include 浮. Later, a fear of death inspired living hedonistically in the "floating world"; related terms again feature 浮 (as "transient"). Because bubbles vanish without a trace, 泡 figures into words for "short-lived company" and "fringe candidate" (one who quickly disappears). Dreams (夢) slip away every day, and several words for "fleeting" combine 泡 and 夢. Similarly, dew evaporates, and one famous poem likens the poet's vanishing life to dew (露) and compares his world to a dream (夢).
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浮
float
JOK: 1752
See what role 浮 plays in dejection and in happiness so intense that it causes accidents. Find out what "loose teeth" means figuratively. Learn to say 'I feel out of place,' 'The tree stands out against the sky,' and 'He's cheating.' Discover what floated in the "Floating World" of Edo. Inspire memories and ideas by combining body parts with 浮. Also learn about maglev trains in Japan!
泡
bubble
JOK: 1795
Learn to talk about bubble baths, soapsuds, frothy waves, and whipped cream, as well as many types of alcohol, from bubbling champagne, foaming beer, and sparkling wine to happoshu, Hoppy mixed with shochu, and awamori. Find out what it means to "eat bubbles." Also discover ways of saying that efforts are in vain or that things (including companies) are as short-lived as bubbles.
夢
dream
JOK: 1844
Find out how to talk about sweet dreams, nightmares, and the daydreams you have while studying kanji. Learn to say, "I sacrificed the present moment for the future," "My dream finally came true," and "Never did I dream that ...," as well as "I'm crazy for kanji"! See how the Japanese neutralize inauspicious dreams and which part of a Tokyo temple was built as the result of a sleep dream.
露
public; dew
JOK: 1935
Learn how 露 connects to everything from dew to lightning, from Russia to Peru, from weddings to poetry, from sumo to kabuki, from teahouse gardens and high-quality green tea to edible locusts, from street vendors to open-air baths, from exposure of secrets to showing one’s true colors, from debuting songs to demonstrating karate skills, from photography to transience, and still more!
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