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他生の縁 (たしょうのえん) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

他た生しょうの縁えん

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しょ

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Meanings

1

expression, noun

karma from a previous life; predestined affinity

Buddhist expression meaning that even chance encounters are the result of karma from past lives. Often used in the full proverb 袖振り合うも他生の縁.

See also: 袖振り合うも他生の縁

袖そで振ふり合あうも他た生しょうの縁えんというから、知しらない人ひとにも親しん切せつにしよう。
They say even a chance meeting is due to karma from a previous life, so let's be kind even to strangers.

こうして出で会あえたのも他た生しょうの縁えんですね。

Meeting like this must be due to some karmic connection, don't you think?

Written forms

他た生しょうの縁えん
Standard kanji spelling for this Buddhist-derived expression.
多た生しょうの縁えん
Variant spelling using 多生, also seen in Buddhist contexts.
多た少しょうの縁えん
irregular kanji usage
Irregular kanji usage; 多少 normally means 'more or less', so this spelling is confusing and rarely used.

Kanji

他other, another, the others
生life, genuine, birth
縁affinity, relation, connection
多many, frequent, much
少few, little

Similar words

袖そで振ふり合あうも他た生しょうの縁えん
The full proverb form; more explicitly states that even brushing sleeves with someone is a karmic connection.
縁えん
General term for fate, destiny, or connection; 他生の縁 specifically refers to a bond originating from a past life.

Etymology

From Buddhist thought, literally 'karmic connection from another life'. 他生 means 'other/previous life' and 縁 means 'affinity' or 'connection'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the phrase is well-established in Japanese proverbial usage.