倡しょう佯よう

しょ

う

よ

う

Meanings

1

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru'

Literary or archaic word for leisurely wandering or strolling, often with a carefree or aimless nuance. In modern Japanese, 散歩 or ぶらぶら歩く are more common.

彼かれは公こう園えんをしょうようと歩あるいていた。
He was strolling leisurely through the park.
休

きゅう

日じつ

に

は

よく

近きん

所じょ

を

しょうよう

する

。

On holidays I often wander around the neighborhood.

Written forms

倡しょう佯よう
Rare kanji form; the word is almost always written in kana in modern Japanese.
倘しょう佯よう
out-dated kanji form
徜しょう徉よう
out-dated kanji form

Kanji

倡prostitute, actor
佯pretend, feign, false
倘if, supposing, in event of
徜walking and fro, lingering, wander
徉wonder, rove, stray

Similar words

散さん歩ぽ
散歩 is the common, everyday word for a walk or stroll. しょうよう is a literary, somewhat old-fashioned term with a more aimless, wandering nuance.
ぶらぶら
ぶらぶら is a casual, onomatopoeic adverb for strolling or hanging around. しょうよう is more formal and literary.

Etymology

The exact derivation is uncertain; the word is of Chinese origin (Sino-Japanese), using rare kanji that are not in common use. The kana spelling しょうよう is the practical modern form.