noun
favor; grace; special patronage
Refers to receiving special favor or grace from a superior, especially a monarch or high-ranking person. Archaic and literary; in modern Japanese, 寵愛 (ちょうあい) or 恩恵 (おんけい) are more common.
寵幸を賜ることは、臣下にとってこの上ない名誉であった。
Receiving the sovereign's favor was the greatest honor for a retainer.
古典文学では、帝の寵幸をめぐる争いがよく描かれる。
In classical literature, struggles over the emperor's favor are often depicted.
Compound of 寵 (ちょう, 'favor, affection') and 幸 (こう, 'happiness, good fortune'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the combination conveys the idea of being blessed with a superior's favor.