有う象ぞう無む象ぞう

う

ぞ

う

む

ぞ

う

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

noun

mob; rabble; riffraff; the masses

yojijukugo (four-character idiom)

Derogatory term for a disorderly crowd or the common masses, often implying lack of individuality or worth. Used in literary or critical contexts.

街まちには有う象ぞう無む象ぞうが溢あふれていた。
The streets were overflowing with riffraff.

彼かれは有う象ぞう無む象ぞうの一人ひとりに過すぎない。

He is nothing more than one of the faceless masses.

2

noun

all things in nature; the whole creation

yojijukugo (four-character idiom)Buddhism

Original Buddhist meaning: all phenomena, both with and without form. Rare in modern Japanese outside specialized or historical contexts.

有う象ぞう無む象ぞうは仏ぶっ教きょう用よう語ごで、形かたちあるものと形かたちなきものすべてを指さす。
Uzōmuzō is a Buddhist term referring to all things, both with and without form.

Written forms

有う象ぞう無む象ぞう
Standard kanji spelling for this yojijukugo.
有う相ぞう無む相ぞう
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form, mainly in Buddhist contexts.

Kanji

有possess, have, exist
象elephant, pattern after, imitate
無nothingness, none, ain't
相inter-, mutual, together

Similar words

大たい衆しゅう
大衆 is a neutral term for 'the masses' or 'general public', while 有象無象 is derogatory and literary.
烏う合ごうの衆しゅう
烏合の衆 also means a disorderly mob, but emphasizes lack of organization; 有象無象 stresses worthlessness and facelessness.

Etymology

A yojijukugo derived from Buddhist terminology, combining 有 (existence/form) and 無 (non-existence/formlessness) with 象 (phenomena) and 相 (aspects). Originally referred to all things in the universe, both tangible and intangible. The modern derogatory sense developed from the idea of an undifferentiated mass.