空くう空くう寂じゃく寂じゃく

Meanings

noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', taru-adjective, adverb taking the 'to' particle

deserted and lonesome; quiet and alone; innocent and nonattached; All is void

archaicyojijukugo (four-character idiom)

Archaic yojijukugo with Buddhist overtones. Describes a state of emptiness and solitude, either physically deserted or spiritually detached. The gloss 'All is void' reflects a Buddhist concept of emptiness. Rare in modern Japanese; encountered mainly in classical literature or Zen contexts.

古こ寺じのあたりは空くう空くう寂じゃく寂じゃくとして、人ひと影かげもなかった。
The area around the old temple was deserted and lonesome, with no sign of people.
禅ぜんの境きょう地ちでは、心こころは空くう空くう寂じゃく寂じゃくとして何なにものにもとらわれない。
In the Zen state of mind, the heart is innocent and nonattached, free from all clinging.

Kanji

空empty, sky, void
寂loneliness, quietly, mellow

Related words

寂せき寥りょう
寂寥 also means loneliness or desolation, but is less explicitly Buddhist and more literary. 空空寂寂 emphasizes a state of void-like emptiness.
空くう寂じゃく
空寂 is a shorter Buddhist term for emptiness and tranquility, similar in meaning but without the reduplicative emphasis of 空空寂寂.

Written forms

空くう空くう寂じゃく寂じゃく
Archaic yojijukugo; the shinjitai form 空々寂々 is also attested but less common in modern texts.
空くう々くう寂じゃく々じゃく
Shinjitai variant of 空空寂寂; both are rare and archaic.

Etymology

A yojijukugo of Chinese origin, combining 空 (emptiness) and 寂 (tranquility, loneliness) in reduplicated form. The exact historical derivation is uncertain; it is associated with Buddhist concepts of voidness and detachment.