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空念仏 (そらねんぶつ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
noun
empty words ; lip service ; insincere chanting
Literally 'empty nembutsu', referring to chanting a Buddhist prayer without sincerity. Figuratively, it means saying something without real feeling or commitment, like paying lip service.
念ねん
仏ぶつ
で
は
誰だれ
も
納なっ
得とく
し
ない
。
Mere lip service won't convince anyone.
Kanji 仏 Buddha, the dead, France Similar words 念ねん 仏ぶつ Refers to the actual nembutsu prayer or chanting; 空念仏 adds the nuance of emptiness or insincerity.
口くち 先さき Means 'lip service' or 'superficial words'; 空念仏 is more specific, implying a hollow recitation like a prayer.
Etymology Compound of 空 (そら, 'empty, hollow') and 念仏 (ねんぶつ, 'nembutsu prayer'). The reading からねんぶつ is a variant using the kun'yomi of 空.
