noun
Archaic term for the cyclical increase and decrease of the moon, or metaphorically for the rise and fall of fortunes. Not used in modern Japanese.
古い漢詩では、月の虧盈を人生の浮き沈みにたとえることがある。
In old Chinese-style poetry, the waxing and waning of the moon is sometimes likened to the ups and downs of life.