一いち陽よう来らい復ふく

い

ち

よ

う

ら

い

ふ

く

Meanings

1

noun

return of spring; turn of fortune for the better

yojijukugo (four-character idiom)

A yojijukugo originating from the I Ching, referring to the winter solstice when yang energy begins to return, bringing spring. Figuratively, it means a long-awaited favorable turn of events after a period of hardship.

冬とう至じを過すぎて、

一いち

陽よう

来らい

復ふく

の

気け

配はい

を

感かん

じる

。

After the winter solstice, I feel signs of the return of spring.

長ながい不ふ況きょうの後あと、ようやく一いち陽よう来らい復ふくの兆きざしが見みえてきた。

After a long recession, we finally see signs of a favorable turn of fortune.

Kanji

一one, one radical (no.1)
陽sunshine, yang principle, positive
来come, due, next
復restore, return to, revert
腹abdomen, belly, stomach

Related words

陰いん陽よう
一陽来復 is a specific concept derived from yin-yang philosophy, describing the cyclical return of positive energy.
春はる
While 春 simply means spring, 一陽来復 carries a deeper philosophical and metaphorical nuance of renewal after darkness.

Written forms

一いち陽よう来らい復ふく
Standard kanji spelling for this yojijukugo.
一いち陽よう来らい腹ふく
Variant spelling using 腹 instead of 復; less common and may be considered a mistake or ateji.

Etymology

From the I Ching (易経), literally 'one yang returns'. Refers to the winter solstice when the first yang line appears in the hexagram, symbolizing the return of light and warmth.