一いっ顰ぴん一いっ笑しょう

also: いちびんいっしょう

い

っ

ぴ

ん

い

っ

しょ

う

Meanings

noun

mood; caprice; a smile or a frown

yojijukugo (four-character idiom)

A yojijukugo meaning one's mood or whims, literally 'one frown, one smile'. It refers to the subtle changes in a person's expression that reveal their feelings or capricious nature. Often used in literary or formal contexts.

彼かの女じょの一いっ顰ぴん一いっ笑しょうに、周しゅう囲いはいつも振ふり回まわされている。
Everyone around her is always swayed by her every mood and whim.
上じょう司しの一いっ顰ぴん一いっ笑しょうを気きにするあまり、自じ由ゆうに意い見けんが言いえない。
I'm so concerned about my boss's every frown and smile that I can't speak freely.

Kanji

一one, one radical (no.1)
顰scowl, raise eyebrows
笑laugh

Related words

一いっ喜き一いち憂ゆう
一喜一憂 means alternating between joy and sorrow, often in response to external events, while 一顰一笑 focuses on subtle facial expressions that reveal inner mood or caprice.

Written forms

一顰一笑
- いっぴんいっしょう
  Standard kanji form for this yojijukugo. The reading いっぴんいっしょう is the most common.
- いちびんいっしょう
  Alternate reading, less common. The kanji 顰 is not a jōyō kanji and may be unfamiliar to many readers.
いちびんいっしょう

Etymology

A yojijukugo of Chinese origin, combining 一 (one), 顰 (frown), 一 (one), and 笑 (smile). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it is conventionally used to describe a person's changing moods as reflected in their expressions.