final farewell in this life; last goodbye
A set phrase used when parting with the understanding that you may never meet again in this life. Often carries a solemn, dramatic, or deeply emotional tone.
I shook hands with my friend heading to the battlefield, thinking it might be our final farewell in this life.
She was marrying far away, so I prepared myself for this being our last goodbye.
A compound of 今生 (this life, the present world) and 別れ (parting, farewell). The phrase is rooted in Buddhist-influenced Japanese, where 今生 refers to one's current existence, and the expression emphasizes that the separation is final within this lifetime.