在りし日
Meanings
noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
past days; bygone days; days of yore
Literary expression for a time that has passed, often with a nostalgic or poetic tone. Used as a noun or with の to modify another noun.
Memories of bygone days come back to me.
I recall how he looked in days gone by.
noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', noun
while still alive; during one's lifetime
Refers to the time when someone was alive; often used in reminiscence about a deceased person. Can be used as a noun or with の.
My grandfather, in his lifetime, often took walks in this park.
My mother's words from when she was alive still remain in my heart.
Usage patterns
- 在りし日の〈人〉someone as they were in the past / during their life
I can't forget my father as he was when he was alive.
- 在りし日を偲ぶto reminisce about bygone days / a departed person's life
Friends gathered to reminisce about the days he had lived.
- 在りし日の面影traces or vestiges of how something/someone once was
The old photograph still holds traces of how things once were.