unselfishness; wanting little; frugal in desire
Describes a person or attitude of having few worldly desires; often used in literary or philosophical contexts to praise simplicity and contentment.
He leads a life of few desires.
Wanting little has been considered a virtue since ancient times.
Standard kanji spelling using 欲 (desire).
Variant using 慾, an older form of 欲; less common in modern writing.
Compound of 寡 (few, little) and 欲 (desire). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the meaning follows directly from the kanji components.