有う象ぞう無む象ぞう

う

ぞ

う

む

ぞ

う

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

noun

mob; rabble; riffraff; the masses

yojijukugo (four-character idiom)

Derogatory term for a disorderly crowd or the common masses, often implying lack of individuality or worth. Used in literary or critical contexts.

街まちに

は

有う

象ぞう

無む

象ぞう

が

溢あふ

れ

て

い

た

。

The streets were overflowing with riffraff.

彼かれは有う象ぞう無む象ぞうの一人ひとりに過すぎない。

He is nothing more than one of the faceless masses.

2

noun

all things in nature; the whole creation

yojijukugo (four-character idiom)Buddhism

Original Buddhist meaning: all phenomena, both with and without form. Rare in modern Japanese outside specialized or historical contexts.

有う象ぞう無む象ぞうは仏ぶっ教きょう用よう語ごで、形かたちあるものと形かたちなきものすべてを指さす。
Uzōmuzō is a Buddhist term referring to all things, both with and without form.

Kanji

有possess, have, exist
象elephant, pattern after, imitate
無nothingness, none, ain't
相inter-, mutual, together

Related words

大たい衆しゅう
大衆 is a neutral term for 'the masses' or 'general public', while 有象無象 is derogatory and literary.
烏う合ごうの衆しゅう
烏合の衆 also means a disorderly mob, but emphasizes lack of organization; 有象無象 stresses worthlessness and facelessness.

Written forms

有う象ぞう無む象ぞう
Standard kanji spelling for this yojijukugo.
有う相ぞう無む相ぞう
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form, mainly in Buddhist contexts.

Etymology

A yojijukugo derived from Buddhist terminology, combining 有 (existence/form) and 無 (non-existence/formlessness) with 象 (phenomena) and 相 (aspects). Originally referred to all things in the universe, both tangible and intangible. The modern derogatory sense developed from the idea of an undifferentiated mass.