sexual desire; lust; carnal desire
Formal or literary term for strong sexual desire; often used in religious, philosophical, or literary contexts.
In Buddhism, sexual desire is considered an obstacle to enlightenment.
彼は淫欲に溺れて身を持ち崩した。
He ruined himself by indulging in carnal desires.
肉欲 also means carnal desire, but is slightly less formal than 淫欲 and more directly physical.
Standard kanji form for this word.
Rarely used kanji form; 慾 is a variant of 欲.
From Middle Chinese 淫欲 (yín yù), combining 淫 (excessive, lewd) and 欲 (desire).