盛じょう者しゃ必ひっ衰すい

also: しょうしゃひっすい · しょうじゃひっすい · せいじゃひっすい

Meanings

even the prosperous must decline; all that flourishes must fade

yojijukugo (four-character idiom)Buddhism

A Buddhist-derived yojijukugo expressing the impermanence of worldly success. Often used as a proverbial reminder that power and glory are fleeting. The phrase originates from the Humane King Sutra.

盛じょう者しゃ必ひっ衰すいのことわざ通どおり、彼かれの会かい社しゃもやがて傾かたむいた。
As the proverb says, even the prosperous must decline, and his company eventually fell into ruin.
歴れき史しを振ふり返かえると、盛じょう者しゃ必ひっ衰すいの理ことわりを感かんじずにはいられない。
Looking back at history, one cannot help but feel the truth of 'all that flourishes must fade.'

See all 6 example sentences ›

Kanji

盛boom, prosper, copulate
者someone, person
必invariably, certain, inevitable
衰decline, wane, weaken

Related words

諸しょ行ぎょう無む常じょう
Also a Buddhist term for impermanence, but more general, referring to the transience of all things, not just prosperity.
栄えい枯こ盛せい衰すい
Another yojijukugo about the rise and fall of fortunes, but without the explicit Buddhist connotation of inevitable decline.

Written forms

盛者必衰
- じょうしゃひっすい
  Standard kanji form; the most common reading is じょうしゃひっすい.
- しょうしゃひっすい
  Alternate reading; less common but still encountered.
- しょうじゃひっすい
  Alternate reading; じゃ is a voiced variant of しゃ.
- せいじゃひっすい
  Rare reading; せい is an uncommon on'yomi for 盛.
せいじゃひっすい
しょうしゃひっすい
しょうじゃひっすい

Etymology

A yojijukugo derived from the Humane King Sutra (仁王経). The phrase encapsulates the Buddhist concept of impermanence, specifically that even those who prosper will eventually decline.