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綸言 (りんげん, ringen) Japanese meaning: imperial words | Kotomora

綸りん言げん

り

ん

げ

ん

Meanings

1

imperial words; words of the emperor

Archaic or literary term for the words or pronouncements of an emperor. Not used in modern everyday Japanese.

古ふるい文ぶん献けんには「綸りん言げん」という表ひょう現げんが見みられる。
The expression 綸言 can be found in old documents.

Expressions

綸りん言げん汗あせの如ごとしthe word of an emperor cannot be unsaid

Kanji

綸thread, silk cloth
言say, word

Related words

勅ちょく語ご
勅語 refers specifically to an imperial rescript or edict, often in a more formal, documentary sense, while 綸言 is a broader, more literary term for imperial words.
詔みことのり
詔 is a more common historical term for an imperial decree, whereas 綸言 is rarer and more poetic.

Etymology

From Chinese 綸言 (lúnyán), a classical term for the words of the emperor. The character 綸 originally referred to a silk thread or cord, and by extension came to mean 'imperial' in this compound.