noun
Mount Penglai; Penglai Island; enchanted land of perpetual youth
In Chinese mythology, a legendary island-mountain where immortals live and youth never fades. Often used metaphorically for an idyllic, unattainable paradise.
蓬莱は、中国の伝説に登場する不老不死の仙境だ。
Penglai is a legendary land of immortals in Chinese mythology.
彼はこの庭を
He likened this garden to Penglai.
noun
sacred mountain; holy peak
Used poetically for mountains considered sacred or paradise-like, especially Mount Fuji and Mount Kumano. Often appears in the compound 三蓬莱 (three sacred mountains).
See also: 三蓬莱
富士山は古来より蓬莱の一つとされてきた。
Mount Fuji has been regarded as one of the sacred mountains since ancient times.
noun
Abbreviation of 蓬莱飾り. A traditional New Year decoration in the Kansai region, made from food items like kelp and dried persimmons, symbolizing good fortune and longevity.
See also: 蓬莱飾り
関西では、お正月に蓬莱を床の間に飾る習慣がある。
In Kansai, there is a custom of displaying a Penglai decoration in the alcove at New Year's.
noun
Formosa; Taiwan
Historical name for Taiwan, used in classical Chinese and old Japanese texts. Now rare and largely replaced by 台湾.
古地図には、台湾が蓬莱と記されていることがある。
On old maps, Taiwan is sometimes labeled as Penglai.
The full term for the Kansai New Year decoration; 蓬莱 is its abbreviation.
Refers collectively to three sacred mountains (often Fuji, Kumano, and another), while 蓬莱 alone can refer to any one of them or the mythological island.
The modern standard name for Taiwan; 蓬莱 is an archaic, literary alternative.
From Chinese 蓬萊 (Pénglái), the name of a mythical island-mountain in Taoist legend. The Japanese reading ほうらい is the on'yomi of the characters.