夢
dream · vision · illusion
Details
Description
Dream - represents hopes, aspirations, and the realm of imagination.
Stroke Order
Component Breakdown
Grass + net + cover + evening
Cultural Context
Etymology
Composed of grass, net, cover, and evening. Visions seen at night.
Symbolism
Dream, hope, ideal. Represents world of sleep and future aspirations.
Spiritual Meaning
Represents gateway to spiritual world beyond reality - believed that divine revelations are transmitted through dreams.
Anime & Manga
Games
ゼルダの伝説 夢をみる島
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Action RPG with the shocking premise that the entire island is a 'dream'
View on Amazon →NiGHTS
NiGHTS into Dreams
Action game flying through the world of dreams
View on Amazon →Words & Expressions
Four-Character Compounds
酔生夢死
すいせいむし
idling one's life away; living to no purpose; idling one's life away
無我夢中
むがむちゅう
losing oneself (in); being absorbed (in); forgetting oneself; losing oneself (in)
同床異夢
どうしょういむ
cohabiting but living in different worlds; cohabiting but living in different worlds
泡沫夢幻
ほうまつむげん
transient; ephemeral; fleeting; transient
夢幻泡沫
むげんほうまつ
transient; ephemeral; fleeting; transient
夢幻泡影
むげんほうよう
a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow (metaphor for the transience of life); a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow (metaphor for the transience of life)
一炊の夢
いっすいのゆめ
A dream during one pot of rice cooking; Life is as fleeting as a brief dream
Proverbs & Idioms
夢は枯野を駆け巡る
ゆめはかれのをかけめぐる
Dreams wander over withered fields
From Basho's death poem - the spirit wanders even in illness
夢のまた夢
ゆめのまたゆめ
A dream within a dream
Something utterly ephemeral (Hideyoshi's death poem)
Poetry
住の江の 岸による波 よるさへや 夢の通ひ路 人めよくらむ
Poem #18 from Hyakunin Isshu
春の夜の 夢ばかりなる 手枕に かひなく立たむ 名こそ惜しけれ
Poem #67 from Hyakunin Isshu
Related Figures
夢窓疎石
A Zen master renowned for designing famous Japanese gardens, including Tenryuji Temple garden in Kyoto.