Japanese

すいげつきょうか
Meaning: the moon reflected in water and a flower in a mirror; something visible but unreachable; profound beauty that cannot be expressed in words.
Part of Speech: Noun, Four-character idiom

Listen to pronunciation

Handwriting

水
月
鏡
花

Example

The subtle charm of 'suigetsu kyoka' that the poem possesses cannot be fully explained even if one exhausts all words.

Usage Notes

Often used in literary criticism to describe an intangible, profound quality or to describe something illusory and unattainable. Interchangeable with 'kyoka suigetsu'.

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