Nuance Dictionary / Emptiness
무상하다 mu-sang-ha-da
The melancholy emptiness of impermanence — a sense that nothing lasts
What does 무상하다 mean?
무상하다 (mu-sang-ha-da) means: The melancholy emptiness of impermanence — a sense that nothing lasts.
Carries a Buddhist undertone (from 제행무상, 'all things are impermanent'). Standing in the ruins of a palace that was once the center of a kingdom's power gives you a distinctly '무상한' feeling — grand things fade.
How it's actually used
- 권세도 부도 결국엔 다 부질없고 무상한 것이더라.
gwonsedo budo gyeolgugen da bujireopgo musanghan geosideora.
Power and wealth alike are ultimately all pointless and impermanent.
💡 Carries a philosophical, melancholic weight about human ambition. - 오래된 고궁의 무너진 담벼락을 보니 세상만사가 참 무상하다는 생각이 들었다.
oraedoen gogungui muneojin dambyeorak-eul boni sesangmansaga cham muhanghadaneun saenggagi deureotda.
Looking at the crumbled walls of the old palace, I felt how truly transient and empty all things in the world are.
💡 Often paired with 세상만사 (all affairs of the world) to reflect on life's impermanence. - 세월이 참 무상하게도 벌써 이렇게 나이가 들어버렸네.
sewor-i cham musang-hagedo beolsseo ireoke naiga deureobeoryeotne.
How fleeting time is; we've already grown old like this.
💡 Often reflects a bittersweet realization of aging or passing eras.
Related words in Emptiness
상실감 sang-sil-gam허허롭다 heo-heo-rop-da공허하다 gong-heo-ha-da허전하다 heo-jeon-ha-da허무하다 heo-mu-ha-da