瞑目

Chinese

close the eyes
eye; item; section
eye; item; section; list; catalogue; table of contents; (taxonomy) order; goal; name; title
 
simp. and trad.
(瞑目)

Pronunciation


Verb

瞑⫽目 (verb-object) (intransitive)

  1. to close one's eyes in death; to die content

Synonyms

Derived terms

Japanese

Kanji in this term
めい
Hyōgai
もく
Grade: 1
kan'on goon

Etymology

From Middle Chinese compound 瞑目 (meng? mjuwk, literally closed eyes + eye).

A mixed reading, using the kan'on for (mei) and the goon for (moku), so the reading likely shifted after the initial borrowing.

First cited to a work from 857.[1]

Pronunciation

Noun

(めい)(もく) • (meimoku

  1. [from 1422] closing of the eyes
  2. [from 857] a peaceful death
    Synonyms: 永眠 (eimin, literally eternal sleep), 自然死 (shizen shi, literally natural death)
    Antonyms: 横死 (ōshi, literally, “sideways death”, not dying on the straight path), 変死 (henshi, literally strange/abnormal death)

Verb

(めい)(もく)する • (meimoku suruintransitive suru (stem (めい)(もく) (meimoku shi), past (めい)(もく)した (meimoku shita))

  1. to close one's eyes
    Synonyms: 瞑る (tsumuru), 瞑る (tsuburu)
  2. to die peacefully
    (われ)()すとも瞑目(めいもく)せず。
    Ware shisu tomo meimoku sezu.
    Even if I die, I cannot die peacefully.

Conjugation

Conjugation of "瞑目する" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs)
Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective") 瞑目し めいもくし meimoku shi
Ren’yōkei ("continuative") 瞑目し めいもくし meimoku shi
Shūshikei ("terminal") 瞑目する めいもくする meimoku suru
Rentaikei ("attributive") 瞑目する めいもくする meimoku suru
Kateikei ("hypothetical") 瞑目すれ めいもくすれ meimoku sure
Meireikei ("imperative") 瞑目せよ¹
瞑目しろ²
めいもくせよ¹
めいもくしろ²
meimoku seyo¹
meimoku shiro²
Key constructions
Passive 瞑目される めいもくされる meimoku sareru
Causative 瞑目させる
瞑目さす
めいもくさせる
めいもくさす
meimoku saseru
meimoku sasu
Potential 瞑目できる めいもくできる meimoku dekiru
Volitional 瞑目しよう めいもくしよう meimoku shiyō
Negative 瞑目しない めいもくしない meimoku shinai
Negative continuative 瞑目せず めいもくせず meimoku sezu
Formal 瞑目します めいもくします meimoku shimasu
Perfective 瞑目した めいもくした meimoku shita
Conjunctive 瞑目して めいもくして meimoku shite
Hypothetical conditional 瞑目すれば めいもくすれば meimoku sureba

¹ Written imperative
² Spoken imperative

Synonyms

  • (to die peacefully): ()() (shinikiru)

References

  1. ^ 瞑目”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
  2. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. ^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  4. ^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN