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I'm not very familiar with this specific term, but do know intermediate
Japanese. "Floating world" seems to be a direct translation of the two
characters: 浮 for "floating" and 世 for "world". However, the main [definition
for this word online](https://jisho.org/word/%E6%B5%AE%E3%81%8D%E4%B8%96) is
"fleeting life" or "this transient world", similar but more natural in
English. Interestingly enough, the fourth entry in the definition is "(the
world of the) red light districts​". This final definition certainly matches
the [Wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukiyo) and is hinted at
with "fleeting" and "transient", suggesting to make the most of pleasure with
your limited life.

What is the main definition, especially with respect to Ukiyo-e, 浮世絵?
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2018-12-23T15:12:53.160
64546
2020-11-03T01:06:45.560
10796
question
translation definitions
What does Ukiyo (浮世) mean?
うきよ was originally 憂き世 ("this melancholic/miserable world") but reanalyzed as
浮き世 ("this transient/fleeting world") around the Edo period. It was associated
with sadness and ethical corruption at first, but later it came to mean
"secular part of our world" or simply "this modern world." It also gained
associations with mass culture and eroticism. (I did not know 浮き世 could mean
"red-light district" in isolation. I believe this usage is exceptional.)

In present Japan, 浮き世 is almost an obsolete word, and we seldom see it outside
a few words and idioms including 浮世絵 and 浮き世離れ. Most people understand it has
something to do with the "pop culture" of the Edo period, though. The sex
industry and pornography was certainly a part of the 浮世 culture, but it's not
limited to that.
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2018-12-24T06:54:39.523
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2020-11-03T01:06:45.560
2020-11-03T01:06:45.560
5010
5010
64546
answer