Professor, a personal favorite of mine is 前代未聞 (zendaimimon), meaning unprecedented or 'unheard of'. I love how closely the individual characters match the English meaning.
前 (zen): "before" or "previous."
代 (dai): in the context of "前代未聞," it denotes an era/generation.
未 (mi): This kanji means "not yet" or "not" and is used to indicate something that has not happened or is unknown.
聞 (mon): more commonly, KIKU, but meaning "to hear" or "to listen." It refers to the act of perceiving sound or obtaining information.
Putting these characters together, "前代未聞" (zendai mimon) can be translated as "unheard of in previous eras" or "unprecedented." I love how the meaning so explicitly suggests that the occurrence is so extraordinary that it has never been heard of or witnessed in the past.
Professor, a personal favorite of mine is 前代未聞 (zendaimimon), meaning unprecedented or 'unheard of'. I love how closely the individual characters match the English meaning.
前 (zen): "before" or "previous."
代 (dai): in the context of "前代未聞," it denotes an era/generation.
未 (mi): This kanji means "not yet" or "not" and is used to indicate something that has not happened or is unknown.
聞 (mon): more commonly, KIKU, but meaning "to hear" or "to listen." It refers to the act of perceiving sound or obtaining information.
Putting these characters together, "前代未聞" (zendai mimon) can be translated as "unheard of in previous eras" or "unprecedented." I love how the meaning so explicitly suggests that the occurrence is so extraordinary that it has never been heard of or witnessed in the past.