Ikki Ichiyū (一喜一憂 – Alternate Joy and Despair)

Both

English

Japanese

“Ikki ichiyū” means that you alternate between joy and despair every time things or situations change a bit.

今日、私は「一喜一憂」する人を見ました。

一喜 (ikki) means “one joy” and 一憂 (ichiyū) means “one despair,” so the literal meaning of this idiom is “one joy and one despair.”

「一喜一憂」とは、物事の状況が少し変化するたびに、喜んだり心配したりすることを意味する言葉です。

According to Wiktionary, it is expressed as “a feeling swinging back and forth between joy and despair.”

「一喜」は “one joy,” 「一憂」は “one despair/fear” を意味します。

Since people who have such a feeling are easy to be affected from surroundings, this idiom is usually used as a bad meaning.

すなわち「一喜一憂」を直訳すると、 “one joy and one despair” となります。

However, I think that 一喜一憂する人 (ikki ichiyū suru hito – people who have “ikki ichiyū”) are pure in heart.

Wiktionary によると、”a feeling swinging back and forth between joy and despair” と訳されていました。