無常 in Chinese / Japanese...

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Impermanence

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wú cháng

mujou

무상

無常 is the state of being “not permanent,” “not enduring,” transitory, or evolving.

It can also mean variable or changeable. In some contexts, it can refer to a ghost that is supposed to take a soul upon death. Following that, this term can also mean to pass away or die.

In the Buddhist context, this is a reminder that everything in this world is ever-changing, and all circumstances of your life are temporary.
If you take the Buddhist philosophy further, none of these circumstances are real, and your existence is an illusion. Thus, the idea of the eternal soul is perhaps just your attachment to your ego. Once you release your attachment to all impermanent things, you will be on your way to enlightenment and Buddhahood.

Language notes for this word when used outside the context of Buddhism:
In Korean Hanja, this means uncertainty, transiency, mutability, or evanescent.
In Japanese, the definition orbits closer to the state of being uncertain.

Mujo no Kaze / Wind of Impermanence

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mu jou no kaze

Mujo no Kaze / Wind of Impermanence Scroll

無常の風 is an old Japanese proverb that means the wind of impermanence or the wind of change in Japanese.

This can refer to the force that ends life, like the wind scattering a flower's petals. Life is yet another impermanent existence that is fragile, blown out like a candle.

The first two characters mean uncertainty, transiency, impermanence, mutability, variable, and/or changeable.

In some Buddhist contexts, 無常 can be analogous to a spirit departing at death (with a suggestion of the impermanence of life).

The last two characters mean “of wind” or a possessive like “wind of...” but Japanese grammar will have the wind come last in the phrase.

Warriors Adapt and Overcome

Soldiers need a fluid plan

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bīng wú cháng shì shuǐ wú cháng xíng

This literally translates as: Troops/soldiers/warriors have no fixed [battlefield] strategy [just as] water has no constant shape [but adapts itself to whatever container it is in].

Figuratively, this means: One should seek to find whatever strategy or method is best suited to resolving each individual problem.

This proverb is about as close as you can get to the military idea of “adapt improvise overcome.” 兵無常勢水無常形 is the best way to express that idea in both an ancient way, and a very natural way in Chinese.

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Below are some entries from our dictionary that may match your 無常 search...

Characters If shown, 2nd row is Simp. Chinese	Pronunciation Romanization	Simple Dictionary Definition
無常无常 see styles	wú cháng wu2 chang2 wu ch`ang wu chang mujou / mujo むじょう	More info & calligraphy: Impermanence variable; changeable; fickle; impermanence (Sanskrit: anitya); ghost taking away the soul after death; to pass away; to die (n,adj-na,adj-no) {Buddh} (ant: 常住・2) uncertainty; transiency; impermanence; mutability anitya. Impermanent; the first of the 三明 trividyā; that all things are impermanent, their birth, existence, change, and death never resting for a moment.
無常の風 see styles	mujounokaze / mujonokaze むじょうのかぜ	More info & calligraphy: Mujo no Kaze / Wind of Impermanence (exp,n) (idiom) wind of impermanence (that ends people lives, like the wind scattering a flower's petals)
世無常世无常 see styles	shì wú cháng shi4 wu2 chang2 shih wu ch`ang shih wu chang se mujō	世無常 Custom Scroll impermanent world
二無常二无常 see styles	èr wú cháng er4 wu2 chang2 erh wu ch`ang erh wu chang ni mujō	二無常 Custom Scroll Two kinds of impermanence, immediate and delayed. 念念無常 things in motion, manifestly transient; 相續無常 things that have the semblance of continuity, but are also transient, as life ending in death, or a candle in extinction.
無常依无常依 see styles	wú cháng yī wu2 chang2 yi1 wu ch`ang i wu chang i mujō e	無常依 Custom Scroll The reliance of the impermanent, i.e. Buddha, upon whom mortals can rely.
無常修无常修 see styles	wú cháng xiū wu2 chang2 xiu1 wu ch`ang hsiu wu chang hsiu mujō shu	無常修 Custom Scroll cultivation of (awareness of) impermanence
無常偈无常偈 see styles	wú cháng jié wu2 chang2 jie2 wu ch`ang chieh wu chang chieh mujō ge	無常偈 Custom Scroll Verse of Impermanence
無常堂无常堂 see styles	wú cháng táng wu2 chang2 tang2 wu ch`ang t`ang wu chang tang mujō dō	無常堂 Custom Scroll 無常院; 延壽堂; 湼槃堂 The room where a dying monk was placed, in the direction of the sunset at the north-west corner.
無常性无常性 see styles	wú cháng xìng wu2 chang2 xing4 wu ch`ang hsing wu chang hsing mujō shō	無常性 Custom Scroll impermanence
無常想无常想 see styles	wú cháng xiǎng wu2 chang2 xiang3 wu ch`ang hsiang wu chang hsiang mujō sō	無常想 Custom Scroll conception of impermanence
無常感 see styles	mujoukan / mujokan むじょうかん	無常感 Custom Scroll sense of the vanity of life; perception of the evanescence of life
無常相无常相 see styles	wú cháng xiàng wu2 chang2 xiang4 wu ch`ang hsiang wu chang hsiang mujō sō	無常相 Custom Scroll characteristic of impermanence
無常磬无常磬 see styles	wú cháng qìng wu2 chang2 qing4 wu ch`ang ch`ing wu chang ching mujō kei	無常磬 Custom Scroll 無常鐘 The passing bell, or gong, for the dying.
無常等无常等 see styles	wú cháng děng wu2 chang2 deng3 wu ch`ang teng wu chang teng mujō tō	無常等 Custom Scroll impermanence and so forth
無常苦无常苦 see styles	wú cháng kǔ wu2 chang2 ku3 wu ch`ang k`u wu chang ku mujō ku	無常苦 Custom Scroll suffering caused by impermanence
無常観 see styles	mujoukan / mujokan むじょうかん	無常観 Custom Scroll sense of the vanity of life; perception of the evanescence of life
無常觀无常观 see styles	wú cháng guān wu2 chang2 guan1 wu ch`ang kuan wu chang kuan mujō kan	無常觀 Custom Scroll contemplation of impermanence
無常鐘无常钟 see styles	wú cháng zhōng wu2 chang2 zhong1 wu ch`ang chung wu chang chung mujō shō	無常鐘 Custom Scroll gong for the deceased
無常院无常院 see styles	wú cháng yuàn wu2 chang2 yuan4 wu ch`ang yüan wu chang yüan mujō in	無常院 Custom Scroll hall of impermanence
無常鳥 see styles	mujouchou / mujocho むじょうちょう	無常鳥 Custom Scroll (rare) (See 時鳥) lesser cuckoo (Cuculus poliocephalus)
無常鵑无常鹃 see styles	wú cháng juān wu2 chang2 juan1 wu ch`ang chüan wu chang chüan mujō ken	無常鵑 Custom Scroll The bird which cries of impermanence, messenger of the shades, the goat-sucker.
聲無常声无常 see styles	shēng wú cháng sheng1 wu2 chang2 sheng wu ch`ang sheng wu chang shō mujō	聲無常 Custom Scroll sound is impermanent
行無常行无常 see styles	xíng wú cháng xing2 wu2 chang2 hsing wu ch`ang hsing wu chang gyō mujō	行無常 Custom Scroll impermanence of conditioned phenomena
七種無常七种无常 see styles	qī zhǒng wú cháng qi1 zhong3 wu2 chang2 ch`i chung wu ch`ang chi chung wu chang shichishumujō	七種無常 Custom Scroll sapta-anitya. The seven impermanences, a non-Buddhist nihilistic doctrine discussed in the 楞伽經 4.
世間無常世间无常 see styles	shì jiān wú cháng shi4 jian1 wu2 chang2 shih chien wu ch`ang shih chien wu chang seken mujō	世間無常 Custom Scroll the world is impermanent
出沒無常出没无常 see styles	chū mò wú cháng chu1 mo4 wu2 chang2 ch`u mo wu ch`ang chu mo wu chang	出沒無常 Custom Scroll to appear and disappear unpredictably
刹那無常刹那无常 see styles	chàn à wú cháng chan4 a4 wu2 chang2 ch`an a wu ch`ang chan a wu chang setsu namujō	刹那無常 Custom Scroll Not a moment is permanent, but passes through the stages of birth, stay, change, death.
反覆無常反复无常 see styles	fǎn fù wú cháng fan3 fu4 wu2 chang2 fan fu wu ch`ang fan fu wu chang	反覆無常 Custom Scroll unstable; erratic; changeable; fickle
喜怒無常喜怒无常 see styles	xǐ nù wú cháng xi3 nu4 wu2 chang2 hsi nu wu ch`ang hsi nu wu chang	喜怒無常 Custom Scroll temperamental; moody
四無常偈四无常偈 see styles	sì wú cháng jié si4 wu2 chang2 jie2 ssu wu ch`ang chieh ssu wu chang chieh shi mujō ge	四無常偈 Custom Scroll (or 四非常偈) Eight stanzas in the 仁王經, two each on 無常 impermanence, 苦 suffering, 空 the void, and 無我 non-personality; the whole four sets embodying the impermanence of all things.

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The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...

Title	Characters	Romaji (Romanized Japanese)	Various forms of Romanized Chinese
Impermanence	無常无常	mujou / mujo	wú cháng / wu2 chang2 / wu chang / wuchang	wu ch`ang / wuchang / wu chang
Mujo no Kaze Wind of Impermanence	無常の風	mu jou no kaze mujounokaze mu jo no kaze
Warriors Adapt and Overcome	兵無常勢水無常形兵无常势水无常形		bīng wú cháng shì shuǐ wú cháng xíng bing1 wu2 chang2 shi4 shui3 wu2 chang2 xing2 bing wu chang shi shui wu chang xing	ping wu ch`ang shih shui wu ch`ang hsing ping wu chang shih shui wu chang hsing
In some entries above you will see that characters have different versions above and below a line. In these cases, the characters above the line are Traditional Chinese, while the ones below are Simplified Chinese.