八紘一宇
Chinese
    
| eight | cord for hat; vast | one; single; a one; single; a; (before verbs) as soon as, once; (before a noun) entire (family, etc.) | room; universe | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (八紘一宇) | 八 | 紘 | 一 | 宇 | |
| simp. (八纮一宇) | 八 | 纮 | 一 | 宇 | |
Pronunciation
    
Japanese
    
| Kanji in this term | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 八 | 紘 | 一 | 宇 | 
| はち > はっ Grade: 1 | こう Jinmeiyō | いち Grade: 1 | う Grade: 6 | 
| on’yomi | |||
Etymology
    
八紘 (hakkō, “eight corners”) + 一宇 (ichiu, “one roof”) ≅ “the eight corners of the earth [united] under a single roof”
The concept originates from a passage in the Nihon Shoki (720): 兼六合以開都、 掩八紘一而為宇, in which Emperor Jimmu declares Kashihara to be the capital of the lands. Originally limited to context of Japan as a whole, but in 1903 Tanaka Chigaku first used it in reference to world unification. Widely used around 1937 during the Sino-Japanese War, the phrase was later included in the July 26, 1940 national policy known as Kihon Kokusaku Yōkō (基本国策要綱) during the Fumimaro Konoe administration.
Pronunciation
    
- IPA(key): /hakkoː itɕiu/
Noun
    
八紘一宇 • (hakkō ichiu) ←はっくゎういちう (fakkwauitiu)?
- unifying and controlling the whole world as a single house
- during World War II, used as a nationalistic slogan to rationalize overseas expansion
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