Shōmyō
/ˈʃoʊ.mjoʊ/noun
A form of Buddhist liturgical chanting and vocal music in Japan.
Did you know?Shōmyō ultimately translates the Sanskrit śabda-vidyā, the Buddhist “science of sound, language, and words,” linking chant with sacred knowledge.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient India
Sanskrit
śabda-vidyā
“The science or knowledge of sounds, words, and language”
Medieval China
Classical Chinese
聲明 (shēngmíng)
““Voice and clarity”; a Buddhist rendering of śabda-vidyā”
6th–7th Century
Chinese Buddhist usage
聲明
“A scholarly and ritual discipline concerning language, pronunciation, and sacred recitation”
8th Century
Japanese
声明 (shōmyō)
“Buddhist liturgical vocal music and chanting, introduced and developed in Japan”
Modern English
English
shōmyō
“Japanese Buddhist chanting or liturgical vocal music”