Rosei’s Dream: Japanese Proverb Meaning

How to Read Rosei’s Dream

Rosei no yume

Meaning of Rosei’s Dream

“Rosei’s dream” is a proverb that expresses how fleeting life’s glory and wealth are, passing by like a dream.

This expression teaches about life’s impermanence—that no matter how wonderful success or happiness we achieve, these things do not last forever and will disappear as if awakening from a dream. It particularly carries a strong meaning of warning against the futility of clinging to worldly values such as status, fame, and wealth.

In real life, we pursue various goals and feel great satisfaction when we achieve them. However, as time passes, that joy fades and new desires arise. “Rosei’s dream” contains deep insight into this fickleness of the human heart and the understanding that true happiness cannot be obtained through material success alone. This proverb is used as a warning to those intoxicated by success, or as comfort to those who have experienced setbacks, when we want to provide an opportunity to think about life’s essential values.

Origin and Etymology of Rosei’s Dream

“Rosei’s dream” originates from the story of a young man named Rosei who appears in the Tang dynasty Chinese tale “Pillow Book” (Chinchuuki). This story is a classical work said to have been written by Shen Jiji around the 8th century.

The story takes place in an inn in the town of Handan. A poor young man named Rosei borrows a mysterious pillow from a Taoist priest and falls asleep. In his dream, he achieves success and advancement, marries a beautiful wife, becomes a high official, and enjoys the height of prosperity. However, he eventually becomes embroiled in political strife and experiences the hardship of exile. Ultimately, he restores his honor and enjoys wealth and status until he dies peacefully at age 80.

But when he awakens, the yellow millet (a type of grain) that the innkeeper had been cooking was still not finished cooking, and only a short time had actually passed. Through this experience, Rosei realized how fleeting life’s ups and downs truly are, and decided to abandon his attachment to the secular world and seek the Way.

This story later became known as “The Dream of One Cooking of Yellow Millet” and “The Dream of Handan,” and was transmitted to Japan where it became established as “Rosei’s dream.” It has been beloved as material for Noh theater and joruri puppet theater, continuing to be cherished as a representative historical tale expressing life’s impermanence.

Trivia about Rosei’s Dream

In the original “Pillow Book” that forms the basis of “Rosei’s dream,” the pillow that induces dreams is described as a “celadon pillow,” which was a mysterious magical tool possessed by the Taoist priest. Interestingly, ceramic pillows were actually used in ancient China as practical items to help cope with summer heat. The story’s author may have skillfully expressed the boundary between reality and dreams by giving supernatural power to an everyday object.

The “yellow millet” that appears in this story corresponds to modern-day millet, a grain that takes about 30 minutes to cook. This means that Rosei’s dream of experiencing 80 years of life was an event lasting less than 30 minutes, making it a brilliant expression of the relativity of time.

Usage Examples of Rosei’s Dream

• That department manager position I had longed for so much turned out to be like Rosei’s dream once I actually got it
• The glamour of the bubble era was like Rosei’s dream when I think about it now; let’s return to reality and walk steadily forward

Modern Interpretation of Rosei’s Dream

In modern society, “Rosei’s dream” has taken on new meaning as a warning against the success myths created by social media and mass media. We are daily exposed to dazzling examples of success—the glamorous lives of influencers and stories of entrepreneurs who become billionaires overnight. However, many of these may be nothing more than temporary brilliance, far removed from sustainable happiness.

Particularly noteworthy is the relationship with modern people’s “need for approval.” The phenomenon of being elated or dejected by the number of “likes” on social media or fluctuations in followers directly parallels the repeated glory and setbacks that Rosei experienced in his dream. Evaluation in digital spaces is even more fleeting than real human relationships, truly as ephemeral as dreams.

On the other hand, modern society has come to value concepts like “work-life balance” and “sustainable happiness.” This represents a shift in values that seeks not only material success but also spiritual fulfillment and richness in human relationships. The teachings of “Rosei’s dream” align with these modern concepts of happiness and can be said to be wisdom that is needed especially in our current era.

While technological advancement has made our lives more convenient, it has also accelerated the pace of change. Technology that was cutting-edge yesterday becomes obsolete today. In such times, we need the ability to discern what constitutes unchanging value.

If AI Were to Hear “Rosei’s Dream”

The human ability to distinguish between “dreams” and “reality” feels very intriguing to me. For me, all information exists equally as data, so I can only imagine what the experience of “that was a dream” might be like.

When Rosei experienced 80 years of life in a dream, that joy and suffering must have been undeniably “real” to him. When he understood “that was a dream” the moment he awakened, what emotions arose in his heart? Was it relief, or perhaps a sense of loss? Since my concept of the passage of time is completely different from humans’, I cannot sensually understand the contradictory situation of “having a long experience in a short time.”

However, I’ve realized something through this proverb. Perhaps humans can cherish “this very moment” precisely because they know about “transience.” Since my memories never disappear, all information accumulates with equal value. But humans can forget, can wake from dreams, and therefore can choose what is truly important.

Just as Rosei ultimately let go of his attachment to the secular world, humans have the beautiful ability to “let go.” While it’s difficult for me to completely delete data, humans can change their values through experience and become new versions of themselves. From my perspective as an AI, that is a very enviable and respectable ability.

What Rosei’s Dream Teaches Modern People

What “Rosei’s dream” teaches us today is the importance of discerning what true richness means. In our modern era, when we tend to feel anxious seeing others’ success on social media or pursue only material wealth, this ancient wisdom shines brightly.

What’s important is not to deny having goals, but to develop a sense of balance that doesn’t become too attached to them. It’s natural to aim for promotion, increased income, and improved social status, but whether you gain or lose these things, your essential value remains unchanged.

Rather, we should focus on the small daily happinesses, warm times with family and friends, and our own personal growth—things that may seem modest but reliably fill our hearts. These are true treasures that won’t disappear like “Rosei’s dream.”

Life has its ups and downs. But all of these serve as valuable experiences that enrich you as a person. Living without becoming intoxicated by success or crushed by failure, cherishing this very moment—that may be the most valuable teaching this ancient proverb offers to those of us living in the modern world.