Does banbutsu mean “all creation” or “everything”?

6 comments

1. My dictionary says:

   ばんぶつ 【万物】

   noun
   ⓐ all things, all creation

   `万物` is literally “ten thousand things”

2. 物 means thing. 万物 is literally 10,000 + things. All creation is maybe overly poetic, but it could be translated either way. I don’t think I’d see a difference between seeing “all creation” and “all things” in English either unless you were trying to bring specific religious meaning into it.

3. Yes, it can

4. What’s the difference between “all creation” and “everything” anyway?

5. I’m Japanese. I think the word “Banbutsu” is a rather formal term, used only in mythology or documentaries about the history of the earth.

6. 万物 is used a lot in religious texts (especially Christianity), so yes, all creations would be perfect way to go about it.