生きる伝説

• 読み: いきるでんせつ
• ローマ字: ikiru densetsu
• 漢字の分解: 生 (life/live) + きる (to live, verb ending) + 伝 (transmit) + 説 (theory/tale) → living legend
• 発音: /i.ki.ru.de.n.se.tsu/

意味

Living legend — someone whose achievements are already legendary while they are still active.

A direct translation of 'living legend' that has been thoroughly naturalised in Japanese. Used for athletes, artists, and public figures whose accomplishments are so remarkable that they would normally only be celebrated in retrospect. The phrase carries genuine reverence and is one of the weightier compliments in casual Japanese.

例文

1. 40年現役で走り続けるって生きる伝説だよ。
2. あの監督はもう生きる伝説だよね。
3. 生きる伝説を生で見られて感動した。

使い方ガイド

場面: sports, entertainment, social media, friends

トーン: reverent, awestruck

正しい言い方

• あの人はもう生きる伝説だよ。 (That person is already a living legend.)
• 生きる伝説と同じ時代に生まれてよかった。 (I'm glad I was born in the same era as a living legend.)

避ける言い方

• 若い人やまだ実績が少ない人に使うと大げさ (Using it for young people or those with limited achievements sounds exaggerated)

よくある間違い

• Using 生きる伝説 too casually — it carries real weight and should be reserved for genuinely legendary figures

起源と歴史

Calque of the English phrase 'living legend' (生きる = living + 伝説 = legend). While the concept existed in Japanese through traditional honorifics, the specific compound 生きる伝説 became popular through sports journalism and entertainment media.

文化的背景

時代: Sports and entertainment journalism, mainstream since 2000s

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal

地域メモ: Used across all of Japan. Carries genuine gravitas and is not typically used sarcastically.