mono no aware. The feeling of things.
"We only get to know the heart of things through the feelings they arouse in us. This is what the Japanese aesthetical and literary principle mono no aware posits, defining the emotions which come into being in us when we are in contact with facts and things as the sole way of getting to know their substance and becoming aware of their impermanence.
The term was coined in the 18th century by the Edo period Japanese cultural scholar Motoori Norinaga, and was originally a concept used in his literary criticism of The Tale of Genji, and later applied to other seminal Japanese works including the Man'yōshū.
The word is derived from the Japanese word mono, which means "things", and aware, which was a Heian period expression of measured surprise (similar to "ah" or "oh"), translating roughly as "pathos", "poignancy", "deep feeling", or "sensitivity". Awareness of the transience of all things heightens appreciation of their beauty, and evokes a gentle sadness at their passing. In his criticism of The Tale of Genji Motoori noted that mono no aware is the crucial emotion that moves readers. Its scope was not limited to Japanese literature, and became associated with Japanese cultural tradition." (from wiki)
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