“Iki avoids explicitness, eloquence, and verboseness. Implicitness is another axis to be added to the understanding of iki. The concept of beauty allows narcissism, which may involve the self-asserting statement “I am beautiful.” A narcissist statement does not disqualify someone from being beautiful. In the case of iki, however, the statement “I am iki” is impossible because iki must not be self-asserting and explicit, but rather, inconspicuous and implicit.”
