JLPT N1Four-character idioms
隔靴掻痒
Readingかっかそうようkakkasouyou
- Meaning
- 靴を隔てて痒い所を掻くようにもどかしいこと
- Explanation
- "隔靴掻痒（かっかそうよう）", like scratching an itch through one's shoe without relieving the itch, means the frustration of not reaching the heart of the matter and things not going as one wishes. It is used when an explanation does not get to the point, or when a measure does not reach the crucial part. Note that c3, the sense of actually curing the itch, is the reverse of the core implication of being unable to resolve things.
Original Japanese explanation
「隔靴掻痒（かっかそうよう）」は、靴の上から痒い所を掻いても痒みが取れないように、核心に届かず思うようにいかないもどかしさをいう。説明が要領を得ない時や、対策が肝心の部分に手が届かない時に使う。c3 は実際に痒みを治す意で、解決できないという核心の含意とは逆になっている点に注意。
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