JLPT N1Idioms
鼎の軽重を問う
- Meaning
- 権威者の実力や資格を疑って試す
- Explanation
- 「鼎(かなえ)の軽重を問う」 means to doubt the standing or ability of an authority or person of power and try to test their qualifications. It derives from the historical tale of asking the weight of the 鼎, a treasure of the Zhou dynasty, while aiming to seize the realm. c3 「weighing luggage」 is an error pulled by the look of the characters; the object is a person's capability.
Original Japanese explanation
「鼎(かなえ)の軽重を問う」は権威者や実力者の地位・能力を疑い、その資格を試そうとすること。周王朝の宝器である鼎の重さを尋ねて天下を狙った故事に由来する。c3「荷物の重さを量る」は字面に引かれた誤りで、対象は人物の力量である。
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