JLPT N1Four-character idioms
換骨奪胎
- Meaning
- 先人の作品の趣旨を活かしながら独自に作り直すこと
- Explanation
- 「換骨奪胎」 derives from a Taoist legend of replacing the bones and taking the womb to become an immortal, and it means recasting into one's own original work while building on the ideas and forms of predecessors' poetry and prose. It is used positively in creative theory. c4 is a misreading of the literal characters. Unlike mere imitation such as a 「rehash」, the key point is that it creates new value.
Original Japanese explanation
「換骨奪胎」は道教で骨を取り換え胎を奪って仙人になる伝説に由来し、先人の詩文の発想や形式を踏まえつつ独自の作品に作り変えることをいう。創作論で肯定的に使う。c4 は字面どおりの誤読。「焼き直し」のような単なる模倣とは異なり、新たな価値を生み出す点が要点。
Quick check
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