JLPT N1Four-character idioms
四面楚歌
- Meaning
- 周囲がすべて敵で味方がいない孤立した状態
- Explanation
- 「四面楚歌」 comes from the anecdote of Xiang Yu in the 『史記』(Records of the Grand Historian). From the story in which, on the night he was surrounded by the Han army, songs of his homeland Chu were heard from all directions and he realized that even the soldiers of Chu had surrendered and fell into despair, it refers to a state of complete isolation with no allies or help, surrounded by enemies on all sides. Rather than help gathering as in c3, the key point is that one is utterly isolated.
Original Japanese explanation
「四面楚歌」は『史記』の項羽の故事による。漢軍に囲まれた夜、四方から故郷楚の歌が聞こえ、楚の兵までが降伏したと悟り絶望した話から、周囲がすべて敵で味方も助けもいない孤立無援の状態をいう。c3 のように助けが集まる意ではなく、むしろ全面的に孤立している点が要点。
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