JLPT N1Four-character idioms
臥薪嘗胆
- Meaning
- 目的達成のため苦労や苦難に耐え忍ぶこと
- Explanation
- "臥薪嘗胆" comes from the Wu-Yue conflict: from the tale of lying on firewood and tasting a bitter gall so as not to forget the humiliation and to seek revenge, it means enduring hardship and striving for a long time to achieve a goal. c3 is literal, but its explanation of the purpose as "training the body" is mistaken. The core is endurance for the sake of avenging or accomplishing one's resolve.
Original Japanese explanation
「臥薪嘗胆」は呉越の抗争に由来し、薪の上に臥し苦い胆をなめて屈辱を忘れず復讐を期した故事から、目的達成のために長く苦難に耐え努力することをいう。c3 は字面どおりだが「身体を鍛える」という目的の説明が誤り。本来は仇を討つ・志を遂げるための忍耐という点が核心。
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