JLPT N2Four-character idioms
言語道断
- Meaning
- 言葉で言い表せないほどひどく許しがたいこと
- Explanation
- "言語道断", from the sense that the path of expressing in words is cut off, expresses something so outrageous and bad as to deserve condemnation. It is a word derived from Buddhist terminology and is used in scenes of strong anger or condemnation. c4's "language being cut off and not getting through" is about a communication malfunction and lacks the meaning of moral condemnation.
Original Japanese explanation
「言語道断」は、言葉で言い表す道が断たれる意から、もってのほかで非難すべきほどひどいことを表します。仏教語が転じた語で、強い怒りや非難の場面で使います。c4の「言語が途切れて伝わらない」は通信の不調の話で、道徳的な非難の意味が欠けています。
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