JLPT N2Four-character idioms
四苦八苦
- Meaning
- 非常に苦しんで苦労すること
- Explanation
- 「四苦八苦」 derives from the four and eight sufferings of Buddhism and expresses suffering and struggling greatly. It is often used in situations of struggling with a difficult task. Rather than literally counting the numbers as in c2's "facing four hardships and eight hardships in order," it expresses the overall state of struggling severely.
Original Japanese explanation
「四苦八苦」は、仏教の四つ・八つの苦しみに由来し、非常に苦しんで苦労することを表します。困難な作業に手こずる場面でよく使います。c2のように「四つの苦難と八つの苦難に順番に直面する」と数を字義どおり数えるのではなく、ひどく苦労する全体の様子を表します。
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