1.
desk pad, writing board
A flat sheet placed under paper when writing to provide a smooth surface. Common in Japanese schools.
下敷きを使う。
I use a desk pad.
字を書くとき、下敷きを敷いてね。
Put a desk pad underneath when you write.
小学生のころ、下敷きで静電気を起こして遊んだ。
When I was in elementary school, I used to play by generating static electricity with a desk pad.
2.
being pinned underneath, being buried under
The state of being trapped or crushed under something heavy, such as a collapsed building or fallen object.
本の下敷きになった。
It got buried under books.
倒れた棚の下敷きになった。
I was pinned under a fallen shelf.
地震で建物が崩れ、多くの人が瓦礫の下敷きになった。
The building collapsed in the earthquake, and many people were trapped under the rubble.
USAGE:
Sense 1 refers to the plastic or cardboard sheets used in Japanese schools for writing. Sense 2 is common in disaster and accident reports.
PATTERN:
Sense 2 typically uses the pattern 〜の下敷きになる (to be pinned/buried under ~).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 下敷きを敷く: to place a desk pad
- 瓦礫の下敷きになる: to be buried under rubble
- 倒壊した建物の下敷きになる: to be trapped under a collapsed building