1.
to conceive, to become pregnant
To become pregnant with a child. Can also be used for animals.
子を孕む。
To conceive a child.
猫が子を孕んでいるようだ。
The cat seems to be pregnant.
彼女は双子を孕んでいることがわかった。
It was found that she was pregnant with twins.
2.
to be fraught with, to contain, to harbor
To contain something within, especially something potentially dangerous or significant. Used figuratively for situations, plans, or ideas that carry risk or potential.
危険を孕む。
To be fraught with danger.
この計画は問題を孕んでいる。
This plan harbors problems.
帆が風を孕んで、船は勢いよく進んだ。
The sails caught the wind, and the boat moved forward briskly.
孕む is a godan verb (五段動詞) with two main uses: a literal sense of becoming pregnant and a figurative sense of containing something latent.
TRANSITIVITY:
- Type: Transitive (他動詞)
- Pattern: Xを孕む
ASPECT (ている):
孕んでいる indicates a resulting state: being pregnant (sense 1) or currently containing/harboring (sense 2).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 子を孕む (to conceive a child)
- 危険を孕む (to be fraught with danger)
- 問題を孕む (to harbor problems)
- 矛盾を孕む (to contain contradictions)
USAGE:
Sense 1 is somewhat literary. In everyday conversation, 妊娠する is more common for human pregnancy. Sense 2 is used primarily in written or formal contexts.