1.
relief, raised carving
A sculptural technique where figures are carved so they project from a flat background. Includes bas-relief and high relief.
神殿の壁に浮き彫りがある。
There are relief carvings on the temple walls.
この装飾は大理石の浮き彫りで作られている。
This decoration is made from marble relief carving.
2.
bringing to light, highlighting, making clear
Making a problem, issue, or fact stand out clearly, as if in relief. Most commonly used in the figurative expression 浮き彫りになる (to come to light, to be highlighted).
問題点が浮き彫りになった。
The problems were brought to light.
今回の事件で制度の欠陥が浮き彫りになった。
This incident brought the flaws in the system to light.
調査によって地域間の格差が浮き彫りにされた。
The survey highlighted the disparity between regions.
災害が起きるたびに、インフラの脆弱さが浮き彫りになる。
Every time a disaster occurs, the fragility of the infrastructure is highlighted.
USAGE:
The figurative sense (sense 2) is far more common in modern Japanese. The key expression is 浮き彫りになる (to become highlighted / to come to light) or 浮き彫りにする (to bring to light / to highlight). Very common in news and formal writing when discussing problems, issues, or facts that have become apparent.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 浮き彫りになる: to come to light, to be highlighted
- 浮き彫りにする: to bring to light, to highlight
- 問題が浮き彫りになる: problems come to light
- 課題が浮き彫りになる: issues are highlighted