1.
torrent, rapids, raging current
A fast-flowing, powerful current of water such as river rapids or floodwaters. Also used figuratively to describe the overwhelming force or rapid pace of events, change, or history.
激流に飲まれた。
He was swallowed by the raging current.
ボートが激流の中を進んでいく。
The boat makes its way through the rapids.
時代の激流の中で、多くの伝統が失われていった。
Many traditions were lost amid the torrent of changing times.
USAGE:
Used both literally for powerful river currents and figuratively for the overwhelming force of historical change, social upheaval, or rapid developments. The figurative use often appears in literary or journalistic contexts: 時代の激流 (the torrent of the times).
SIMILAR WORDS:
急流 (rapids) is a close synonym but is more neutral and descriptive. 激流 emphasizes the violence and overwhelming power of the current.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 激流に飲まれる: be swallowed by rapids
- 激流を下る: go down the rapids
- 時代の激流: torrent of the times