1.
secret tradition, secret recipe, closely guarded technique
Knowledge, skills, or recipes that are passed down privately within a family, school, or lineage and not shared publicly. Common in martial arts, traditional crafts, and cooking.
秘伝のたれを使っている。
They use a secret sauce recipe.
この技は師匠から秘伝として教わった。
I learned this technique as a secret tradition from my master.
創業以来の秘伝のレシピが、この店の味を支えている。
A secret recipe passed down since the founding supports the taste of this shop.
USAGE:
秘伝 implies knowledge that has been carefully guarded and passed down through generations. It carries a sense of tradition, exclusivity, and value. In modern usage, it often appears in food marketing ("secret recipe") and martial arts contexts.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 秘伝のたれ: secret sauce
- 秘伝のレシピ: secret recipe
- 秘伝の技: secret technique
- 秘伝を伝える: to pass on a secret tradition
- 門外不出の秘伝: a secret never shared outside the school
SIMILAR WORDS:
秘訣 means "secret" or "key" (to success), focusing on a crucial piece of advice or method. 秘伝 emphasizes the traditional, inherited nature of the secret knowledge.