1.
anguish; bitter struggle; painful difficulty
A state of deep distress or painful difficulty when facing a hard decision or situation. Often describes the tortured deliberation involved in making an unpleasant choice.
苦渋の決断を下した。
I made an agonizing decision.
社長は苦渋の表情でリストラを発表した。
The president announced the layoffs with a pained expression.
長年続けてきた事業を閉めるという苦渋の選択を迫られた。
I was forced to make the painful choice of closing a business I had run for many years.
A compound of 苦 (bitterness, suffering) and 渋 (astringent, reluctant). The two characters together evoke something deeply unpleasant to endure.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 苦渋の決断 (agonizing decision)
- 苦渋の選択 (painful choice)
- 苦渋の表情 (anguished expression)
- 苦渋に満ちた (filled with anguish)
Very commonly appears in the set phrase 苦渋の決断, which is a staple of news reports and political speech. Implies that the decision was reached only after much painful deliberation and is not one the speaker wanted to make.