1.
labyrinth; maze
A complex structure of interconnecting passages that is difficult to navigate, whether real or fictional.
地下の迷宮を探検する。
To explore an underground labyrinth.
このダンジョンは巨大な迷宮になっている。
This dungeon is an enormous maze.
ギリシャ神話のクレタ島の迷宮には恐ろしいミノタウロスが住んでいたとされる。
According to Greek mythology, the fearsome Minotaur dwelled in the labyrinth on the island of Crete.
2.
dead-end case; unsolvable mystery
Figuratively, a situation — especially a criminal investigation — that has become so complicated it seems impossible to solve. Used in the expression 迷宮入り.
この事件は迷宮入りした。
This case went cold.
手がかりがなく、捜査は迷宮に入った。
With no leads, the investigation hit a dead end.
発生から二十年が経ち、迷宮入りしていた殺人事件にようやく進展があった。
Twenty years after the crime occurred, there was finally progress in the murder case that had gone cold.
Compound of 迷 (to be lost) + 宮 (palace, building).
KEY EXPRESSION:
迷宮入り — when a criminal case goes cold or becomes unsolvable. This is one of the most common uses in news and detective fiction.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 迷宮入りする (to go cold, become unsolvable)
- 迷宮のような (labyrinthine)
- 迷宮を彷徨う (to wander a maze)
USAGE NOTE:
In gaming and fantasy contexts, 迷宮 is commonly used for "dungeon" or "labyrinth." In crime reporting, 迷宮入り is the standard term for a cold case.