1.
surrender; giving in; giving up
Admitting defeat or yielding to an opponent or difficult situation. Used both in serious military/competitive contexts and in everyday situations where one gives up trying. Composed of 降 (descend, surrender) + 参 (go, come — humble).
もう降参だ！
I give up!
この暑さには降参した。
I surrendered to this heat.
何度挑戦しても解けない問題に、とうとう降参した。
I finally gave up on the problem that I couldn't solve no matter how many times I tried.
USAGE:
降参 can express both literal surrender (in battle, competition) and figurative giving up (to heat, difficulty, a persistent person). In casual speech, もう降参だ！ is a common way to express that one has had enough.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 降参する (to surrender, to give in)
- もう降参だ (I give up already)
- 降参させる (to make someone give in)
- 暑さに降参する (to be defeated by the heat)