1.
idiom derived from a historical story; proverb originating from classical Chinese or Japanese history
A fixed expression or saying that originated from a specific historical episode or classical text, typically from ancient Chinese literature. Studied as part of Japanese language education.
故事成語を調べる。
I look up a historical idiom.
「矛盾」は有名な故事成語だ。
'Contradiction' (矛盾) is a famous historical idiom.
国語の授業で故事成語の由来を学んだ。
We learned the origins of historical idioms in Japanese class.
USAGE:
A term used in Japanese language education. Many 故事成語 come from ancient Chinese texts (漢文). Common examples include 矛盾 (contradiction), 蛇足 (something unnecessary), and 五十歩百歩 (pot calling the kettle black).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 故事成語の由来 (the origin of a historical idiom)
- 故事成語を使う (to use a historical idiom)
- 故事成語辞典 (dictionary of historical idioms)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 四字熟語: four-character compound — fixed four-kanji expressions, some of which are also 故事成語
- 諺: proverb — a broader category of traditional sayings