1.
stopgap; temporary; makeshift
The original meaning: a temporary, palliative measure that does not address the root cause of a problem.
姑息な手段。
A stopgap measure.
姑息な対応ではなく、根本的な解決が必要だ。
What's needed is a fundamental solution, not stopgap measures.
そんな問題を先送りにするような姑息なやり方はやめてほしい。
I wish they'd stop using such stopgap approaches that just postpone the problem.
2.
cowardly; sneaky; underhanded
The widely used modern meaning: acting in a petty, cowardly, or underhanded way to avoid direct confrontation. This usage arose from the negative connotation of avoiding proper solutions.
姑息なまねをするな。
Don't do anything sneaky.
陰で悪口を言うなんて姑息だ。
Talking behind someone's back is cowardly.
正々堂々と勝負せず、姑息な手を使う相手に腹が立った。
I was angry at the opponent who used underhanded tricks instead of competing fair and square.
姑息 is a famous case of semantic shift in Japanese: its original meaning ('temporary, stopgap') has been largely replaced in everyday use by a new meaning ('cowardly, sneaky').
USAGE:
- Functions as a な-adjective and as a noun.
- Originally from Chinese, where 姑 means 'for the time being' and 息 means 'to rest/breathe'; the literal sense is 'a momentary breather' — i.e., a stopgap.
- Surveys by the Agency for Cultural Affairs show over 70% of speakers now use it in the newer 'cowardly/sneaky' sense. Both meanings are now considered acceptable in modern Japanese, but the new sense dominates conversation.
- The original sense survives mainly in medical terminology.
PREDICATE VS. MODIFIER:
- Modifier (姑息な + noun): 姑息な手段 (a sneaky/stopgap means), 姑息なまね (sneaky behavior), 姑息な言い訳 (a cowardly excuse)
- Predicate: そのやり方は姑息だ (that approach is underhanded)
- Medical (original sense): 姑息的治療 (palliative treatment)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 卑怯: cowardly, unfair (a stronger and more direct word for cowardly behavior).
- 一時的: temporary (the modern, neutral way to express the original sense of 姑息).