1.
all beasts; all animals; every kind of beast
ライオンは百獣の王だ。
The lion is the king of beasts.
百獣の王と呼ばれるライオンにも天敵はいる。
Even the lion, called the king of beasts, has natural enemies.
古代の神話では、百獣を従える神の物語が数多く語られている。
In ancient mythology, there are many stories told of gods who commanded all the beasts.
A literary term where 百 means "all" or "many" (not literally one hundred) and 獣 means "beast." Most commonly encountered in the set phrase 百獣の王 (king of beasts).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 百獣の王: king of beasts (referring to the lion)
- 百獣を従える: to command all beasts
CULTURAL NOTE:
The phrase 百獣の王 appears in anime, manga, and television. The professional wrestler and mixed martial artist Akira Maeda was famously nicknamed 百獣の王. The concept also features in various Japanese card games and fantasy media.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 野獣: wild beast — refers to specific savage animals
- 猛獣: fierce beast, dangerous animal — emphasizes danger
- 動物: animal — the general, everyday word