1.
idiom; idiomatic expression; set phrase
A fixed expression whose meaning cannot be fully understood from the individual words alone. Used as a linguistic term when discussing language and grammar.
A linguistic term for fixed expressions whose meaning goes beyond the literal words. Japanese is particularly rich in body-part idioms (体の慣用語), such as 目が高い (to have a good eye), 手を焼く (to have difficulty with), and 腹が立つ (to get angry).
Common collocations
Related words
- 慣用句: idiomatic phrase — often used interchangeably, but 慣用句 specifically refers to phrasal units, while 慣用語 can include single idiomatic words
- 諺: proverb — a complete sentence expressing traditional wisdom, not the same as an idiom
- 四字熟語: four-character compound — a specific class of set expressions using exactly four kanji
Related Words
Related:
慣用句 (idiomatic phrase)
Related:
諺 (proverb)
Related:
四字熟語 (four-character compound)