1.
bare fists; empty hands; unarmed
The state of having nothing in one's hands — no weapons, tools, or resources. Used both literally to mean fighting with bare fists and figuratively to mean starting with nothing.
空拳で戦う。
Fight with bare fists.
彼は空拳から事業を立ち上げた。
He built the business from nothing.
武器も道具もなく空拳で困難に立ち向かわなければならなかった。
Without weapons or tools, we had to face the difficulty empty-handed.
Literally "empty fists," composed of 空 (empty) and 拳 (fist). Used both in martial arts contexts to mean fighting without weapons and figuratively to describe starting an endeavor with no resources or capital.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 空拳で戦う: fight bare-handed
- 空拳から始める: start from nothing
- 徒手空拳: completely empty-handed (four-character compound emphasizing total lack of resources)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 素手: bare hands (more common in everyday speech)
- 徒手: empty-handed (often paired with 空拳)
- 丸腰: unarmed (specifically without weapons)
USAGE:
The four-character compound 徒手空拳 is a well-known expression meaning to have absolutely no resources, capital, or advantages. It is frequently used when describing entrepreneurs who built something from nothing.