1.
banner; rallying cause; slogan
Originally the crest on a battle flag; now mostly figurative — a goal or principle held up as the cause one acts under.
改革を旗印にする。
To make reform one's banner.
自由を旗印に立ち上がった。
They rose up under the banner of freedom.
その政党は格差の是正を旗印に掲げている。
The party holds up the correction of inequality as its banner.
Literally the emblem on a military flag. In modern use almost always figurative: a principle or goal raised as a unifying cause. Frequently the object of 掲げる (to hold up), or used in the pattern Xを旗印にする.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 旗印を掲げる: to raise a banner; to champion a cause
- ...を旗印にする: to make ... one's rallying cause
SIMILAR WORDS:
- スローガン: slogan — a catchphrase; 旗印 is the cause itself, not just its wording
- 目標: goal — a target to reach, without the 'rally others under it' nuance