(みえ)

みえ
noun
dramatic pose (in kabuki); striking a pose
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See also: 見栄(みえ) (vanity, showing off - same reading, different kanji)
1. dramatic pose (in kabuki); striking a pose
A stylized, frozen pose held by a kabuki actor at a climactic moment, often with crossed eyes and an exaggerated expression. By extension, any showy or boastful display of resolve.
The actor struck a dramatic pose.
The mie pose is the moment in kabuki when the audience gets most excited.
He made a big show of declaring "I'll definitely win," but the result was a crushing defeat.

Almost always appears in the idiom 見得(みえ)() (to strike a dramatic pose). In the figurative sense, it describes making a bold declaration or showy display of resolve — often with an implication that the speaker may not deliver.

Common collocations

Similar words

  • 見栄(みえ): vanity, showing off — same reading, related etymologically, but refers to outward appearance for social effect rather than a theatrical pose. 見栄(みえ)() = to keep up appearances
  • ポーズ: pose — loanword, generic and modern
  • 大言壮語(たいげんそうご): big talk, grandiose words — emphasizes the boastful claim rather than the pose

Related Words