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【No. 1141】Iki wo Korosu (息を殺す - Holding/Bating One's Breath)

Feb 1, 2018 01:20
If you don't want anyone to find you, you will keep your body still and depress breathing.

Such an act is called 息を殺す (iki wo korosu) in Japanese.

息 (iki) means "breath" and 殺す (korosu) means "to kill," so the literal meaning of this "iki wo korosu" is "to kill one's breath."

It is thought that this idiom comes from the fact that if you kill (stop) your breath, it will be very quiet.

Also, some thought that the etymology is that "iki" means "life" or "soul," and if you kill it, it will be very quiet.
息を殺す

誰かに見つかりたくないときは、呼吸を抑えて動かずにじっとしていると思います。

このようなことを、日本語で「息を殺す」と表現します。

「息」は "breath," 「殺す」は "to kill" を意味するので、「息を殺す」の文字通りの意味は "to kill one's breath" となります。

息をまるで殺したかのように、静かにすることが語源だと考えられます。

また、「息」は命や魂を意味し、「死んだように静かにする」ことが語源だとする説もあります。

Corrections (1)

No. 1 Chris
  • If you don't want anyone to find you, you will keep your body still and depress breathing.
  • If you don't want anyone to find you, you keep your body still and suppress your breathing.
  • Such an act is called 息を殺す (iki wo korosu) in Japanese.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • 息 (iki) means "breath" and 殺す (korosu) means "to kill," so the literal meaning of this "iki wo korosu" is "to kill one's breath."
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • It is thought that this idiom comes from the fact that if you kill (stop) your breath, it will be very quiet.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • Also, some thought that the etymology is that "iki" means "life" or "soul," and if you kill it, it will be very quiet.
  • Also, some think that the etymology is that "iki" means "life" or "soul," and if you kill it, it will be very quiet.
Toru
Thank you so much for the corrections! (^^)

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