noun
misfortune from ancestral sins; retribution for forebears' misdeeds
A literary or formal term for trouble or calamity believed to be caused by the sins or misdeeds of one's ancestors. Often contrasted with 余慶 (よけい, blessings from ancestral virtues).
Antonyms: 余慶
彼は家に伝わる余殃に苦しめられていると感じていた。
He felt he was tormented by the misfortune brought on by his family's past sins.
この物語では、先祖の悪行の余殃が子孫に及ぶ。
In this story, the retribution for the ancestors' misdeeds extends to their descendants.
From Middle Chinese 餘殃 (yú yāng). The kanji 余 means 'remaining' or 'excess', and 殃 means 'calamity' or 'misfortune'. The compound literally means 'remaining calamity', referring to misfortune that persists across generations.