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因果覿面 (いんがてきめん) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
noun
swift retribution ; instant karma
yojijukugo (four-character idiom)
A yojijukugo meaning that the consequences of one's actions, good or bad, appear immediately and unmistakably. Often used in a negative sense for swift punishment.
彼かれ
が
嘘うそ
を
つい
たら
、
因いん
果が
覿てき
面めん
に
すぐ
バレ
た
。
When he lied, he was instantly found out, as if by karma.
Kanji 因 cause, factor, be associated with 果 fruit, reward, carry out Similar words 因いん 果が 応おう 報ほう 因果応報 also means karmic retribution but emphasizes the inevitability of cause and effect over a longer term, while 因果覿面 stresses the immediacy of the result.
自じ 業ごう 自じ 得とく 自業自得 means 'you reap what you sow' and focuses on personal responsibility for one's own misfortune, whereas 因果覿面 highlights the swiftness of the outcome.
Etymology A yojijukugo composed of 因果 (cause and effect, karma) and 覿面 (immediately, directly). The exact historical origin is uncertain, but it is a fixed expression used in modern Japanese.
