noun
ingenious but pointless trick; artifice for its own sake
A yojijukugo describing a clever or elaborate technique that ultimately serves no practical purpose; often used critically.
彼の提案は奇技淫巧に過ぎず、実際の役には立たなかった。
His proposal was nothing more than an ingenious but pointless trick, and it was of no practical use.
A yojijukugo of Chinese origin, combining 奇 (strange, unusual), 技 (skill, technique), 淫 (excessive, lewd), and 巧 (skillful, clever). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the phrase is conventionally used to criticize overly clever but useless contrivances.