noun
trailing dust; dust cloud left behind
Literary word for the dust kicked up by someone or something moving ahead. Almost exclusively used in the idiom 後塵を拝する (こうじんをはいする), meaning 'to be outdone' or 'to follow in someone's wake'.
See also: 後塵を拝する (こうじんをはいする)
彼はいつも先頭を走り、他の者はその後塵を拝するばかりだった。
He always ran at the front, and the others could only follow in his wake.
この分野では
In this field, our company is still trailing behind our rivals.
This is the idiomatic expression in which 後塵 most commonly appears. It means 'to be outdone' or 'to follow behind someone superior'.
From 後 (behind) + 塵 (dust). The literal meaning is 'dust behind', referring to the dust raised by someone ahead. The idiomatic use comes from the image of being left behind in a cloud of dust.