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後顧の憂い (こうこのうれい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
expression, noun
anxiety about the future ; looking back with worry
A formal, somewhat literary set phrase meaning worry about what lies ahead or about things left behind. Often used in the negative form 後顧の憂いなく to mean 'without any lingering concerns' or 'free from future worries'.
憂うれ
い
を
断た
つ
ため
に
、
すべて
の
借しゃっ
金きん
を
返へん
済さい
し
た
。
He paid off all his debts to eliminate any lingering concerns.
Kanji 顧 look back, review, examine oneself 憂 melancholy, grieve, lament Similar words 心しん 配ぱい 心配 is a common, everyday word for worry or concern, while 後顧の憂い is a formal, literary set phrase specifically about future anxiety or things left behind.
不ふ 安あん 不安 is a general term for uneasiness or anxiety, whereas 後顧の憂い is a fixed expression used in more formal contexts to describe worry about the future or unresolved matters.
Etymology A yojijukugo (four-character compound) of classical Chinese origin. 後顧 means 'looking back' or 'worrying about what is behind', and 憂い means 'anxiety' or 'concern'. The phrase originally referred to the anxiety of a military commander about threats from the rear, but now broadly means worry about the future or unresolved issues.
