意い気き阻そ喪そう

い

き

そ

う

Meanings

1

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb

depressed; disheartened; lacking nerve

yojijukugo (four-character idiom)

A yojijukugo describing a state of being dispirited, discouraged, or losing one's nerve. Often used in formal or literary contexts.

失しっ敗ぱい続つづきで彼かれは意い気き阻そ喪そうしている。
After a series of failures, he is disheartened.

その知しらせを聞きいて一いち同どう意い気き阻そ喪そうした。

Upon hearing the news, everyone was depressed.

Written forms

意い気き阻そ喪そう
Standard kanji form for this yojijukugo.
意い気き沮そ喪そう
Variant kanji form using 沮 instead of 阻; both are used.

Kanji

意idea, mind, heart
気spirit, mind, air
阻thwart, separate from, prevent
喪miss, mourning
沮stop, prevent, defeated

Similar words

意い気き消しょう沈ちん
Similar meaning of being dispirited, but 意気阻喪 emphasizes a loss of nerve or courage, while 意気消沈 is more about general dejection.
落らく胆たん
A more common word for disappointment or discouragement, used in everyday speech, whereas 意気阻喪 is a formal yojijukugo.

Etymology

A yojijukugo composed of 意気 (spirit, vigor) and 阻喪/沮喪 (loss, decline). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it follows the pattern of classical Chinese-derived four-character compounds expressing psychological states.