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換骨奪胎 (かんこつだったい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Freq. Frequency Top 100,000 Conjugation Meanings 1
noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', transitive verb
adaptation ; recasting ; rewriting
yojijukugo (four-character idiom)
Refers to taking an existing work (poem, novel, etc.) and reshaping it into something new while retaining the core structure or spirit. Often used in literary or creative contexts. Can carry a slightly negative nuance of mere rehashing if the result lacks originality.
わ
れ
て
いる
。
His new work is said to be an adaptation of a classic.
Written forms 換かん 骨こつ 奪だっ 胎たい
Standard kanji form for this yojijukugo.
換かん 骨こつ 脱だっ 胎たい
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used variant with 脱 instead of 奪.
Kanji 換 interchange, period, change 奪 rob, take by force, snatch away 脱 undress, removing, escape from Similar words 模も 倣ほう 模倣 means imitation or copying, often without significant transformation, while 換骨奪胎 implies reshaping the original into something new.
翻ほん 案あん 翻案 is a more general term for adaptation, often across media, while 換骨奪胎 emphasizes a deeper structural reworking.
Etymology A yojijukugo of Chinese origin, literally 'changing the bones and stealing the womb', metaphorically meaning to take the essence of an existing work and give it a new form. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it is associated with the idea of creative adaptation in classical Chinese poetics.
