noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb
Archaic literary term for suffering a defeat or loss, especially in battle or competition. Not used in modern everyday speech.
古い軍記物語には「敗衄」という語がしばしば見られる。
In old war tales, the word 敗衄 is often seen.
敗北 is the standard modern word for defeat, while 敗衄 is an archaic literary synonym.
Composed of 敗 (defeat) and 衄 (bleed, be defeated). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; it is an archaic compound not used in modern Japanese.