斧ふ鑿さく

noun

lucubration; elaboration; chisel and ax

Archaic literary term for painstaking scholarly work or elaboration, derived from the image of carving with chisel and ax. The literal meaning 'chisel and ax' is also recorded but rare.

• 「斧ふ鑿さく」は、昔むかしの文ぶん章しょうで、苦く心しんして文ぶん章しょうを練ねることを指さす語ごとして使つかわれた。

  In old texts, 斧鑿 was used to refer to the painstaking elaboration of writing.