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絶体絶命 (ぜったいぜつめい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

絶ぜっ体たい絶ぜつ命めい

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Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', na-adjective

desperate situation; no way out; last extremity

yojijukugo (four-character idiom)

A yojijukugo describing a hopeless predicament where one is completely cornered with no escape. Often used in dramatic or emphatic contexts.

彼かれは絶ぜっ体たい絶ぜつ命めいのピンチを乗のり越こえた。
He overcame a desperate, no-way-out crisis.

絶ぜっ体たい絶ぜつ命めいの状じょう況きょうでも諦あきらめないことが大たい切せつだ。

Even in a last-extremity situation, it's important not to give up.

Written forms

絶ぜっ体たい絶ぜつ命めい
Standard kanji form for this yojijukugo.
絶ぜっ対たい絶ぜつ命めい
irregular kanji usage
Variant using 対 instead of 体; considered irregular kanji usage but sometimes seen.

Kanji

絶discontinue, sever, cut off
体body, substance, object
命fate, command, decree
対vis-a-vis, opposite, even

Similar words

絶ぜつ望ぼう的てき
絶望的 means 'hopeless' and focuses on the lack of hope, while 絶体絶命 emphasizes being trapped in an inescapable predicament.
四し面めん楚そ歌か
四面楚歌 means 'surrounded by enemies on all sides' and implies hostility from others, whereas 絶体絶命 is about a hopeless situation regardless of external opposition.

Etymology

A yojijukugo of uncertain exact origin. The kanji 絶 (sever, discontinue), 体 (body, form), and 命 (life, fate) combine to suggest a state where one's body and life are about to be cut off, i.e., a desperate, life-threatening predicament. The variant 絶対絶命 uses 対 (oppose, versus) instead of 体, likely by analogy with 絶対 (absolute), but is considered irregular.