虎子まる

noun

bedpan; chamber pot; potty

Only with reading まる

Archaic term for a bedpan or chamber pot, now replaced by おまる. The reading まる is a gikun (meaning-based reading) for this sense.

See also: おまる

• 昔むかしは「虎子まる」と書かいて「まる」と読よませる便べん器きを指さした。

  In the past, 虎子 was written and read as まる to refer to a bedpan.

noun

baby tiger; hard-earned reward

Only with reading こし

Literally 'baby tiger'; also used figuratively in the proverb 虎穴に入らずんば虎子を得ず ('Nothing ventured, nothing gained') to mean a valuable prize obtained through risk.

See also: 虎穴に入らずんば虎子を得ず

• 虎こ穴けつに入いらずんば虎こ子しを得えず。

  If you don't enter the tiger's den, you won't catch its cub. (Nothing ventured, nothing gained.)

• この成せい功こうはまさに虎こ子しだ。

  This success is truly a hard-earned reward.