expression, godan verb (-tsu)
something unexpected happens close to home
Idiomatic expression meaning that something sudden or unforeseen occurs involving someone or something one is close to, often with a nuance of surprise or disruption. Used as a verb phrase.
長年勤めた会社が突然倒産するなんて、まさに足元から鳥が立つ思いだ。
It feels exactly like a bird flying up from under your feet when the company you worked at for years suddenly goes bankrupt.
expression
abruptly; on the spur of the moment
Used adverbially, typically in the form 足元から鳥が立つように, to describe deciding or acting suddenly without prior indication. The verb 立つ is not inflected in this pattern.
彼は足元から鳥が立つように辞表を出した。
He handed in his resignation as abruptly as a bird taking off from under one's feet.