noun
hack; inferior horse
Literary term for a horse of poor quality, not used in everyday conversation.
古い物語では、駑馬に乗った貧しい武士が登場する。
In old tales, a poor samurai riding a hack appears.
noun
inferior person; incapable person
Humble self-deprecating metaphor; compares oneself to a worthless horse. Rare and literary.
私のような駑馬には、その任は重すぎます。
For an incapable person like me, that duty is too heavy.
Antonym meaning 'excellent horse' or 'swift horse', used in similar literary contexts.
Composed of 駑 (slow, inferior horse) and 馬 (horse). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the spelling is conventionally associated with the meaning 'inferior horse'.