noun
four-horse carriage
Archaic term for a carriage drawn by four horses. Found in classical Chinese texts and historical Japanese contexts. The reading しめ is also attested but rare.
古典には「駟馬も追い難し」という表現がある。
In classical literature, there is an expression 'even a four-horse carriage cannot catch up'.
From Chinese 駟馬 (sìmǎ), meaning a team of four horses or a carriage drawn by four horses. The reading しば is the on'yomi; しめ is an alternative historical reading.