お蔵くら入いり

お

く

ら

い

り

Meanings

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb

being shelved; being put on hold; being withheld from publication

idiomatic expression

Idiomatic expression for a project, plan, or creative work being indefinitely postponed or abandoned. Often used in entertainment and business contexts.

その映えい画がは予よ算さん不ぶ足そくでお蔵くら入いりになった。
The movie was shelved due to budget shortages.

新しん製せい品ひんの発はつ売ばいがお蔵くら入いりするかもしれない。

The launch of the new product might be put on hold.

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb

putting in storage

Literal meaning: placing something into a storehouse. Rarely used in modern Japanese outside historical or explanatory contexts; the idiomatic sense is dominant.

Written forms

お蔵くら入いり
Standard spelling. The honorific prefix お is usually written in kana.
お倉くら入いり
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; 倉 is an alternative character for 'storehouse'.

Kanji

蔵storehouse, hide, own
入enter, insert
倉godown, warehouse, storehouse

Similar words

蔵くら入いり
Without the honorific お, 蔵入り can also mean 'being shelved' but is less common and may sound more direct or technical.
棚たな上あげ
Also means 'shelving' or 'putting on the back burner', but 棚上げ is more general and less idiomatic than お蔵入り, which carries a nuance of permanent or indefinite abandonment.

Etymology

From 蔵入り (くらいり, 'putting into a storehouse') with the honorific prefix お. The idiomatic sense of 'shelving' comes from the image of locking something away in a storehouse, out of sight.