unusual event; accident; change for the worse
Archaic noun for an unexpected, often unfortunate event or change. Not used in modern Japanese; replaced by words like 異変, 事故, or 変事.
In old documents, expressions like 'due to an unusual event' can be found.
Compound of 変 (unusual, change) and 故 (reason, event). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; it appears in classical texts as a term for an unforeseen or adverse occurrence.