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後顧の憂い (koukonourei) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
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I can devote myself to the new job without any worries about the future.
He paid off all his debts to eliminate any lingering concerns.
Kanji 顧 look back, review, examine oneself 憂 melancholy, grieve, lament Related words 心しん 配ぱい 心配 is a common, everyday word for worry or concern, while 後顧の憂い is a formal, literary set phrase specifically about future anxiety or things left behind.
不ふ 安あん 不安 is a general term for uneasiness or anxiety, whereas 後顧の憂い is a fixed expression used in more formal contexts to describe worry about the future or unresolved matters.
Etymology A yojijukugo (four-character compound) of classical Chinese origin. 後顧 means 'looking back' or 'worrying about what is behind', and 憂い means 'anxiety' or 'concern'. The phrase originally referred to the anxiety of a military commander about threats from the rear, but now broadly means worry about the future or unresolved issues.
