惻そく々そく

also: しょくしょく

そ

く

そ

く

Meanings

taru-adjective, adverb taking the 'to' particle

keenly felt; heart-wrenching; heart-rending

formal or literary

Formal, literary term describing a deeply moving, sorrowful feeling. Used as a taru-adjective or adverb with と.

彼かれの話はなしを聞きいて、惻そく々そくたる思おもいが胸むねに迫せまった。
Hearing his story, a keenly felt sorrow pressed upon my heart.
その詩しには惻そく々そくとした哀あい愁しゅうが漂ただよっている。
The poem is filled with a heart-rending melancholy.

Kanji

惻be sad

Related words

切せつ々せつ
切々 is more common and means 'earnestly' or 'keenly', often used for appeals or feelings, while 惻々 is specifically sorrowful and literary.

Written forms

惻々Usage33%
- そくそく
  Literary kanji form; the repetition mark 々 is standard. 惻惻 is an alternate full-character spelling.
- しょくしょく
そくそくUsage58%
Kana spelling for clarity, as the kanji are rare.
惻惻Usage8%
- そくそく
  Full-character variant of 惻々.
- しょくしょく
しょくしょく
Alternate reading listed; rare and may be encountered in older texts.

Etymology

The kanji 惻 means 'sorrow' or 'compassion'. The reduplicated form 惻々 intensifies the meaning, creating a literary expression for deep, heart-rending emotion. The reading そくそく is the standard on'yomi, while しょくしょく is a rare alternate reading.