also: てきぜい
enemy strength; enemy forces
Refers to the military power, numbers, or momentum of an opposing force. Often used in historical or strategic contexts.
The enemy forces were three times the size of our army.
敵勢の前に撤退を余儀なくされた。
We were forced to retreat before the enemy's strength.
Standard kanji spelling; reading てきせい is more common.
Alternate reading てきぜい is less common and may be considered dated or literary.
Compound of 敵 (enemy) and 勢 (force, power). The reading てきせい is the standard on'yomi combination; てきぜい uses a less common voiced reading of 勢.