朽くち木き

noun

decayed tree; rotten wood

Refers to wood or a tree that has rotted and lost its structural integrity. Often used literally, but can carry a poetic or melancholic tone.

• 森もりの中なかで朽くち木きを見みつけた。

  I found a decayed tree in the forest.

• この朽くち木きはもう薪まきにもならない。

  This rotten wood can't even be used as firewood anymore.

noun

obscure, meaningless life

Metaphorical use, comparing a wasted or insignificant life to a rotting tree. Often appears in literary or reflective contexts. Cross-referenced with 朽ちる sense 2.

See also: 朽ちる

• 彼かれは自じ分ぶんの人じん生せいを朽くち木きのように感かんじていた。

  He felt his life was like a decayed tree—obscure and meaningless.