火ひの車くるま

expression, noun

fiery chariot; hell-bound chariot

Buddhist term for the chariot that carries sinners to hell. Rare in everyday conversation; mainly encountered in religious or literary contexts.

See also: 火車

• 仏ぶっ教きょうの絵え巻まきには、罪ざい人にんを乗のせた火ひの車くるまが描えがかれている。

  In Buddhist picture scrolls, a fiery chariot carrying sinners is depicted.

expression, noun

dire financial straits; desperate money troubles

Idiomatic expression for a severe financial pinch. Often used in the phrase 火の車だ or 火の車になる to describe a household, company, or budget that is barely scraping by.

• 失しつ業ぎょうしてから家か計けいは火ひの車くるまだ。

  Since losing my job, our household finances are in dire straits.

• その会かい社しゃの経けい営えいは火ひの車くるまで、いつ倒とう産さんしてもおかしくない。

  The company's management is in such a desperate situation that it could go bankrupt at any time.