excessive envy of someone in a similar situation; envy of a leper's pockmarks
Idiomatic expression describing irrational envy toward someone whose circumstances are essentially the same as one's own. The literal image is envying a leper's sores, implying a pitiable level of jealousy. Used in set phrases like 癩の瘡うらみもここに極まる.
Envying his success is just like envying a leper's pockmarks—utterly irrational.
Do you know the proverb 'envy of a leper's pockmarks'?
Standard kanji spelling for this idiomatic expression.
Mixed kana-kanji spelling; かったい is the common kana rendering of 癩.
Irregular kanji usage (恨み for うらみ).
The expression literally means 'envying a leper's pockmarks,' implying that one is so consumed by envy that they would even covet the afflictions of someone equally unfortunate. The exact origin is uncertain, but it is a traditional Japanese idiom.