four-horse carriage
Archaic term for a carriage drawn by four horses. Found in classical Chinese texts and historical Japanese contexts. The reading しめ is also attested but rare.
In classical literature, there is an expression 'even a four-horse carriage cannot catch up'.
Alternate kanji form using common characters, but still rare. Also read しば.
From Chinese 駟馬 (sìmǎ), meaning a team of four horses or a carriage drawn by four horses. The reading しば is the on'yomi; しめ is an alternative historical reading.