故事成語

• 読み: こじせいご
• ローマ字: kojiseigo
• 漢字の分解: 故 (ko) — old, past; 事 (ji) — matter, event; 成 (sei) — become, established; 語 (go) — expression, word
• 発音: /ko.dʑi.seː.ɡo/

意味

Idiom derived from a historical anecdote. A set expression whose meaning originates in a classical Chinese or Japanese historical story.

A compound noun for the category of expressions that trace their meaning to a specific historical episode, typically from classical Chinese literature (漢籍). Examples include 矛盾 (contradiction, from a parable about a spear and shield), 臥薪嘗胆 (perseverance through hardship), and 蛍雪の功 (achievement through diligent study under hardship). Knowledge of 故事成語 is expected at the N1 level and in professional Japanese writing.

例文

1. 矛盾という言葉は中国の古典に由来する故事成語の一つだ。
2. 日本語には漢籍から取り入れられた故事成語が数多く存在している。
3. 故事成語の背景にある物語を知ると、その言葉の重みが格段に増す。

使い方ガイド

場面: classical Chinese, literature, education, formal writing

トーン: neutral

起源と歴史

Compound of 故事 (koji, historical anecdote/precedent) and 成語 (seigo, established expression/set phrase). The term itself describes its own nature: a fixed expression (成語) that has grown out of (成) a historical story (故事).

文化的背景

時代: Classical–Modern

世代: Adults

社会的背景: Educated