竜頭蛇尾

• 読み: りゅうとうだび
• ローマ字: ryūtōdabi
• 漢字の分解: 竜 (ryū) — dragon; 頭 (tō) — head; 蛇 (da) — snake; 尾 (bi) — tail
• 発音: /ɾjuːtoːdabi/

意味

Anticlimactic ending; starting strong but finishing weak. A four-character idiom for something impressive at the start but disappointing at the end.

A yojijukugo (four-character compound) meaning literally 'dragon head, snake tail.' Applied to speeches, projects, campaigns, or people who begin with great energy and promise but whose effort or quality fades badly toward the conclusion. The contrast between the majestic dragon and the humble snake encapsulates the disappointment.

例文

1. プレゼンは序盤こそ引き込まれたが、後半は竜頭蛇尾に終わった。
2. 開幕から勢いのあったそのドラマは竜頭蛇尾で視聴者を失望させた。
3. 竜頭蛇尾にならないよう、最後まで全力で取り組むことが大切だ。

使い方ガイド

場面: literary, criticism, business review, speech analysis

トーン: critical

起源と歴史

From Chinese origin (龍頭蛇尾). The dragon (竜/龍) symbolises majesty and power while the snake (蛇) represents something far lesser. The expression vividly contrasts an auspicious beginning with an inglorious end.

文化的背景

時代: Classical–Present

世代: Adults

社会的背景: Educated