伏線を張る

• Reading: ふくせんをはる
• Romaji: fukusen wo haru
• Kanji breakdown: 伏 (fuku) — hidden, lying in wait; 線 (sen) — line, thread; 張る (haru) — to lay out, spread
• Pronunciation: /ɸɯ.kɯ.seɴ.o.ha.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To foreshadow; to plant a narrative seed; to deliberately lay groundwork in a story for a later revelation or plot development.

A set expression (慣用句) in literary analysis and storytelling craft. 伏線 (fukusen) is the foreshadowing element — a detail, remark, or event that appears innocuous but later proves significant. 張る (haru) means to spread or lay out. The expression describes a writer's deliberate technique of seeding the narrative with hidden threads. Its counterpart 伏線回収 (recovering the foreshadowing) has become a viral term in contemporary Japanese pop culture discussions about plot craftsmanship.

Examples

1. 作者は序章から丁寧に伏線を張り、終章でそれを鮮やかに回収した。 The author carefully planted foreshadowing from the prologue and brilliantly resolved it in the final chapter.
2. 伏線を張るのが巧みな作家は、読者が気づかないうちに次の展開を準備させる。 A writer skilled at foreshadowing prepares readers for the next development before they are even aware of it.
3. 何気ない会話の中に伏線を張る技術が、この作品の再読価値を高めている。 The technique of planting foreshadowing within casual conversation increases the re-read value of this work.

Usage Guide

Context: literary criticism, screenwriting, storytelling, pop culture

Tone: analytical

Origin & History

伏線 comes from 伏 (hidden, lying low) and 線 (line, thread). The image is of an invisible thread laid beneath the surface of the story, ready to be pulled taut at the decisive moment. 張る adds the sense of deliberately spreading this thread throughout the text.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: General