呑舟の魚

Japanese

Kanji in this term
呑	舟	魚
どん Hyōgai	しゅう Grade: S	うお Grade: 2
kan'yōon	kan'on	kun'yomi

Alternative spellings
呑舟之魚 吞舟之魚

Etymology

呑舟 (“boat swallowing”) +‎ の (attributive marker) +‎ 魚 (“fish”), calque of Literary Chinese 吞舟之魚, from the chapter 庚桑楚 of Zhuangzi

Noun

呑(どん)舟(しゅう)の魚(うお) • (donshū no uo) 

1. (literal) a boat-swallowing fish
2. (figurative) a colossal fish
3. (figurative) a larger-than-life character/individual

See also

• 呑(どん)舟(しゅう)の魚(うお)は枝(し)流(りゅう)に游(およ)がず (donshū no uo wa shiryū ni oyogazu)