noun
Literary term for a woman so beautiful she could topple a kingdom; often used in classical or poetic contexts. Compare 傾国.
See also: 傾国 (けいこく)
彼女はまるで傾城のような美しさだ。
She has a beauty like that of a legendary siren.
noun
courtesan; prostitute
Historical term for a high-class courtesan or prostitute, especially in the Edo period. Now mainly encountered in period dramas or literature.
See also: 傾国 (けいこく)
江戸時代、傾城は吉原で人気を集めた。
In the Edo period, courtesans were popular in Yoshiwara.
傾国 also means 'beauty that ruins a country' but is more directly tied to the classical Chinese story; 傾城 is a Japanese adaptation with broader literary use.
From Chinese 傾城 (qīngchéng), literally 'topple a city', referring to a woman of devastating beauty. The courtesan sense developed in Japan during the Edo period.