also: ゆうゆう
taru-adjective
Archaic literary word describing the plaintive cry of a deer, often used in classical Chinese-influenced poetry or prose. Not used in modern everyday Japanese.
古詩に「呦呦たる鹿の声」とある。
In an old poem, there is the phrase 'the crying voice of the deer'.
taru-adjective
Archaic literary use for human sobbing or weeping, likely an extension of the deer-cry imagery. Extremely rare; modern Japanese would use すすり泣き or 嗚咽.
呦呦として泣くさまは、古い物語にのみ見られる。
The manner of sobbing described as 呦呦 is found only in old tales.
From Chinese 呦呦 (yōuyōu), an onomatopoeic reduplication representing the cry of a deer. The Japanese reading ようよう (or ゆうゆう) is the Sino-Japanese on'yomi. The character 呦 is rare and used almost exclusively in this compound.