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秋霜烈日 (しゅうそうれつじつ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
noun
harshness ; severity ; strictness
yojijukugo (four-character idiom)
A yojijukugo used to describe an attitude or treatment that is as severe as autumn frost and as intense as the summer sun. Often applied to strict discipline, rigorous judgment, or unyielding authority.
た
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The judge handed down the verdict with an attitude as severe as autumn frost and the blazing sun.
Kanji 烈 ardent, violent, vehement Similar words 厳きび しさ A common, everyday word for severity or strictness. 秋霜烈日 is a literary yojijukugo with a more vivid, metaphorical nuance.
苛か 烈れつ Means 'severe' or 'intense', often used for criticism or conditions. 秋霜烈日 carries a classical, four-character idiom weight and implies an unyielding, almost natural-force harshness.
Etymology A yojijukugo composed of 秋 (autumn), 霜 (frost), 烈 (intense), and 日 (sun). The phrase metaphorically combines the severity of autumn frost and the intensity of the summer sun to express extreme harshness or strictness. The exact historical origin is uncertain, but it is a classical Chinese-derived idiom.
