[Japanese Idioms by Flashcards]
虫の息
“the breath of an insect”
(near one’s death, almost dead)
Since insects are small, imagine how faint their breath must be. The chances of recovery are extremely slim for a man whose breath is as faint as that of an insect.
Sample text:
(Style: spoken/formal/female)
A: Tanaka-san no oniisan, mattaku kinodokuni nee. Kootsuu jiko de nakunattan desu te ne.
B: Ee, soo na n desu te. Ookina jiko de ne, byooin ni tsuita toki wa moo mushi no iki datta rashii n desu yo.
A: 田中さんのお兄さん、全く
B: ええ、そうなんですって。大きな事故でね。病院に着いた時はもう虫の息だったらしいんですよ。
A: Tanaka’s brother, what a tragedy! I hear he was killed in a traffic accident.
B: Yes, that’s what I heard, too. It was a pretty serious accident. It seems he was almost dead by the time he arrived at the hospital.
Japanese Idioms
