For the longest time, I had never seen yatsuatari written down. I always figured it was written 奴当たり, which I figured would have been derived from 「あの奴に当たる」 or something.
Imagine my surprise when I discovered that it was actually written 八つ当たり! I found myself rather confused by the kanji here. What does 八 "eight" have to do with 八つ当たり "venting one's anger on other people"?
Answer
I think it means to vent the anger in the 8 compass directions. I.e. you are so angry that the effects reach every direction around you.
Consider 四方八方. It refers to all sides or everywhere. I think 八つ refers to the 八方 part
No comments:
Post a Comment