青天の霹靂

Japanese

Kanji in this term
青	天	霹	靂
せい Grade: 1	てん Grade: 1	へき Hyōgaiji	れき Hyōgaiji
on’yomi

Alternative spelling
靑天の霹靂 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

Compound of 青天 +‎ の +‎ 霹靂, compare Chinese 晴天霹靂／晴天霹雳 (qíngtiānpīlì)

Noun

青(せい)天(てん)の霹(へき)靂(れき) • (seiten no hekireki) 

1. (idiomatic) out of the blue, bolt from the blue, great surprise

   Synonym: 寝耳に水 (nemimi ni mizu)