弁解

べんかい · benkai · JLPT N1 · noun

explanation

弁 = speech/argue + 解 = untie: words that loosen the knot of blame (excuse)

弁解 combines 弁 (speech, argument) and 解 (untie, explain). It is the speech you use to loosen a charge against you, whether as a justification or an excuse.

解 — horn 角 + knife 刀 + ox 牛
解 is an ideograph showing hands using a knife (刀) to separate the horn (角) from an ox (牛). The original meaning was to butcher or dismember an ox, which broadened to 'untie, separate, loosen,' and then extended figuratively to 'explain' or 'understand'—to take something apart mentally.

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