Pronunciation
Preamble
That feeling when you’re tagged in a photo where you look very fat surrounded by slender people…
Definition
Officially, the definition of 公開処刑 (こうかいしょけい, koukaisyokei) is ‘public execution’, which is not used very often because this form of punishment no longer exists in Japan. Nowadays, the word is more rather used as slang to illustrate a humiliating situation – when flaws or undesired features of one’s appearance are amplified and emphasised in a photo or video in contrast to the other people around him/her. For instance, the most common ‘public execution‘ is when a short person is surrounded by very tall people in a photo or video. When such a picture or video is shared on the internet, the person in the limelight would feel as if he or she is mentally ‘executed’ in public. This word is particularly used when a celebrity is ‘mentally executed’ by better-looking people on TV.
This word is also used to describe when one feels mortified and dies of embarrassment in front of many people. For instance, it is a very typical 公開処刑 when you are severely reprimanded by your boss in front of your colleagues in the office, or when you or your team are thrashed by the opponent in a match in front of a large audience.
Examples of 公開処刑
公開処刑 in a Photo or Video
- short male or female idols standing next to very tall fashion models or athletes
- ugly comedians standing next to good-looking celebrities
- fat people standing next to slender and tall fashion models
- bikini models with short legs standing next to those with long ones
公開処刑 When One Feels Humiliated
- an ignorant commentator being lambasted by critics on TV for making illogical and fallacious statements
Word Structure
The word structure of 公開処刑 is as follows:
- 公開処刑 consists of two words: 公開 (koukai; public) and 処刑 (shokei; execution)
- 公開 (koukai) consists of two kanji characters: 公 (kou; public) + 開 (kai; open)
- 処刑 (shokei) consists of two kanji characters: 処 (sho; deal with) + 刑 (kei; punishment)
Example Sentences
Ex1
イケメン俳優が高身長のスポーツ選手達にテレビで公開処刑された
The good-looking actor was “mentally-executed in public” by very tall athletes on TV.
= The good-looking actor looked very short on TV because he had to stand next to very tall athletes.
Ex2
あのコメンテーターがテレビで非論理的な発言を激しく批判されたのは完全に公開処刑だった。
It was a complete “mental public execution” when the commentator was crucified on a TV show for his illogical remarks.
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