shield

(cliff) + (the fly)
★★☆☆☆
9 strokes

Onyomi

JUN

I bought my shield in JUNE.

Mnemonic

You need to stand behind the cliff to shield yourself from the onslaught of the fly. He has the strength of 20 men!!

Kunyomi

たて shield
★☆☆☆☆

Jukugo

矛盾(むじゅん)

contradiction ★★★☆☆
(halberd) + (shield) = 矛盾 (contradiction )

contradiction / hypocrisy  (interesting: the kanji literally mean 'spear plus shield'! Picture a guy claiming his shield is for self-defense, even as he holds a bloody spear in his other hand) . . ..

Japanese, tellingly, does not have a word for hypocrisy, so if you want to say hypocrite, you have to use this word (mujun) and try and make it fit.

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