avoid · mourning

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 忌 has 7 strokes, the on-reading き, and the kun-reading いむ among its readings. 忌む (いむ) means to shun or regard as taboo.
• Basic usage: 忌む concerns disliking an act or treating it as taboo; 忌避 (きひ) concerns avoiding something such as work or responsibility.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Taboo and avoidance
  • 夜に口笛を吹くことを忌みます means to regard whistling at night as taboo. It describes a custom of the village in the story.
  • この仕事を忌避する means to avoid this work. 責任を忌避せず describes not avoiding responsibility in the example about examining the cause of a failure together.