外堀

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 外堀 combines 外, outside, with 堀, a moat, to name a castle’s outer moat.
• Basic usage: It is used for a castle’s defenses and figuratively for gaining influence around the central issue in a negotiation.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• The figurative 外堀を埋める
  • 外堀を埋める means first bringing surrounding people or conditions onto one’s side, making it harder for the main party to refuse. Winning over the surrounding people in the negotiation example illustrates this use.
• Reading within the word
  • 堀 on its own is ほり, but in 外堀 it becomes ぼり, making the complete reading そとぼり.