屈する

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 屈する（くっする） means yielding to force or pressure, or giving in to difficulty.
• Basic usage: In 圧力に屈する and 困難に屈する, に marks what one yields to.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• The negative forms
  • 屈することなく means acting without yielding.
  • 屈しなかった states that someone did not yield in the past.
• Defeat versus submission
  • 負ける broadly includes losing a contest, while 屈する focuses on yielding one's will or stance under pressure.