生き餌

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 生き餌(いきえ) is a noun for a living creature used as bait to attract fish or another animal.
• Basic usage: The pursued target appears in 生き餌を追う, while a container holding it appears in 生き餌を入れた桶.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Bait that is alive
  • The key point is not bait in general but a creature that is still alive when used as bait.
• Compound reading
  • The compound of 生き and 餌 is read いきえ.