虚勢

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 虚勢 is read as きょせい and means “bravado” and “false show of strength”.
• Basic usage: It describes putting on bravado to hide anxiety and dropping that pretense to seek help.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• 虚勢を張る / 虚勢を捨てる
  • The idioms 虚勢を張る and 虚勢を捨てる mean putting on and abandoning a false show of strength.