Meaning

So acutely embarrassed that one's face burns and there is no ground that would feel safe to stand on — used when a person openly admits a personal failing.

顔から火が出るほど恥ずかしく、身の置き所がないこと。自身の非を素直に認める姿勢。

The Kyojuro Rengoku moment

A theatrical confession of embarrassment when discovered in an undignified moment — without any attempt to deflect.

Why it fits Kyojuro Rengoku

The Japanese idiom "I want to crawl into a hole" is the colloquial cousin of the classical kangan-muchi. Rengoku, like the classical scholar, owns the embarrassment fully — and the owning is itself the virtue.

Sources

• Weblio 類語辞書 — 汗顔無地 (dictionary)

How these sources are vetted →