Having a bad experience with 〜目に遭う
目に遭う literally means “meet with the eye” as in “to experience something with one’s eyes”, but idiomatically it means to personally go through a negative experience. The English expression “going through” has a similar usage.
This expression is commonly used with the following words:
- ひどい (terrible experience)
- つらい (painful experience)
- 怖い (scary experience)
- いやな (unpleasant experience)
Examples
Experiencing danger during hide-and-seek with 〜目にあう
During a hide-and-seek game at the park, Ayumi hides in a car trunk and falls asleep. She wakes to find the car moving and discovers a bag of money, a slimy saw, and what seems like a severed head. Conan, tracking her via their Detective Boys badges, prepares to pursue on his electric skateboard. Genta and Mitsuhiko join him on it, but Conan urges them to stay behind due to the danger.
- 元太:
- 「歩美が危ない目にあってんのに、じっとしてられっかよ！！」
- “Ayumi is in danger, so how can I just stand by and do nothing?”
- 光彦:
- 「そうですよ！！ 女性をお守りするのは男の義務ですからね！！」
- “That's right! It's a man's duty to protect women!”
Had a bad experience in Nara with 〜目に遭う
While in Nara on a class trip, Urushi and her friends stop to feed to deer. As the hungry animals completely surround Urushi, her friends discuss their schedule, ignoring Urushi’s plight. When Urushi finally returns to her group, she demands to know why no one came to her rescue.
- うるし:
- 「まったく… ひどい目に遭ったぞ」
- “Seriously… I had a terrible experience.”
- 「シカは恐ろしいな」
- “Deer are scary…”
- ミク:
- 「落とし物とかしてないー？」
- “Did you drop anything?”
Such an experience being attacked with 〜目に遭う
After an unexpected transformation into a warrior of justice, Usagi learns that her friend Naru is in danger. When she gets to the jewelry shop owned by Naru’s family, Usagi is violently attacked by a mind-controlled crowd.
- うさぎ:
- 「どうして あたしがこんな目に遭うのっ！？」
- “Why is this happening to me?”