1級 Grammar 16 - 20

ADMINISTRATORS' NOTE:

We're doing our best to prepare for, and hopefully, to help you prepare for the 日本語能力試験１級, but please remember: 1級, by its very nature, consists of grammar that is difficult, highly nuanced, and most of the time, rarely used in regular conversations. That's why it's important that you use our posts as references, to be compared with other study sources, and even more important that you CHECK THE COMMENTS after each post. We're lucky to receive corrections and clarifications from native speakers and other foreigners more knowledgeable than we, and they don't always make it back into the body of the post. Thanks, and 頑張って！

1級 Grammar 16-20

Another week, another set of grammar points - these ones focusing around some changes I'm going to implement to the Yoji as soon as I've ousted Jeff in a duel. PREPARE YOURSELF(Jeff and readers!)!

16.　～こととて
Because of ~,
Owing to ~,

This phrase is particularly prevalent with a followup that has the "押し訳ない" vibe to it, ie "I'm really sorry about this, but..." or "I hope it's not too much of an inconvenience, but...". To further shock you all, I will reveal that it is mostly used in formal conversations or in writing. Surprise!

Ex.　不景気のこととて、ザ・デーリー・四字の会員料金を５倍増加いたします。誠に申し訳ございませんが、皆さんのご努力をお願いします！


17.　～ことなしに
Without ~
～しないで
～せず

This one actually breaks down exactly how it looks - plug in the dictionary form of a verb behind it and you're in business! Try and save it for your written Japanese, though, or risk sounding a little pompous.

Ex.　精力を使うことなしにジェフを倒すと１６番の利益をゆっくりと楽しむ。


18.　～しまつだ
It's come to the point where ~

This one is actually kind of fun - you list some kind of cause and effect and throw this on the end to emphasize how desperate a situation has become. 「最近、食料品を買ってないので、お腹がすいたらご飯に塩食をかけて食べるしまつだ。」 Good times. Make sure you use it when you're talking about the result of something else!

Ex.　この俺様とジェフめが切磋琢磨で日本語を美味く話せるようになって、狭い佐賀が足らなくて一人だけ住めるしまつだ。ジェフ！かかってこい！


19.　～ずくめ
Nothing but ~
A ton of ~

I know all of you wanted another way to say ばかり, so here you go! Put this after a noun, especially an adjective paired with こと, and you're in the money.

Ex.　俺がザ・デーリー王様になると、ヤンキー語とナンパに関する記事ずくめのブログになるんだよ。楽しめ！


20.　～ずにはわかない
Have no choice but to ~
絶対に ~ する
～ずにはいられない

In a rare twist, this grammar point appears to lend itself mostly to spoken situations. Employ it when you want super-extra emphasis.

Ex.　でもやっぱり、ジェフをぶっ殺しても、二ラブがまだ残っている。彼は北斗神券を極めた天才だ。ただ、そいつも決闘ずにはわかない。二ラブ！がってんしょうちのすけ！ああああたたたたたたたたたたたたた！

天下無敵...and friends

天下無敵
てんか　むてき
tenka muteki

After much alcohol-fueled internal deliberation, I decided to feature this yoji while touching only briefly on its similar cousins.

Definition:
世の中に並ぶものがないほど優れていること。
Translations:
1. Unequalled, invincible.
2. Unrivaled, the best on the planet.

The structure is simple enough that a basic understanding in Japanese will yield a working translation - "Under heaven, no enemies", ie nobody on earth can be your foe. The great thing about this phrase is that it's wildly flexible. A quick image search reveals that the phrase is used in application to sports teams as often as it is for pornography (NSFW if you're skeptical), thus letting you quickly know who you should cheer for and what videos to look for in the adult section of your local video rentary.

If you're more curious about the implications of the etymology, being without enemies doesn't mean work in the same sense as "he's such a nice guy, he would never make an enemy of anybody." It can only be applied in a "Nothing can stand up to that guy" sense of the phrase. There is a somewhat recent line of thinking that the former can apply, and digging around in various blogs shows that there definitely exist people who extrapolate the former meaning as applied to some life-lesson... but I would be hesitant to use it in describing anything less than spectacular. For example:


The first few minutes are all you need to get an idea of where I'm coming from if you are (unfortunately) not well-versed in the ways of 北斗の拳.

Now to march out two of the cousins of today's yoji: 天下無双(てんかむそう) and 天下無類(てんかむるい）. At first glance it might look like I haven't made any change at all, but such is the single-moji replacement. The reason these yojis get less attention is because they are more or less interchangeable with 天下無敵, with vary faint nuances that cater to those unwilling to outright declare their dominance over all comers. Let's take a look at the kanji that set these phrases apart.

双 can also be read as "ふた", and the most common place you're likely to see it is in 双子, futago, or "twins". It is best suited for when there is not only a pair, but a pair of things that either resemble one another or are the same. Thus, twins. 無双, then, means unmatched or unequaled. In this regard it is unlike today's main yoji in that it can be easier applied to someone who dominates a certain field where true "enemies" might not exist. For example, Einstein might be considered 天下無双 in the realm of physicists. While 天下無敵 still works, it might make it sound like Albert was prepared to engage in all out physics showdowns with quantum-field pretenders... which might be what you're actually trying to say.

類 is often seen gallivanting down the sidewalk paired to make 種類(しゅるい), or "type/kind". It's quite a lot like 無双 save that instead of the connotation of there being no similar matching, there's not even a similar category that you can thrust others into. This is best used in situations where the subject breaks the mold, so to speak, or is in a league of their own.

As a last note on usage, it functions pretty well as an adjective with "な" tacked on the end, though simply saying "~は天下無敵です" is perfectly fine, as are other の and に permutations.

例文：
日本語を勉強しんたいなら、良い教科書や努力など以上に熱血な教師がいります。だから、毎日俺様は天下無敵な「デーリー四字」と言うブログを読むぞ！
If you want to study Japanese, beyond a good textbook or effort you need a passionate teacher. That's why I read the unbeatable "Daily Yoji" blog EVERY DAY.

A-san: "「笑い芸人の中で誰が好き？」と誰かに聞かれたら、「やっぱりガラガーが大好きだ」と返事する。なぜなら、スイカを潰すことに来たら、そいつは天下無類だ。"
"Whenever someone asks me what comedian I like, I tell them 'Why Gallagher, of course'. If you asked why, that guy is unrivaled when it comes to smashing watermelons."
B-san: "うそだろう！そいつは全然面白くネー！つまり彼は天下無双なもったいないの反面教師だぞ!"
"Are you serious?! That guy isn't funny at all. To put it simply, the only thing he is a master of is setting a bad example!"