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【No. 1490】Shinsan wo Nameru (辛酸を嘗める - Having a Hard Time)

Jan 16, 2019 19:27
Shinsan wo Nameru

Yesterday, I introduced the idiom amai shiru wo suu (甘い汁を吸う), which means to get profits without struggling.

Since amai (甘い) means "sweet," shiru (汁) means "juice," and suu (吸う) means "to suck," the literal meaning of this idiom is "to such sweet juice."

There is another idiom that used a similar wording of this -- it is shinsan wo nameru (辛酸を嘗める).

Since shin (辛) means "hot/spicy," san (酸) means "sour," and nameru (嘗める) means "to lick," the literal meaning of this idiom is "to lick something hot or sour."

It is painful for many people to lick hot or sour things, so this idiom means to have a hard time.
辛酸を嘗める

昨日は、「苦労せずに利益を得る」ことを意味する「甘い汁を吸う」という言葉を紹介しました。

「甘い」は "sweet"、「汁」は "juice"、「吸う」は "to suck" を意味するので、この言葉の文字どおりの意味は "to such sweet juice" になります。

これと似た言い回しの言葉に、「辛酸を嘗める」があります。

「辛」は "hot/spicy"、「酸」は "sour"、「嘗める」は "to lick" を意味するので、この言葉の文字どおりの意味は "to lick something hot or sour" となります。

辛いものや酸っぱいものをなめるのは(人によるかもしれませんが)つらく苦しいため、「辛酸を嘗める」はつらい目に遭うことや、苦労をすることを意味します。

Corrections (1)

No. 1 Oceansea
  • Since 'amai' (甘い) means "sweet," 'shiru' (汁) means "juice," and 'suu' (吸う) means "to suck," the literal meaning of this idiom is "to such sweet juice."
  • Since 'amai' (甘い) means "sweet," 'shiru' (汁) means "juice," and 'suu' (吸う) means "to suck," the literal meaning of this idiom is "to suck sweet juice."

Okay, I will try to use this idiom!

毎日、日本語の勉強は辛酸を嘗める。
It is hard studying Japanese everyday. (But I like learning!)

If I made a mistake, please give me an example sentence. =)

Toru
Thank you so much for the correction! And nice try!

> 毎日、日本語の勉強は辛酸を嘗める。
Unfortunately, this usage of 辛酸を嘗める is a bit unnatural. 辛酸を嘗める implies that you are in an unhappy situation.

For example, I think that the following sentence is fine.
母親にやりたくもない日本語の勉強を強要されて、辛酸を嘗めている。
(My mother forces me to study Japanese which I do not want to learn. That time is hard/painful.)

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