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【No. 1856】Zehi (是非 - By All Means)

May 26, 2021 09:52
Zehi

Japanese people often use the term zehi (是非) when they strongly recommend something to others.

Since ze (是) means "good/right" and hi (非) means "bad/wrong," the literal meaning of zehi is "good and bad/right and wrong."

In fact, when using zehi as a noun, it becomes the literal meaning.

On the other hand, when using zehi as an adverb, it expresses a wish that you definitely want someone to do something.

This meaning came from the nuances of zehi such as "regardless of whether it is right or wrong."
是非

日本人は人に何かを強く勧めるとき、「是非」という言葉を使います。

「是」は「良いこと/正しいこと」、「非」は「悪いこと/正しくないこと」を意味するので、「是非」の文字どおりの意味は「良いことと悪いこと」となります。

実際、「是非」を名詞で使う場合は、文字どおりの意味となります。

一方、「是非」を文頭で副詞として使うと、「必ずやってもらいたい」という強い願いを表します。

「良い悪いに関わらず」ということからこの意味を持つようになったようです。

Corrections (1)

No. 1 JellyRock
  • Japanese people often use the term 'zehi' (是非) when they strongly recommend something to others.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • Since 'ze' (是) means "good/right" and 'hi' (非) means "bad/wrong," the literal meaning of 'zehi' is "good and bad/right and wrong."
  • Since 'ze' (是) means "good/right" and 'hi' (非) means "bad/wrong," the literal meaning of 'zehi' is "good and bad/right and wrong."bad, or right and wrong
  • In fact, when using 'zehi' as a noun, it becomes the literal meaning.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • On the other hand, when using 'zehi' as an adverb, it expresses a wish that you definitely want someone to do something.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • This meaning came from the nuances of 'zehi' such as "regardless of whether it is right or wrong."
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
Toru
Thank you for the correction! (^^)

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