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【No. 1950】Shi ni Mono Gurui (死に物狂い - For Life)

Aug 28, 2021 17:03
Shi ni Mono Gurui

When you work on something seriously so hard that you don't even fear death, it can be described as shi ni mono gurui (死に物狂い) in Japanese.

Shi (死) means "death," mono (物) means "thing," and gurui/kurui (狂い) means "crazy."

This phrase was coined by adding the word shi to the idiom mono gurui (物狂い), which means to lose one's mind over something.

For example, you can say shi ni mono gurui de hataraita (死に物狂いで働いた - meaning "I worked for life.")
死に物狂い

死ぬことも恐ないほどの気持ちで、真剣に何かに取り組むことを、「死に物狂い」と表現することがあります。

「死」は "death"、「物」は "thing"、「狂い」は "crazy" を意味します。

この言葉は、何かに対し正気でなくなってしまうことを意味する「物狂い」に、「死ぬ程」を意味する「死に」をつけて作られました。

例えば、「死に物狂いで働いた」のように使います

Corrections (1)

No. 1 David
  • When you work on something seriously so hard that you don't even fear death, it can be described as 'shi ni mono gurui' (死に物狂い) in Japanese.
  • When you seriously work on something so hard that you don't even fear death it can be described as 'shi ni mono gurui' (死に物狂い) in Japanese.

    Seriously is an adverb so it should be by the verb it is modifying.

    Deleted the comma

Toru
Thank you for the correction!
The grammar checking software I use, Grammarly, tells me to add a comma after "death" in that sentence, but would it be more natural to remove it? I try to be as formal as possible in my writing.
David
I think Grammarly is right and I was wrong.

2. Use commas after introductory a) clauses, b) phrases, or c) words that come before the main clause.

a. Common starter words for introductory clauses that should be followed by a comma include after, although, as, because, if, since, when, while.

While I was eating, the cat scratched at the door.

Because her alarm clock was broken, she was late for class.

If you are ill, you ought to see a doctor.
Toru
Thank you for the explanation!
Perhaps there is a gap between grammatical correctness and what is natural for native speakers.

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