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【No. 2203】Nibe mo Nai (にべもない - Blunt)

Nov 2, 2023 23:16
Nibe mo Nai

People who are unsociable or blunt are sometimes described as nibe mo nai (にべもない).

Nibe (にべ - meaning "nibea mitsukurii") is the kind of fish belonging to the order Perciformes, known as a premium ingredient for kamaboko (a type of fish cake).

In the past, a glue material called nikawa (膠) was made from the large air bladder of the nibea mitsukurii.

Since the nikawa made from nibe had strong adhesive properties, nibe came to mean sociability or flattery. Later, by pairing it with the negative word nai (ない), the above expression nibe mo nai was coined.
にべもない

愛想のない人や、冷たい人のことを、「にべもない」と表現することがあります。

「にべ」はスズキ目に属する魚の名前であり、高級かまぼこの材料としても知られます。

また、「ない」は否定を意味するため、「にべもない」の文字どおりの意味は "no fish" となります。

かつて、このにべの大きな浮袋から、膠(にかわ)と呼ばれる接着剤が作られていました。

にべから作られた膠は強い接着力を持っていたっことから、「にべ」は「愛想」や「世辞」のような意味を持つようになり、否定語の「ない」と組み合わせた「にべもない」という表現が生まれたわけです。

Corrections (1)

No. 1 O-Star
  • Nibe mo Nai (にべもない - Blunt)
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • Nibe mo Nai
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • People who are unsociable or blunt are sometimes described as 'nibe mo nai' (にべもない).
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • 'Nibe' (にべ - meaning "nibea mitsukurii") is the kind of fish belonging to the order Perciformes, known as a premium ingredient for kamaboko (a type of fish cake).
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • In the past, a glue material called 'nikawa' (膠) was made from the large air bladder of the nibea mitsukurii.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • Since the 'nikawa' made from 'nibe' had strong adhesive properties, 'nibe' came to mean sociability or flattery.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • Later, by pairing it with the negative word 'nai' (ない), the above expression 'nibe mo nai' was coined.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
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