Saji o Nageru (Throw a Spoon)

Oct 1, 2016 00:10
Today, I will talk about the Japanese idiom "saji o nageru."

The literal meaning is "to throw a spoon," and this spoon expresses a spoon that is used in pharmaceutical preparations.

In the past, (Chinese medicine) doctors prepared medicines for curing patients.

However, when any approach to treatment wasn't found, they gave up and threw the spoons for preparing medicines.

From this story, "saji o nageru" came to mean "to conclude there is no chances and give up."

In the Edo period, there was a senryu (satirical haiku/poem) "inaka isha saji o nagete ha uma de nige," which means that a rural doctor threw a spoon and ran away riding a horse.
匙を投げる

今日は日本の慣用句「匙を投げる」を紹介します。

文字通りの意味は "to throw a spoon" であり、匙は薬を調合するためのものを表しています。

かつて医者は、患者を治すために薬の調合も行っていました。

しかし、治療法が見つからないと、諦めて匙を投げ出しました。

このことから、「匙を投げる」は「成功する見込みが無いと判断し、諦める」ことを意味します。

江戸時代の川柳には、「田舎医者 さじを投げては 馬で逃げ」という句もあります。
No. 1 Shen
  • Saji o Nageru (Throw a Spoon)
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • Today, I will talk about the Japanese idiom "saji o nageru."
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • The literal meaning is "to throw a spoon," and this spoon expresses a spoon that is used in pharmaceutical preparations.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • In the past, (Chinese medicine) doctors prepared medicines for curing patients.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • However, when any approach to treatment wasn't found, they gave up and threw the spoons for preparing medicines.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • From this story, "saji o nageru" came to mean "to conclude there is no chances and give up."
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • In the Edo period, there was a senryu (satirical haiku/poem) "inaka isha saji o nagete ha uma de nige," which means that a rural doctor threw a spoon and ran away riding a horse.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
Toru
Thank you so much for checking my post! :)
No. 2 atsui
  • However, when any approach to treatment wasn't found, they gave up and threw the spoons for preparing medicines.
  • However, when they could not find any approach to treatment, they gave up and threw the spoons for preparing medicines.

    I think this way emphasizes more that they tried to find an approach but were not able to.

That's interesting. In English, we have a similar expression to mean to give up. Instead of throw a spoon, we say we "throw in the towel".

Toru
Thank you so much for correcting my post!
That's interesting, we also say "タオルを投げる" sometimes. Of course it comes from boxing.