Word of the Day: 余波 = After-effect or Fallout

I was looking for a way to say aftershock or after-effect, and my 首席 came to the rescue：余波　（よは）、which is literally "the wave that remains (after the winds have subsided)."

Great word!

Here's an example from Mainichi Shimbun:

毎日新聞社の英語版ニュースサイト「Mainichi Daily News」（MDN）が掲載した記事が「低俗すぎる」などと批判され、同社が記事を削除するなどした問題をめぐり、ネット上で余波が広がっている.

Here's my rough translation:

The fallout from Mainichi Shimbun's deletion of articles published on its English language news site "Mainichi Daily News (MDN") that had been criticised for being "excessively vulgar" is spreading on the Internet.

Vocabulary list:

掲載した 【けいさいした】 (n) (1) publication (e.g. article in paper); appearance; insertion; (vs) (2) to insert (e.g. an article); to run (e.g. in a newspaper)

低俗 【ていぞく】 (adj-na,n) vulgar
批判される 【ひはんされる】 be criticized for; get rubbished; get stoned
削除する 【さくじょする】 (n,vs,adj-no) elimination; cancellation; deletion; erasure; DEL (key)
余波 【よは】 (n) (1) waves that remain after the wind has subsided; (2) after-effect; aftermat

広がっている 【ひろがっている】 (vi) to range; have sprawled

Expression of the Day: Blind Turtle Floating Log

Yesterday's expression about a colt coming from a gourd reminded me of another 4-character expression in Japanese that I love:

盲亀浮木 【もうきふぼく】 unlikely event; rare occurence (lit. "blind turtle, floating log")

This reminds me of an incident I'll never forget that happened a few years ago when I went to Argentina for a summer internship. I was kicking myself because I had forgotten to take the phone number of a good friend Juan Ignacio whom I had met in Buenos Aires a few years earlier and gradually fell out of contact. On the second day after I arrived, I was apartment hunting and accidentally missed the subway stop where I was supposed to get off. While I was on the subway, feeling depressed and lonely, someone suddenly called out my name and grabbed my shoulder! It was my friend JuanIg, who just happened to be on the same subway car and didn't even know I was in Argentina. (He said he never takes that line but for some reason I can't remember he wound up on it.) Everyone else was looking, I think, as we excitedly reconnected and expressed our surprise, but it was a great moment. I remember thinking of the chances of that happening: going to a foreign country, taking a random subway, missing my stop, and bumping into the one person in that city you know, etc. Pretty slim! Definitely rates a 盲亀浮木 in my book!

Anyway, this expression is apparently based upon a Buddhist quasi-parable used to demonstrate the slim chances of being born in a life in which there is possibility of attaining enlightment. The metaphor involves a blind turtle surfacing a countless number of times and the chances of that turtle one day hitting upon a floating log in such a way as to go right up into it. Or something like that. There are a lot of interpretations that I've come across on the Internet but the way I see it (admittedly reflecting a way of thinking that is distorted by the 70s and far removed from that of the Boddhisatvas...), it's a good reminder to appreciate the opportunities we have been given in our lifetime.

I recently saw a video of a guy from New Zealand who was born without limbs and he spoke about how, even though he would rather have limbs if given the choice (he gets credit for being honest), he is thankful for the doors that his condition has opened for him in life and forced him to focus on what's really important, i.e., connections with other people, etc. Very heartfelt and moving.

Last weekend, I met a deaf guy here in Tokyo and I've been learning a lot of Japanese Sign Language from him during our conversations. My rudimentary ASL is helpful but only gets me so far, and he has been amazingly patient and we've been able to communicate much better than I had expected. (The fingerspelling 指文字 itself was a formidable challenge, but I found a good site on line and finally succeeded in getting the entire syllabary down.) It was great to be able to listen to what he had to say about growing up deaf in Japan. I was surprised that his parents who are both hearing didn't learn sign language. I had met another deaf Japanese guy in NY a couple years ago and he told me that his parents wouldn't let him sign in public because they were embarrassed...but according to the guy I just met, that mentality still exists but is thankfully getting rarer, at least in the cities and with younger generations. As we were signing on the subway, we were getting a lot of stares, so I was imagining how that must be to experience that on a daily basis growing up. (He drew the picture attached to this post, btw.)

So now that I'm looking back on 2008, I'm thankful for the opportunity to come to Japan and be able to learn so many new things every day, meet interesting people, eat amazing food, and visit places I've always wanted to go. So even though life isn't "perfect" by any stretch, the rarity of a life that affords such wonderful opportunities and the ability to connect (and reconnect) with such great people is something I definitely have come to appreciate these past few years. So thanks, New Zealand guy; thanks, JuanIg, and thanks, blind turtle!

Phrase of the Day: Horse from a Gourd!

Today I was talking to some co-workers about how something was unexpected and I was searching for a phrase that meant "out of the blue."

I knew 藪蛇 【やぶへび】but that wouldn't work because it has a negative connotation; it is literally translated as "snake from the thicket/bush," and means something like "stirring up a "hornet's nest" or "bringing unnecessary trouble upon oneself."

(Another good expression using "yabu" is 藪の中 【やぶのなか】 which is "the inability to discern the truth due to conflicting testimony," which is derived from the Akutagawa Ryuunosuke story "In A Grove," upon which the movie Rashomon is based in part. Another good expression is 藪医者, which is literally "doctor from the bush" and means "quack (doctor)"; I have no idea whether this is in common use, but I like it!)

The only other expression that I could think of was 亀毛兎角 【きもうとかく】(lit. "fur on turtles and horns on rabbits"), but she said she had never heard of it. In any event, it probably wouldn't work because it's apparently used as a metaphor for things that do not exist, or to express absurdity.

She then suggested the following, which she assured me was commonly used, or at least readily recognized:

瓢箪から駒 【ひょうたんからこま】 (exp) something very unexpected; something said as a joke actually happening (lit: a colt/chesspiece/spool comes from a gourd)

I like it...and I'm looking forward to the next opportunity to use it, whenever that may be!

Prove it! 立証 and 反証

I learned a couple really useful litigation-related words today:

立証 【りっしょう】 (n,vs) establishing proof; demonstration; substantiation

反証 【はんしょう】 (n,vs) proof to the contrary; disproof; counter-evidence

Example One:

被害の立証が困難なため、申請を見送るという

Due to difficulties in establishing injury, the motion/petition was continued/postponed.

Example Two:

裁判長は、事故原因とされた「脇見運転」の反証として検察側が提出した動画を証拠採用し、法廷で上映した。

The presiding judge ruled that a video submitted the prosecution was admissible and could be shown in court to disprove "distracted driving" as a cause of the accident.

Key words:

被害 【ひがい】 (n) damage
立証 【りっしょう】 (n,vs) establishing proof; demonstration; substantiation
困難な 【こんなんな】 (adj-na,n) difficulty; distress
申請 【しんせい】 (n,vs) application; request; petition
見送る 【みおくる】 (v5r,vt) (1) to see off (e.g. to the station, an airport, etc.); to escort (e.g. home); to farewell; (2) to see out; to send off; (3) to let pass; to wait and see; (4) to let a pitch go by (baseball); to watch a batted ball go into the stands


裁判長 【さいばんちょう】 (n) presiding judge
事故原因 【じこげんいん】 (n) source, cause of an accident
脇見運転 【わきみうんてん】 (n,vs) looking aside while driving; taking one's eyes off the road ahead while driving
反証 【はんしょう】 (n,vs) proof to the contrary; disproof; counter-evidence
検察側 【けんさつがわ】 prosecution
提出した 【ていしゅつした】 (vs) (1) to present; to submit (e.g. a report or a thesis); to hand in; to file; to turn in; (n) (2) presentation; submission; filing; (P)
動画 【どうが】 (n,adj-no,vs) (1) animation; motion picture; moving image; video; (2) in-betweening (in anime)
証拠 【しょうこ】 (n) evidence; proof
採用 【さいよう】 (n,vs) (1) use; adoption; acceptance; (2) appointment; employment
法廷で 【ほうていで】 at the bar of justice; in facie curiae
上映した 【じょうえいした】 (n) (1) screening (a movie); showing; (vs) (2) to screen a movie

Word of the Day: 笊法

While discussing the enforcement of certain environmental statutes today, a co-worker said that, in practice, many companies are able to circumvent some of the strictures/provisions. I knew that loophole is 抜け穴　"nukeana," which literally is like a secret door, apparently.

I wondered whether there was any way to refer in Japanese to the law itself, though. I guess I was looking for something akin to "toothless law." It turns out there's a great term for this: 笊法 【ざるほう】 (n) (uk) law full of loopholes. I love this one because 笊 literally is a "porous basket." Very expressive!

Slang: ゾンビ会社 "Zombie Business"

I learned a slang word today that is probably no longer in current use in Japan, but is relevant longer in current use in Japan, but is relevant to what the US is experiencing right now. According to an article I read on http://www.reason.com/, "Twenty years ago, Japan's economy was plagued by struggling markets, liquidity concerns, and frozen credit. In response, Japan tried bailing out its banks, investing in infrastructure, and propping up "zombie businesses," firms that would have failed without government intervention."

Perfectly conveys the idea!

Phrase of the Day 学級崩壊

One of my co-workers teaches a class on trade law at a private university here in Tokyo, and he asked me if I wanted to teach a class for him. The previous week, I had given a presentation at Administrative Training on the Japan-China-Korea Investment Treaty (日中韓投資取り決め）that is currently being negotiated by my section colleagues at MOFA. Since he hadn't taught a lesson yet on investment treaties, I gave a lecture based on the presentation I gave.

Hoo-boy, what a trying experience! When I walked in, it seemed as though about 1/2 of the students were sitting in the back 2 rows: bad sign. While the regular professor was taking care of housekeeping matters, it seemed like no one was paying attention, instead talking to each other, texting on their cellphones, etc. I walked up to the podium and noticed that the girl in the front row had her head down on the desk and was asleep; if it were my class back in the States, I'd have chucked her out of the class (or at least told her to wake up), but it was a bit awkward because the regular professor didn't seem to know how to keep discipline and they took advantage of his passivity (受身を利用する　＝　うけみ　を　りよう　する）.

I was actually really surprised how discourteous 不謹慎（ふきんしん）the students were, considering how many times I've been told how the Japanese are so polite to strangers and respectful of their elders, etc. Maybe things are different once they get into university because it's like a vacation compared to high school!

As I was talking, I was a bit unnerved at the people in the back of the class continuing to talk, etc. but I charged ahead. At one point I was talking about "retaliatory measures/actions" and I inadvertently said 回復行為　（かいふく　こうい）(recovery action) instead of what I should have said: 報復行為 （ほうふく　こうい）, so I felt like a total idiot afterwards when I realized what I said. No wonder I got blank stares when I said that!

(For the record, and as penance, I'm forcing myself to distinguish among the following:
回復 kaifuku = recovery
復習 fukushuu = review
復讐 fukushuu = revenge
報復 houfuku = retaliation
仕返し shikaeshi = reprisal; tit for tat; requital

The most unnerving thing was the blank stares. I recognize that my Japanese isn't fluent, but I figured I had given the same lecture before without any problems and everyone seemed to understand it then, so I was surprised to see all these looks of apparent incomprehension on their faces. I was also a bit annoyed that people would blatantly talk, text-message, etc., throughout a guest lecture. Still, it seemed like at least 2/3 of the students were paying attention, so I guess I shouldn't complain.

Then it all just went to crap.

As I was giving my lecture, there were 2 rather lengthy announcements about the protests at nearby Yasukuni Shrine...and then right before I could get into the interesting stuff and the recap, there was an emergency drill 避難訓練　（ひなん　くんれん）...ack! So before I could give a conclusion and give the take-away points and *hopefully* end on a positive note with people leaving the class having learned something, the buzzer goes off and we're being told to leave immediately.

So not the best experience, and I seriously doubt I'll volunteer to do it again....and it definitely made me miss my students back at George Washington University School of Law, who were spectacular (for the most part), now that I look back. I guess I should be more appreciative once I'm back in DC!

Anyway, this phrase sums the experience up:

学級崩壊 【がっきゅうほうかい】 (n) class disruption (e.g. due to discipline problems); classroom chaos

This one will also work: 混沌（こんとん）としている = to descend into chaos

Hope my next lecture doesn't turn out so poorly!

Word Of the Day: Tied/Untied

At dinner, someone mentioned the difference between Overseas Development Assistance that is tied to business interests, and assistance that isn't...so I was wondering how to say that in Japanese. I couldn't find it in my dictionary, but eventually stumbled upon it while looking up something else. Just as you would expect:

紐なし援助　＝　｛ひもなし　えんじょ｝　Untied Aid　（lit. "aid without strings")
紐付き援助　＝　｛ひもつき　えんじょ｝Tied Aid　（lit. "aid with strings")

(紐 is also used in 紐帯 【ちゅうたい】 (n) important connection; important social foundation; tight relationship (lit. "cord/string and obi"))

I admit that I get a little rush whenever a metaphoric usage is the same in a little rush whenever a metaphoric usage is the same in another language.

Phrase of the Day: 出る杭は打たれる

Today I went on a site visit to a platform in the middle of Tokyo Bay where Haneda Airport is constructing a new runway by driving piles below the surface of the water and positioning "jackets" onto the piles to create platforms onto which the runways will be built. It was amazing to be out there where they're pounding these huge things w/ these gigantic cranes, etc. (definitely not something I thought I'd be doing when I woke up this morning.) I asked the guy in charge how to say "pile driving" and he said "kui-uchi."

I realized that "kui" = "pile" as well as "stake," so I asked him whether on the work site there was a policy of 出る杭は打たれる 【でるくいはうたれる】 (exp) the stake that sticks out gets hammered in; the best policy is to keep your head down.

OK, bad pun 駄酒落(iK) 【だじゃれ】, but he seemed to appreciate it (maybe the connection hadn't occurred to him), and it was gratifying to give him something to laugh about. Plus, when it comes to seizing an opportunity to make a bad pun in another language, well, I can't resist (誘惑に負けてしまった).

On a side note, I think commentators (Westerners and Japanese) make *way* too much of the expression/cliche' about the stake that sticks up getting hammered down. In my view, the expression is used as a *lamentation*, i.e., that it's a shame how there are currents in society that suppress free expression and individualism, a sentiment that is readily recognizable in Western cultures. It's not as though people in Japan currently use the expression to champion the idea of suppressing individuality. So if such an interpretation seems at odds with its actual usage, perhaps the opposite conclusion can be made about an intrinsic Japanese character, if there can be such a thing, given the inherent faultiness in making such a sweeping generalization.

Headline of the Day: Appeal of Negligence Ruling

Here's a good one:

東京・足立区の女性監禁殺人：「捜査怠慢」訴訟　都が控訴

Mainichi translates this as: "Tokyo metropolitan gov't appeals ruling of police negligence in murder case." A few points struck me as interesting:

(1) It was apparently a murder in which the woman had been confined:

監禁 【かんきん】 (n,vs) confinement + 殺人 【さつじん】 (n) murder


(2) The negligence specifically relates to the course of the investigation:

捜査 【そうさ】 (n,vs) search (esp. in criminal investigations); investigation + 怠慢 【たいまん】 (adj-na,n) negligence; procrastination; carelessness

(First paragraph: "The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has filed an appeal against a court ruling that ordered it to pay 20 million yen to the bereaved parents of a murdered woman on the grounds that police were negligent in investigating the case.")

On a side note, "deriliction of duty" is 職務怠慢 【しょくむたいまん】.


(3) The Japanese headline uses the word 訴訟 【そしょう】 (n,vs) "litigation; lawsuit" to modify the term "investigatory negligence," rather than the word for decision:

判決 【はんけつ】 (n,vs) judicial decision; judgement; judgment; sentence; decree.

I find this a bit odd; I wonder whether 訴訟 can be used more broadly to indicate the court's ruling, outcome of litigation, etc. Can anyone clarify?

(4) It's a "koso," or initial appeal to a higher court, 控訴 【こうそ】, rather than a 上訴 【じょうそ】 (n,vs) , final appeal. Very handy distinction.

Phrase of the Day: 起死回生

I was in bed all day today, sick from food poisoning (食中毒 【しょくちゅうどく】). It couldn't have come at a worse time because I'm just starting this Administrative Training course on Japan-China relations.

The good thing, though, is that it appears the worst is over, so I feel like 起死回生 【きしかいせい】 (n) revival of the dead; recovering from a hopeless situation; resuscitation. Literally: Wake from death and return to life. Apparently, this one is used to mean "to come out of a desperate situation and make a complete return in one sudden burst" so probably not exactly what I mean, but close enough!

Phrase of the Day: 五里霧中

Today I started administrative training 行政研修【ぎょうせいけんしゅう】、and it was quite an experience. Government workers from lots of different ministries come together for two weeks to participate in seminars centered around one major topic. This round is on Japan-China relations, so I'm hoping to get a lot of useful information from it. That is, if I can focus long enough to absorb all the Japanese that's being hurled at me all day. For the first 30 min. of the first lecture, I wasn' t able to follow what the speaker was talking about at all, so I guess you could say I was:

五里霧中 【ごりむちゅう】 (n) totally at a loss; lose one's bearings; in a maze; in a fog; all at sea; up in the air; mystified; bewildered

I like that expression because it very evocative; it literally means "Five li (Chinese distance measure) in the fog."

The good thing was that as the day went along, I was grasping more and more of what was being discussed, so I guess you could say I was only 3 li into the fog. Tomorrow I'm shooting for only one!

Headline of the Day: 少年事件の調査報告書、簡潔に…裁判員制度で指針

Here's an interesting headline in today's Yomiuri Shimbun:

少年事件の調査報告書、簡潔に…裁判員制度で指針

= "Investigative Report on Juvenile Cases: Simplified Guidance for the Lay Juror System"

Here's the breakdown:

少年 【しょうねん】 (n) boys; juveniles
事件 【じけん】 (n) event; affair; incident; case; plot; trouble; scandal
調査報告書 【ちょうさほうこくちょ】 reconnaissance report; investigative report
簡潔 【かんけつ】 (adj-na,n) brevity; conciseness; simplicity
裁判員制度 【さいばんいんせいど】 (n) citizen judge system; lay judge system; quasi-jury system
指針 【ししん】 (n) compass needle (cursor); guideline; pointer

Here's some interesting information I found on-line about juvenile cases in the Japanese justice system:

"When a minor is accused of a serious crime, the family court can send him or her to the district public prosecutor's office to be charged and tried as an adult. In those cases, the trial is open to the public. Children under 14 cannot be charged with violating the Penal Code 刑法 【けいほう】. However, depending on the seriousness of the offense, a juvenile court can handle it as a special case and decide what sort of correction the child should go through."

(I'm guessing that the last line suggests that Juvenile Court judges have some limited power to impose quasi-criminal penalties...but the scope of such authority, if it exists, is unclear to me.)

Rebuttable Presumption 反証可能な推定

I've been looking for a good way to express "rebuttable presumption" in Japanese and, with a little help from my officemate, I think I've got a good one that's going on the "to memorize" list.

I had initially translated "to create a rebuttable presumption" as

h 反論できる推定を生じる　＝　(lit. "to create a presumption that can be rebutted").

I chose "反論" because that was the suru verb I had learned for "rebuttal." I also chose "推定" instead of "予断" because it seemed that, although both can mean "presumption," the latter seemed less common in the provisions in various treaties I looked at, and the definition on-line also gave me pause: 予断 【よだん】 (n,vs) guessing; prediction; conclusion.

HOWEVER, my coworker told me that "反論" is waaay too casual to be used in that phrase. This really surprised me, given the seemingly straightforward definition:

反論 【はんろん】 (n,vs) objection; refutation; rebuttal

(I guess it's true what they say about the straitlaced "quiet neighbor" types being the ones you have to be careful of...)

Still, I trust her sense and she recommended the following instead:

n 反証可能な推定を生じる = to create a refutable presumption (Works for me!)

反証 【はんしょう】 (n,vs) prove to the contrary; disprove; counter-evidence; refute
推定 【すいてい】 (n,vs) presumption; assumption; estimation
生じる 【しょうじる】 (v1,vi) to produce; to yield; to result from; to arise; to be generated

(In the treaty provisions I saw, the word 生ずる -- 【しょうずる】 (vz,vi) to cause; to arise; to be generated -- was used, but who am I to quibble? 生ずる seems too formal.)

e I was also glad to discover a new word in looking for the right one:

実証 【じっしょう】 (n,vs) actual, demonstrated proof

Good one!

Headline of the Day: 極めて優勢

In the office today, someone turned on the TV just as NHK was announcing that Senator Obama had just secured victory in the presidential election. I leapt to my feet and saw that everyone stopped working (unusual!) to take in the news. I'm the only American in the office, and everyone knows I've been rooting (応援【おうえん】) for Sen. Obama, so when everyone looked over at me, I gave a big victory sign and everyone seemed to get a kick out of that. It's the first time I've been elated 調子に乗る 【ちょうしにのる】 about something in a looooong time, so even though it was a bit bizarre not being able to experience it back home, it was still a good moment.

It seems like a lot of newspaper headlines and TV news leaders are using the word 極めて 【きわめて】 to describe the victory. The word is defined as "exceedingly; extremely" but in this sense it can be translated as "decisive(ly)," as in the following example:

米大統領選 オバマ氏極めて優勢

"Presidential Election in the United States: Senator Obama's Decisive Predominance"

Breaking it down:

米 【べい】 (pref) American (in forming compound words); America
大統領選 【だいとうりょうせん】 (n) presidential election
極めて 【きわめて】 (adv) exceedingly; extremely
優勢 【ゆうせい】 (adj-na,n) superiority; superior power; predominance; preponderance

I've seen other headlines that pair 極めて with the following:

勝利 【しょうり】 (n,vs) victory; triumph; conquest; success; win
優位 【ゆうい】 (adj-na,n) predominance; ascendancy; superiority

Any way you say it, it's a good word...and good news (to me, at least).

Four-Character Phrase: 狂喜乱舞

I learned this one today in an article about celebrations in India when it rains after a long dryspell. I think it's apt for how I'm going to feel when Obama gets elected...

狂喜乱舞 【きょうきらんぶ】 (n,vs) boisterous dance; dancing wildly with joy (lit. "crazed + joy + wild + dance")

OPEN UP! aku/akeru (開く & 開ける) vs. aku/akeru (空く & 空ける) vs. hiraku/hirakeru (開く & 開ける)

Someone recently asked about the difference between aku and hiraku, so here's my take on it, in case anyone else might find it useful (and if anyone finds any inaccuracies, please let me know):

Aku/hiraku are intransitive verbs for "to open" using the same kanji. The transitive counterparts are akeru/hirakeru.

I. AKU/AKERU (開く & 開ける)

I think of aku/akeru (開く & 開ける)　as referring to "making an opening" so there's a resulting hole or space. They are also used metaphorically for time expressions. So we can use it for doors, windows, bottles, cans, bags, boxes, eyes, mouths, time, etc.:

"mise ga aite-iru" = the store is open
"mise ga 9-ji ni akeru" = the store opens at 9:00
"mise o akete-iru" = (someone) is opening the store
"mado o aketara," = if you open the window,...
"kabe ni ana o aketa" = he made a hole in the wall
"doa ga aite-iru" = the door is open/ajar
"aita kuchi" = "open-mouthed" "agog"
"bin ga akanai" = I can't open the bottle
"me ga aite-inai" = his eyes are not open
"chakku ga aite-iru" = your fly is open

Hifana knows:

http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=OIcG4X5g5FY

II. AKU/AKERU (空く & 空ける)

You can also use "aku/akeru" to mean "open" in the sense of vacant/free, but it's a different kanji, namely 空く & 空ける:

"kono seki ga aite-imasu ka?" = is this seat free?
"aite-inai heya" = an occupied room
"heya ga kanzen aite-imasen" = fully booked (hotel)
"ashita aite-imasu ka?" = are you free tomorrow?

III. HIRAKU/HIRAKERU (開く & 開ける)

In contrast, hiraku/hirakeru (開く & 開ける) is more like "to open up" so it's used for things with moving parts like umbrellas, and "to open out/wide/apart" in the sense of spreading things so for books, flowers, hands, (erm) legs, gates, shutters, collars. It's also used metaphorically for opening up your mind/heart/eyes. I've also noticed it being used for opening up computer files.

"mise o hiraku" = to open up (start) a business (cf. aku/akeru = to open for business)
"sensu o hiraku" = to open/unfold a fan
"kasa o hiraku" = to open an umbrella
"tsutsumi o hiraku to" = when you open the wrapping/parcel
"kyoukasho no 3 peeji o hiraite kudasai" = pls open to page 3 in your textbook
"mon wa hirakanai" = the gate won't open
"ashi o hiraite kudasai" = please spread your legs
"kaigi/tenrankai o hiraku" = to hold a meeting/exhibition"
"yatto kokoro o hiraite-imasu" = she's finally opening up to us
"shiten o hiraku tsumori desu" = they plan on opening up a branch office
"fairu o hiraku" = to open up a file
"sakura issei ni ga haita" = the cherries bloomed all at once

Did I miss/misstate anything?

Word of the Day: 敗訴 ＆ 勝訴

Today I learned 2 Japanese words used to describe winning and losing a lawsuit.　

敗訴【はいそ】する ＝　to lose a case

勝訴【しょうそ】する = 　to win a case

So you could combine them with 言い渡す（いいわたす）to translate expressions like "rule against" or "rule for."


ｎ　地方裁判官は被告の敗訴を言い渡しました。
n The district court judge ruled against the defendant.

This construction also works with 解雇 【かいこ】 (n,vs) discharge; dismissal

Word of the Day 逸脱（いつだつ）

Today I learned the word 逸脱、which can mean "deviate from [a provision],” "depart from," or "derogate," depending on the context. Of these three, only "derogate" is usually used to indicate an abrogation or limitation of a right...but 逸脱 isn't limited in this way. It's very useful when talking about the extent to which a provision comports with a norm, a principle, a rule in a model agreement, etc. Here are a few good examples I found:
　
Example 1:

開発途上加盟国は、千九百九十四年のガット第十八条の規定から逸脱することを認めている範囲及び方法で、この協定の第二条の規定から一時的に逸脱することができる。　

A developing country Member shall be free to deviate temporarily from the provisions of Article II of this Agreement to the extent and in such a manner as Article XVIII of GATT 1994 permits.

Example 2:

査察団は、事務局長の査察命令を厳格に遵守するものとし、この命令を逸脱する活動を慎む。

The inspection team shall strictly observe the inspection mandate issued by the Director-General. It shall refrain from activities going beyond this mandate.

Example 3:

第二十九条に規定する加盟国は、例外的な事情のある場合において、自国が通報した制度及び措置並びにこれらに係る期限について逸脱することが移行過程のために必要と認められるときは、委員会によってその逸脱を承認されることがある。

In exceptional circumstances Members referred to in Chapter 19 may be given departures from their notified programmes and measures and their time-frame by the Committee if such departures are deemed necessary for the process of transformation.

Example 4:

国連海洋法条約 第三百十一条-66　締約国は、第百三十六条に規定する人類の共同の財産に関する基本原則についていかなる改正も行わないこと及びこの基本原則から逸脱するいかなる協定の締約国にもならないことを合意する。

The Parties agree that there shall be no amendments to the basic principle relating to the common heritage of mankind set forth in article 136 and that they shall not be party to any agreement in derogation thereof.

*BONUS*! It can also apparently be used for "sexual deviation":

性的逸脱 【せいてきいつだつ】 (n) sexual deviation; sexual anomaly

Composite Opposites in Japanese (反対熟語)

Here's a list of 反対熟語 (i.e., 2-character Japanese words that are composed of pairs of opposites). I started compiling the list about 6 months ago just because I thought it was an interesting aspect of the language; I'm guessing that a lot of them came about at the time Buddhist precepts of morality & existence were spreading throughout Asia.

I haven't seen a similar list on-line, so I thought the list could be interesting/useful to someone who is, like me, trying to learn Japanese. I tried to group them as best as I could.

Not all of them are in current use in conversational Japanese, so use with caution.

If anyone knows of any others, let me know and I'll add it to the list!

細大 【さいだい】 (n) great and small; in detail; all

巨細 【きょさい; こさい】 (adj-na,n) large and small matters; particulars; details; greatness and smallness; circumstances

高低 【こうてい(P); たかひく】 (n,vs) high and low; rise and fall

昇降 【しょうこう】 (n,vs) ascending and descending; going up and down

軒輊 【けんち】 (n,vs) high and low; disparity

尊卑 【そんぴ】 (n) high and low; aristocrat and plebeian

公私 【こうし】 (n,adj-no) public and private; official and personal; government and people

官民 【かんみん】 (n) government and citizens; public and private

士庶 【ししょ】 (n) (1) samurai and commoners; (2) normal people (as opposed to people of a high social standing)

貧富 【ひんぷ】 (n) wealth and poverty; rich and poor

貴賤; 貴賎 【きせん】 (n) high and low; all ranks

天地 【てんち(P); あめつち】 (n) (1) heaven and earth; the universe; nature; top and bottom; realm; sphere; world; (2) (てんち only) top and bottom; (3) (あめつち only) gods of heaven and earth

上下 【しょうか】 (n,vs) high and low; the government and the people; going up and down

上下 【うえした】 (n) high and low; up and down; unloading and loading; praising and blaming

上下左右 【じょうげさゆう】 (n) up and down (top and bottom), left and right

左右 【さゆう】 (n,vs) (1) left and right; (2) influence; control; domination

正逆 【せいぎゃく】 (adj-pn) forward and reverse

縦横 【じゅうおう(P); たてよこ(P)】 (n) length and width; every direction; warp and woof; right and left; vertically and horizontally; length and breadth

屈伸 【くっしん】 (n,vs) elasticity (lit. "bend and stretch")

内外 【ないがい(P); うちそと】 (n) inside and outside; domestic and foreign; approximately; interior and exterior

賛否 【さんぴ】 (n) yes and no; for and against; pros and cons; agreement and disagreement

無有 【むう】 (n) nonexistence or existence; absence or presence

有無 【うむ(P); ゆうむ】 (n) (1) existence or nonexistence; presence or absence; (2) consent or refusal; yes or no; (n) (3) {comp} flag indicator; presence or absence marker

成否 【せいひ】 (n) success or failure; outcome; result

進退 【しんたい】 (n,vs) movement; course of action; advance or retreat

勝敗 【しょうはい】 (n) victory or defeat; issue (of battle)

和戦 【わせん】 (n) war and peace; peace

文武 【ぶんぶ】 (n) literary and military arts; the pen and the sword

治乱 【ちらん】 (n) in peacetime and in wartime; order and disorder

興亡 【こうぼう】 (n) rise and fall; ups and downs

盛衰 【せいすい】 (n) rise and fall; ups and downs; welfare; vicissitudes (lit. "prosperity and decline")

吉凶 【きっきょう】 (n) fortune; good and bad luck

禍福 【かふく】 (n) weal and woe

消長 【しょうちょう】 (n,vs) prosperity and decay; rise and fall; ups and downs; ebb and flow; waxing and waning

栄枯 【えいこ】 (n) vicissitudes; ups and downs; feast or famine (lit. "prosperity & drought")

繁閑 【はんかん】 (n) press and slack of business

心身 【しんしん】 (n) mind and body

肝胆 【かんたん】 (n) one's inner being (lit. "liver and gall bladder")

音容 【おんよう】 (n) visage; voice and countenance

巧拙 【こうせつ】 (n) tact; skill; workmanship (lit. "adroit and clumsy")

強弱 【きょうじゃく】 (n) strength; power (lit. "strong & weak")

優劣 【ゆうれつ】 (n) (relative) merits; superiority or inferiority; quality

剛臆 【ごうおく】 (n) bravery and cowardice

収支 【しゅうし】 (n) income and expenditure

勝負 【しょうぶ】 (n,vs) victory or defeat; match; contest; game; bout

売買 【ばいばい】 (n,vs) trade; buying and selling

損益 【そんえき】 (n) profit and loss; advantage and disadvantage

得失 【とくしつ】 (n) advantages and disadvantages; plus and minuses

是非 【ぜひ】 (adv,n) (1) (uk) certainly; without fail; (2) right and wrong; pros and cons

正邪 【せいじゃ】 (n) right and wrong

順逆 【じゅんぎゃく】 (n) right and wrong; loyalty and treason; obedience and disobedience

長短 【ちょうたん】 (n) (1) length; (2) long and short; advantages and disadvantages; pluses and minuses; strong and weak points; merits and demerits

功過 【こうか】 (n) merits and demerits (lit. "success/achievement and error")

功罪 【こうざい】 (n) both good and bad; merits and demerits (lit. "success/achievement and fault")

神髄(P)【しんずい】 (n) true meaning; mystery; essence; quintessence; soul; core; kernel; life blood (lit. "mind and marrow")

業因 【ごういん】 (n) karma (lit. "effect and cause")

因果 【いんが】 (adj-na,n) cause and effect; karma; fate

恩讐; 恩讎 【おんしゅう】 (n) love and hate

愛憎 【あいぞう】 (adj-na,n) love and hate; likes and dislikes

寒暖 【かんだん】 (n) heat and cold; (extremes of) temperature

虚実 【きょじつ】 (n) truth or falsehood; fact or fiction

NB: 虚々実々; 虚虚実実 【きょきょじつじつ】 (n,adj-no) full of wiles and tricks; match between persons equal in shrewdness mobilizing all the tricks each can muster; shrewdly avoiding the opponent's strong points and attacking its weaknesses

問答 【もんどう】 (n,vs) questions and answers; dialogue

難易 【なんい】 (n) difficulty; relative difficulty (lit. "difficulty and ease")

対比 【たいひ】 (n,vs) contrast & comparison

矛盾 【むじゅん】 (n,vs) contradiction; inconsistency (lit. "sword & shield")

葛藤 【かっとう】 (n,vs) conflict; complication; troubles; discord (lit. "kudzu & wisteria")

前後 【ぜんご】 (n-adv,suf) around; throughout; front and back; before and behind; before and after; about that (time); longitudinal; context; nearly; approximately

昼夜 【ちゅうや】 (adv,n) day and night;

自他 【じた】 (n) (1) oneself and others; (2) transitive and intransitive

安否 【あんぴ】 (n) safety; welfare; well-being

凹凸 【おうとつ】 (n) unevenness; roughness; ruggedness

首尾 【しゅび】 (n,vs) issue; course of events; beginning and end (lit. "head (to) tail")

起結 【きけつ】 (n) beginning and end

始終 【しじゅう】 (adv,n) continuously; from beginning to end; from first to last

終始 【しゅうし】 (n,vs) (1) beginning and end; from beginning to end; doing a thing from beginning to end

始末 【しまつ】 (n,vs) (1) management; dealing; settlement; (2) cleaning up; getting rid of; (n) (3) end result (usu. bad)

死活 【しかつ】 (n,vs) life and-or death

存亡 【そんぼう】 (n) life or death; existence; destiny

死命 【しめい】 (n) fate; life or death

存否 【ぞんぴ; そんぴ】 (n) (whether) existent or non-existent; life or death

生涯 【しょうがい】 (n-adv,n-t) one's lifetime (i.e. one's existence until death) (lit. "birth & opposite shore")

活殺 【かっさつ】 (n) life or death

生死 【せいし(P); しょうし; しょうじ】 (n) (1) life and death; (2) (しょうじ, しょうし only) {Buddh} samsara (cycle of death and rebirth); (3) (しょうじ, しょうし only) death

順逆 【じゅんぎゃく】 (n) right and wrong; loyalty and treason; obedience and disobedience

正負 【せいふ】 (n) positive and negative; +-; plus and minus; correct and incorrect

加減 【かげん】 (n,adj-na) (1) addition and subtraction; (2) allowance for; (3) degree; extent; measure; (4) condition; state of health; (5) seasoning; flavor; flavour; moderation; adjustment; (6) influence (of the weather); (7) chance

多少 【たしょう】 (adj-no,adv,n) more or less; somewhat; a little; some

馬鹿(P) 【ばか(P); バカ】 (adj-na,n) fool; idiot; trivial matter; folly (lit. "horse and deer") (?)

狐狸 【こり】 (n) foxes and badgers; sly fellow

烏鷺 【うろ】 (n) (1) crows and herons; (2) black and white; (3) stark difference

雲泥 【うんでい】 (n) great difference (lit. "cloud and mud")

相違 【そうい】 (n,vs) difference; discrepancy; variation

緇素 【しそ】 (n) old term for Buddhist priesthood and the laity (since they used to wear black and white clothing respectively)

善悪 【ぜんあく】 (n) good and evil

白黒 【しろくろ】 (n,adj-no) (1) black and white; monochrome; (exp,vs) (2) good and evil; right and wrong; guilt and innocence

黒白 【くろしろ(P); こくはく; こくびゃく】 (n) black and white; right and wrong

知徳 【ちとく】 (n) knowledge and virtue

陰陽 【いんよう(P); おんみょう; おんよう】 (n) cosmic dual forces; yin and yang; sun and moon

明暗 【めいあん】 (n) light and darkness; light and shade

光陰 【こういん】 (n) time; Father Time (lit. "light & shadow")

甘苦 【かんく】 (n) sweetness and bitterness; joys and sorrows

苦楽 【くらく】 (n) pleasure and pain; joys and sorrows

悲喜 【ひき】 (n) joys and sorrows

古今 【ここん】 (n) ancient and modern times; all ages; past and present

東西 【とうざい】 (n) (1) East and West; (2) whole country; (3) Orient and Occident; Western and Eastern; (4) Your attention, please!

新旧 【しんきゅう】 (n) new and old; incoming and outgoing

老若 【ろうにゃく(P); ろうじゃく(P)】 (n,adj-na) young and old; all ages

老少 【ろうしょう】 (n) young and old

男女 【だんじょ】 (n) man and woman; men and women

師弟 【してい】 (n) teacher and student

父母 【ふぼ(P); ちちはは】 (n) father and mother; parents

兄弟 【きょうだい(P); けいてい】 (n) siblings; brothers and sisters (lit. "older and younger brothers")

姉妹 【しまい(P); きょうだい(ik)】 (n) sisters (lit. "older and younger sisters")

翰墨 【かんぼく】 (n) brush and ink; writing; drawing

詩文 【しぶん】 (n) poetry and prose; literary works

抑揚 【よくよう】 (n) intonation; accent; modulation; inflection　(lit. "press & raise")

紐帯 【ちゅうたい】 (n) important connection; important social foundation; tight relationship (lit. "obi and cord")

漫才(P) 【まんざい】 (n) comedian; comic dialogue (lit. "slow/rambling & genius")

聴視 【ちょうし】 (n,vs) attentiveness (lit. "listening and watching")

瓦礫 【がれき】 (n) rubble (lit. "tiles and pebbles")

山川 【さんせん(P); やまかわ】 (n) mountains and rivers

飲食 【いんしょく】 (n,vs) food and drink; eating and drinking

酒食 【しゅしょく】(n) food and drink

衣食 【いしょく】 (n) (1) food and clothing; livelihood; living; (vs) (2) to feed and clothe (ed. ok, technically not an opposite, but sort of the same idea...)

衣糧 【いりょう】 (n) food and clothing

経緯 【けいい(P); いきさつ】 (n,vs) (1) details; whole story; sequence of events; particulars; how it started; how things got this way; (2) complications; position (lit. "longitude and latitude")

n Honorable mention (the と knocks it out of the running):

月と鼈; 月とすっぽん 【つきとすっぽん】 (exp) like the difference between heaven and hell (lit. "moon & snapping turtle")

n OK, this doesn't belong on the list, but I like it anyway:

兎角亀毛 【とかくきもう】 (exp) (obsc) {Buddh} horns on rabbits and fur on turtles (used as a metaphor for things that do not exist)