Complete Japanese Expression Guide - Mizue Sasaki

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      GAKUSEI (JOSEI NO KYŌSHI NI):

      Sensei, konogoro masumasu chāmingu ni nararemashita ne.

      SENSEI:

      Goma o sutte mo, yoi ten wa agemasen yo.

      STUDENT (TO A FEMALE PROFESSOR):

      You are becoming more and more attractive these days.

      TEACHER:

      Your flattery won't get you a good grade.

      Goma o suru means to court a person's favor without any sense of principle. When grinding sesame seeds in a mortar, the sesame seeds stick to the sides of the mortar. From this, the phrase has come to refer to someone attaching himself to various people, trying to curry favor. The nominal form goma-suri (a flatterer, flattery) and passive form goma o surareru (be flattered) also are frequently used.

      EXAMPLES

      1. Kare wa itsumo buchō ni goma o sutte iru.

       He is always currying favor with the department chief.

      2. Anata ni goma o surarete mo, ureshiku wa arimasen yo.

       Even if you try to butter me up, I won't be pleased.

      3. Watashi ni goma o suru hitsuyō wa arimasen.

       There is no need to court my favor.

      4. Anata o homete irun' desu. Goma-suri de wa arimasen. I am complimenting you. This is not bootlicking.

      gongo-dōdan

      scandalous, perfectly outrageous

      SHACHŌ:

      Kaisha no kane o tsukai-komu to wa gongo-dōdan, kind wa kubi da.

      KAISHAIN:

      Hontō ni mōshiwake arimasen deshita.

      COMPANY PRESIDENT:

      It's perfectly outrageous of you to have embezzled the company's money. You're fired.

      EMPLOYEE:

      I'm very sorry for what I've done.

      Gongo-dōdan means being flabbergasted by something and unable to put one feelings into words; it can also be used to describe something that is wrong and reprehensible. The term originally meant a profound Buddhist truth that cannot be expressed in mere words.

      EXAMPLES

      1. Kokkai-giin ga kaigi-chū ni inemuri o suru to wa gongo-dōdan da.

       It's scandalous for a Diet member to doze off while a parliamentary debate is in progress.

      2. Watashi ni damatte, chokin o tsukai-hatasu to wa gongo-dōdan da.

       To spend all of our savings without consulting me—that is utterly outrageous.

      3. Takushii no untenshu no kuse ni, inemuri-unten o suru to wa, gongodōdan desu yo.

       Falling asleep at the wheel is an inexcusable offense, especially for a taxi driver.

      4. Masaka, kare ga sonna gongo-dōdan na koto, shita no desu ka?

       You mean he actually committed such an unspeakable act?

      gori-muchū

      up in the air, no idea what to do

      TOMODACHI 1:

      Kimi no kaisha, tōsan shitan' datte?

      TOMODACHI 2:

      Sō nan' da. Kore kara saki dō nam no ka, gori-muchū sa.

      FRIEND 1:

      What's this I hear about your firm going under?

      FRIEND 2:

      That's right. I'm at a loss as to what will happen to me now.

      Gori-muchū refers to a situation in which a person does not know what to do or how things will turn out. In China, there is a story about a well-known scholar who detested meeting people. In order to avoid them, he used sorcery to conjure up a fog which covered a radius of five ri (one ri is 2.44 miles). Originally, gori-muchū meant to conceal oneself, but this meaning has gradually altered to that of not knowing what has or will happen.

      EXAMPLES

      1. Sono keikaku wa gori-muchū nojotai desu.

       I have no idea of what will become of that project.

      2. Kore kara kono kaisha ga do naru ka wa, gori-muchū desu.

       We haven't the foggiest idea of what is going to happen to this company.

      3. Shikin ga sutoppu shita node, sakiyuki wa gori-muchū da.

       Since funding has been cut, we are quite in the dark about our future.

      4. Kaigai de no seikatsu ga dō naru ka wa, mattaku gori-muchū desu.

       I have absolutely no idea what it will be like living abroad.

      5. Gori-muchū no naka o tesaguri de aruite iru yō najōtai desu.

       I'm quite at a loss—as if I were groping around in the midst of a thick fog.

      guchi o kobosu

      grumble, complain, gripe

      TOMODACHI 1:

      Mō, kaisha yametai desu yo. Kyūryō wa yasui shi, hitozukai wa arai shi.

      TOMODACHI 2:

      Sonna ni, guchi o kobosu no nara, kaisha o yametara dō desu ka?

      FRIEND 1:

      I really want to quit. The pay is poor and they work me like a slave.

      FRIEND 2:

      Well, since you're complaining so much, why don't you quit?

      Guchi o kobosu, which combines guchi (complaint) and kobosu (spill), means to repeatedly talk about a problem without solving it. Guchi was originally a Buddhist word used to describe a person who is unable to appreciate the true meaning of existence and is therefore a fool; gu means witless and chi means foolish.

      EXAMPLES

      1. Kare wa itsumo guchi o koboshite bakari iru.

       He never does anything but complain.

      2. Anna ni atama no ii musume-san na noni, dōshite anata wa sonna ni ano ko no guchi o kobosun' desu ka?

       Even though your daughter is so smart, why do you complain about her so much?

      3. Guchi bakari kobosanaide, dōryōku shite goran nasai.

       Instead of just complaining, put some more effort into it.

      4. Kare wa tsurakute mo kesshite guchi wa kobosanakatta,

       Even though it was difficult, he never complained.

      gyūjiru

      control, run, dominate, be at the helm

      DŌRYŌ 1:

      Kare, itsu no ma ni ka shusse

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