Setogiwa (瀬戸際 - Brink)

Jul 1, 2017 17:24
Have you ever teetered on the brink of life-or-death or win-or-lose.

Such a situation is called "setogiwa" (瀬戸際) in Japan.

"Seto" (瀬戸) of setogiwa means a strait that is narrowed by two land masses, and "giwa" (際) means a boundary.

That is to say, the original meaning of setogiwa is a boundary between a strait and sea.

By extension, setogiwa has come to refer to an important branch point in our lives.

In English, it seems to be expressed as "brink" or "edge" -- I think that the etymology of setogiwa is almost same as these words.
瀬戸際

あなたは勝つか負けるか、生きるか死ぬかなど、運命の分かれ目に立ったことはありますか?

日本ではこのような状況を「瀬戸際」と言います。

「瀬戸」は陸地が接近して海が狭くなっている所を意味し、「際」は境界を意味します。

すなわち「瀬戸際」は、「狭い海峡と海の境目」ということを意味します。

これが転じて、重要な分岐点などを瀬戸際と表現するようになりました。

英語では "brink" や "edge" などと表現するようですが、日本語の語源とほぼ同じように思います。
No. 1 stvbaleno's correction
  • Have you ever teetered on the brink of life-or-death or win-or-lose.
  • Have you ever teetered on the brink of life-or-death or win-or-lose?
  • "Seto" (瀬戸) of setogiwa means a strait that is narrowed by two land masses, and "giwa" (際) means a boundary.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
  • By extension, setogiwa has come to refer to an important branch point in our lives.
  • By extension, setogiwa has come to refer to an important crossroads in our lives.
     「branch point」はちょっと変です。「crossroads」の方が自然だと思います。
  • In English, it seems to be expressed as "brink" or "edge" -- I think that the etymology of setogiwa is almost same as these words.
  • This sentence is perfect! No correction needed!
Toru
Thank you so much for correcting my post! (^^)
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