Welcome to Kimetsu no Japanese, a site for learning Japanese from a manga Demon Slayer.
Today’s topic
Ch.86 Vol.10
Tengen Uzui (宇髄 天元)
Reference source : 五峠呼世晴 (2018) 鬼滅の刃10 集英社
一筋縄にはいかねぇわな
This isn’t going to be easy.
Reference source : KOYOHARU GOTOUGE. (2020). DEMON SLAYER 10 : KIMETSU NO YAIBA. VIZ Media, LL
Today’s phrase is an idiom that is used when you encounter difficulties.
Tengen Uzui throw this phrase when he noticed that his attack didn’t damaged a demon at all.
Let’s see details of the words!
LESSON
| JPN | 一筋縄 には いかねぇ わな |
| JPN♪ | hitosujinawa niwa ikanē wana |
| ENG | A normal way doesn’t work, right? |
| WORD | JPN♪ | MEANING |
|---|---|---|
| 一筋縄には | hitosujinawa niwa | 一筋縄 : a piece of rope = a normal way/method には : with (“には” is not generally used as “with”.) *as for this idiom, ”では” is normally used. |
| いかねぇ | ikanē | Not go, impossible, cannot do Negative form of “いく(iku)” (go) *slung (=いかない (ikanai) formal) |
| わな | wana | …right? (telling someone and/or oneself) *slung (”よね(yone)” is feminine, “よな(yona)” is masculine) |
Explanation
This idiom is used when:
・A thing / situation is hard to deal with a normal way.
・Someone is too stubborn or tricky to convince/communicate with.
You can use the word for mentioning a situation, thing and person.
By the way, you can’t say “一筋縄でいく” (Deal with a piece of rope) as a positive meaning. This idiom always have to be negative.
Show your confidence!
Although the phrase “一筋縄ではいかない” has a negative meaning, there is an impression that a person who says that still has a room in his/her heart. It is because this phrase has a nuance that “this is slightly difficult but I know I can do it”.
So if you are in a tough situation in Japan, I want you to say “一筋縄ではいかないな” to break through the situation later. Using this phrase when you are in an extremely disadvantageous position… people may think you are a bad loser.. but still I want you to use it! I like that kind of character! Where there is a will, there is a way!
A piece of rope?
This phrase literally means “it cannot be done with a piece of rope”.
What does a piece of rope have to do with difficulties?
It is said that this phrase was already used in Edo period, a few hundred years ago.
People used a piece of rope for a normal work (farm work, carpentry, etc.) but a piece of rope wasn’t enough for complicated works. And figuratively it became a meaning of “normal method”.
That’s all!
Japanese has a lot of idioms and they are usually historical and traditional expression. It is not “a piece of rope” to memorize them but I hope you enjoy to learn them!
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