たるにTo be (in a position of), As a, For

たるに is a structure that indicates something that 'is (A)' in the same way as である, and will often be translated as '(B) in the position of (A)', or '(B) as an (A)'. たるに itself as a combination of たる, which is the attributive form of classical auxiliary verb たり, and the case marking particle に.

たるに will appear after a noun marking some sort of position, with a statement about that position following after. It may be used either positively or negatively.

たるに is not as common as たるもの, which is a combination of たる and the noun 者(もの), used to identify people. In these cases, (A) たる者(もの) will specifically mean 'a person in the position of (A)', and generally describes what is appropriate of that position. This use may be translated as 'for' or 'as'.

Although this structure means 'to be' in the same way as である, the emphasis is far more on qualifications or expectations related to that position. Due to this, たる will not be used when simply stating that '(B) is (A)'.

Caution

Although たる does relate to the suitability of something being in a specific position, be careful not to confuse it with the う-Verb 足(た)る 'to be sufficient', or 'to be worthy'.

Fun Fact

たり itself is a contraction of the case marking particle と and あり 'to be'. This can be compared to なり, which is a contraction of に and あり.