Grammar Info

N2 Lesson 9: 2/37

精々(せいぜい)(At) most , (At) best, No more than, Barely

Structure

せいぜい + Phrase

Details

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About 精々

精々(せいぜい) 'at the limit' is an adverb used to convey that something is 'at the most (A)', or 'at best (A)'. This just indicates that the point that (A) has reached cannot be progressed beyond, due to having already reached some physical or metaphorical barrier. This can also often come across as 'no more than (A)', especially in cases where no actual barrier exists, but the speaker cannot imagine that anything higher (or lower) than (A) is possible.

As 精々(せいぜい) is an adverb, it often appears at the beginning of sentence, or at the beginning of the second clause of a sentence, before the thing that is thought to be at its maximum is described.

Fun-fact

精々(せいぜい) is said to have come from the old-fashioned word 精試(せいぜい), which meant 'to completely exhaust all of one's good faith'. In modern times, 精々(せいぜい) itself has kept this meaning of 'completely exhausting (A)'. However, this is no longer used in reference to 'good faith', but rather exhausting all of one's 'power', 'mental capacity', or 'power of assumption' in relation to (A).

Examples

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    「三十八(さんじゅうはっ)歳(さい)だって？精々(せいぜい)三十(さんじゅう)くらいなものだと思(おも)っていたよ。」

    '38 years old you say? I thought he was around 30 at most!'

    店員(てんいん)：「これ、１０００円(えん)です。」クライアント：「1000円(えん)だって？この服(ふく)の品質(ひんしつ)がそんなに高(たか)いとは思(おも)えないがね。払(はら)えるのは精々(せいぜい)500円(えん)でしょ。」

    Clerk: "This is 1000 yen." Client: "1000 yen? I don’t think that the quality of these clothes is that high. I can pay 500 yen at most."

      「電車(でんしゃ)が来(こ)ないうちに観光(かんこう)出来(でき)るのは精々(せいぜい)４時間(よじかん)ぐらい。」

      'Before the train comes, we can do sightseeing for four hours at most.'

      証人(しょうにん)：「加害(かがい)者(しゃ)はたぶん精々(せいぜい)３０歳(さんじゅっさい)ぐらいでしょ。」

      Witness: 'The assailant is about 30 years old at most.'

      凄(すご)く怒(おこ)ったファン：「ダーデンは精々(せいぜい)二流(にりゅう)のコーチだぞ！子供(こども)でさえもっと上手(うま)くコーチングできるぞ!」

      Extremely angry fan: 'Durden is a second-rate coach at best! Even a child can coach better than him!'

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