Grammar Info

N1 Lesson 3: 18/19

飽(あ)くまでJust, Only, Merely, Strictly

Structure

あくまで(も）+ Phrase

Details

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About 飽くまで(も)

飽(あ)く is the old-fashioned and somewhat poetic version of 飽(あ)きる the る-Verb meaning 'to tire of (A)', or 'to get sick of (A)'. When used in conjunction with the adverbial particles まで 'until', 飽(あ)くまで can imply that (A) is 'just', 'only', or 'strictly' something. The more literal translation of 'to continue (A) to the point of getting tired of it' fits these interpretations quite well, implying that (A) will never deviate from what is being described about it. This use of 飽(あ)くまで often appears at the beginning of a phrase, and functions adverbially. The adverbial particle も 'even' may be added for extra emphasis, but it is not required.

In many cases, 飽(あ)くまで will be used in polite sentences when the speaker is expressing their own opinion. In these cases, the nuance of 'this is merely my opinion' is conveying to the listener that the speaker realizes that what they are saying is not the only viewpoint.

This way of highlighting opinions is often combined with structures like けど, or が when the speaker wants to soften their statement before offering what they think a solution might be.

Examples

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    会社(かいしゃ)の代表(だいひょう)はビジネスパートナーに：「今(いま)からお話(はな)しすることは、飽(あ)くまで私(わたし)の個人的(こじんてき)な意見(いけん)で、会社(かいしゃ)としての公式(こうしき)な意見(いけん)ではないことをご了承(りょうしょう)いただきたいのですが、...」

    Company representative to business partners: 'What I am about to say is just my personal opinion, so please understand that this is not our official stance as a company…'

    配偶者１(はいぐうしゃいち)は配偶者２(はいぐうしゃに)に：「もうガスがちゃんと閉(し)めてあるか確認(かくにん)したのを知(し)ってるけど、もう一度(いちど)確認(かくにん)してね。飽(あ)くまでも一応(いちおう)だけどね。」

    Spouse 1 to Spouse 2: 'I know you have already checked if the gas is turned off, but please check again. Just to be sure.'

    「その影響(えいきょう)で東京(とうきょう)オリンピックは20XX年(ねん)も開催(かいさい)できないと思(おも)います。でもまぁ、飽(あ)くまでも私(わたし)の想像(そうぞう)に過(す)ぎないので、真剣(しんけん)に考(かんが)えないでください。」

    'I think that due to its influence, the Olympics might also not happen in 20XX. But this is just what I imagine will happen, so don't look into it too much.'

    学術論文(がくじゅつろんぶん)：「このアルゴリズムの実世界(じっせかい)での使用法(しようほう)は場合(ばあい)によって異(こと)なりますので、飽(あ)くまでも本稿(ほんこう)はガイドラインとして取(と)り扱(あつか)いください。」

    Scientific article: 'The real-world application of this algorithm differs from case to case, therefore use this paper just as a reference.'

    探偵(たんてい)：「その火(ひ)が上(あ)がったのは偶然(ぐうぜん)ではなかったかもしれない。まぁ、これは飽(あ)くまで僕(ぼく)の仮説(かせつ)ですが。」

    Detective: 'That fire might not have been entirely an accident. This is just my hypothesis, though.'

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