(Verb) + だにJust, Even just, Even merely

As mentioned in our だに + しない grammar point, だに is an adverbial particle that shares a similar meaning to さえ and すら 'even', but is more commonly found in classical literature. It presents (A) as 'minimum' or 'light' examples, and therefore implies that anything greater than (A) would be more than can be handled, imagined, etc. In this use, it is often translated as 'just (A)', or 'merely (A)'.

だに will appear directly following verbs in their dictionary form.

This is a formal structure, and will be seen far more often in literature than it will be spoken. Despite this, it is actually quite common in anime and manga when characters are being dramatic.

As (A) presents a 'minimum', it will often be a word which expresses something that depicts the difference between reality and fantasy. For example, if (A) was 想像(そうぞう)するだに 'even in my imagination'. The 'minimum' is the imagination, for which the opposite end of the spectrum would be 'in reality'.