Quote:
Originally Posted by Decimus
Questions:
1)
「として」 and 「とする」 seem to have various different meanings depending on context. Are there any tips to understand them quickly? I often have to reread a sentence with those 'conjugations' multiple times before I can make sense of what is being said.
I can sort of get that it's a combination of the particle 「と」 and the "to do" 「する」, with the 「して」 conjugation being used to indicate that it is an auxiliary verb with respect to what comes next, but I often see constructions like 「<名詞(noun)/形容動詞(adjectival verb)＞として知られる」, which usually means "known as < 名詞(noun)>" or "known for being <adjective>". Eg: 「富豪として知られる」－＞"Known for being rich."
2)
Are 「兎に角(とにかく）」, 「沢山（たくさん）」, and 「流石（さすが）」 used only for phonetic reasons (ateji), or do they have some meaning behind them? I can sort of see how 兎に角 (Even if rabbits have horns.) could mean "No matter what happens", which is close enough in meaning with とにかく (Regardless). This could be a mere coincidence though.
3)
Does the use of kanji for words more commonly written in kana produce a "formal tone" and/or "archaic style"? I see kanji being sprinkled rather liberally in works with a fantasy setting. Examples include 「全く（まったく）」, 「此処(ここ」, 「何処（どこ）」, 「一寸（ちょっと 」）, and 「何時迄（いつまで)」, in addition to ones stated in (2). If yes, is it due to the heavier use of kanji in formal documents and older Japanese texts in real-life? |
"To love is to suffer. To avoid suffering, one must not love. But then, one suffers from not loving. Therefore, to love is to suffer."