一生懸命

Japanese
Kanji in this term
一 生 懸 命
いつ > いっ
Grade: 1		 しょう
Grade: 1		 けん
Grade: S		 めい
Grade: 3
on’yomi

Etymology

Yoji jukugo (四字熟語). From 一所懸命(いっしょけんめい) (isshokenmei), which referred to samurais risking their life to defend the territory inherited from ancestors.

Pronunciation
  • (Tokyo) いっしょーけ​んめー [ìsshóókéꜜǹmèè] (Nakadaka – [5])[1]
  • IPA(key): [iɕːo̞ːkẽ̞mːe̞ː]

Adverb

一(いっ)生(しょう)懸(けん)命(めい) • (isshōkenmei) ←いつしやうけんめい (itusyaukenmei)?

  1. for dear life; as hard as one can; to the best of one's ability
    一(いっ)生(しょう)懸(けん)命(めい)頑(がん)張(ば)る
    isshōkenmei ganbaru
    to try one's utmost hardest

References
  1. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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