Jun 4, 2012 09:04
12 yrs ago
Japanese term

頭を下げる世界ではなく、頭を下げずにはなれない世界に生きたい

Non-PRO Japanese to English Other Religion weekly aphorism at the gate of a buddhist temple in Tokyo
weekly aphorism at the gate of a buddhist temple in Tokyo, so there is no context. I must admit I don't understand the saying at all. Could you please translate it for me, and explain how it works grammatically? Thank you!
Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

PRO (1): MariyaN (X)

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Proposed translations

+4
3 hrs
Selected

I would like to live in a world that makes me humble, not a world that I have to beg others

頭を下げる: lower your head to ask others for a favor, apologize, to show that you are inferior...

頭を下げずにはなれない should be: 頭を下げずにはおれない: you feel compelled to lower your head because others and surrounding are such that you can't help respecting them. Makes you humble, humbles you..

In other words, it is saying that I wish to live in a world with greatness, not a world with intimidation
Peer comment(s):

agree Teddy Okuyama (X) : Great translation. "Beg", to me, sounds just a little bit stronger in nuance than 頭を下げる. In English, we also say "bow down", which contains the same meaning as 頭を下げる, so I would personally choose that word.
2 hrs
agree MariyaN (X)
3 hrs
agree J. Kampinga
3 hrs
agree mommamia : i also agree with Teddy^ in that "beg"seems stronger than "bow down". i would personally use "bow down"
16 hrs
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Okada-san, thank you very much, I agree with Okuyama-san - great translation, indeed, though, I too would change "beg" for "bow down"."
17 hrs

I'd like to live for deserving the people spontaneously, not for bowing to the people automatically.

an idea:




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2 days 13 hrs

「頭を下げずにはなれない」?

I'm afraid the source sentence does not make sense.
I can't figure out what the sentence 「頭を下げずには『なれない』」 really means.

頭を下げずには「いられない/おれない」 makes sense, which literally means "I can't help bowing down".
「なれない」 needs a Complement.

*Example: 「私はパイロットに『なれない』」(I cannot be a pilot.)
Pilot is a Complement.

Which is correct,
「なれない」
or 「いられない/おれない」?
Or even 「頭を離れずに「はなれない(離れない)」?

Did you transcribe the sentence correctly? Or is it the clerical error by the monk who wrote the sign?

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Note added at 2 days13 hrs (2012-06-06 23:01:48 GMT) Post-grading
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Correction:

The second line from the last;

【F】 「頭を離れずに「はなれない(離れない)」?
【T】 「頭を下げずに「はなれない(離れない)」?
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