孫の手
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Japanese
[edit]Kanji in this term | |
---|---|
孫 | 手 |
まご Grade: 4 |
て Grade: 1 |
kun'yomi |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e3/Backscratchers.jpg/220px-Backscratchers.jpg)
Etymology
[edit]From 麻姑 (Mako, “Magu”, a nymph in Chinese mythology) + の (no, possessive particle) + 手 (te, “hand”), literally “Mako's hand/claw”. Legend has it that Mako's fingernails resembled bird claws.
Compare the following verses in a poem by Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai:
- 明星玉女備灑掃,麻姑搔背指爪輕。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: 8th century CE, 李白 (Li Bai), 《西嶽雲台歌送丹丘子》 (A Song of Parting for Dan Qiuzi on Mt Hua's Cloudy Peak)
- Míngxīng yùnǚ bèi sǎsǎo, Mágū sāobèi zhǐzhǎo qīng. [Pinyin]
- The Jade Girl of the bright stars prepares to sprinkle and sweep;
Magu scratches her back lightly with claw-like nails.
明星玉女备洒扫,麻姑搔背指爪轻。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
This term was remodelled by folk etymology into the current form of 孫 (mago, “grandchild”) + の + 手, i.e. literally “grandchild's hand”.
Pronunciation
[edit]- (Tokyo) まごのて [màgó nóꜜ tè] (Nakadaka – [3])[1]
- (Tokyo) まごのて [màgó nó téꜜ] (Odaka – [4])[1]
- IPA(key): [ma̠ɡo̞ no̞ te̞]
Noun
[edit]孫の手 • (mago no te)
- a backscratcher
- 2017, 40代になると巻き起こる老化怪奇現象の対処術[1]:
- 生まれて初めて、お婆さんが、孫の手を使って背中を掻く気持ちが分かったっす。
- Umarete hajimete, obāsan ga, magonote o tsukatte senaka o kaku kimochi ga wakattassu.
- For the first time in her life, the old lady understood what it feels like to use a backscratcher to scratch her back.
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
Descendants
[edit]- → Korean: 효자손 (hyojason) (calque)
References
[edit]Categories:
- Japanese terms spelled with 孫 read as まご
- Japanese terms spelled with 手 read as て
- Japanese terms read with kun'yomi
- Japanese compound terms
- Japanese terms with IPA pronunciation
- Japanese lemmas
- Japanese nouns
- Japanese terms spelled with fourth grade kanji
- Japanese terms spelled with first grade kanji
- Japanese terms with 2 kanji
- Japanese terms with usage examples
- Japanese terms with quotations