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I am not sure what this means...That line is said by the speaker to the listener.

「諦観{ていかん}」 = resignation

「削{そ}ぐ」 = to discourage; to weaken; to reduce (here I found that this verb can be written like this 「殺{そ}ぐ」with the kanji that it usually for 'kill' and I think here it was used to give it a more serious nuance)

「迷{まよ}う」= to lose one's way; to waver; to hesitate;

How would 「諦観{ていかん}が迷{まよ}いを殺{そ}いでくれてたんだ」 translate...?

"Your resignation weakened me?" (I am so unsure of what the speaker is saying)

kimi Tanaka
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Alice B. Rabbit
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2 Answers2

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Let's make the structure clear:

  • 諦観が (Subject)
    • 諦観
      You are right that the word now means "resignation", or an "it can't be helped" feeling. Its true meaning is, however, embracing Buddhist truths. Since Buddhism emphasizes detachment from worldly desires, (secular) people started to use it that way.
    • が ← the nominative particle (marks subject)
  • 迷いを (Object)
    • 迷い
      While it's true that it comes from 迷う, the word form is a verbal noun that means "indecision; hesitation; perplexity".
    • を ← the accusative particle (marks object)
  • 殺いでくれてたんだ (Verb or predicate)
    • 殺ぐ
      It means "to brake; reduce; slacken; lighten" and has little to do with "kill" meaning of 殺. Although they share the same kanji, the murder 殺 is read in on'yomi サツ/セツ (e.g. 殺人 "homicide") and the reduction 殺 is サイ (e.g. 相殺 "offset").
      • 殺ぐ (dictionary form)
      • 殺いで "reducing..." (te-form)
      • 殺いでくれる "reduce for me" (beneficial)
      • 殺いでくれて "reducing ... for me"
      • 殺いでくれて（い）る "be reducing for me"
      • 殺いでくれて（い）た "was / have been reducing for me"
      • 殺いでくれて（い）たんだ "it is that ... was / have been reducing for me" (explanatory)

As a whole, it'd mean something like:

(The fact is that,) the resignation used to lessen the dither, thankfully.

Whose resignation and whose dithering they are talking about, is unknown from the piece, but both should be the same when unexpressed. No matter who it is, くれる indicates that it is the speaker that was happy with that.

broccoli facemask
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諦観 has two meanings, “resignation” and “clear vision”
It means “My clear vision used to extinguish my hesitation.”

He maybe has lost his clear vision and now hesitates to do something or he has a clear vision but it can’t extinguish his hesitation.

Yamacure
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  • thank you! But, I wonder, if the speaker uses くれる in his sentence (he is talking with someone), isn't it due to the listener's clear vision that his (the speaker's) hesitation was extinguished? Also where does 迷い come into play? – Alice B. Rabbit Sep 20 '19 at 07:49
  • In this sentence 迷い means hesitation. くれる is a word that the speaker thanks the subject (it can be a thing even if it’s the speaker’s). Actually, 諦観 means “looking at the whole and determining the essence of things” and “the clear vision brought by that”. As you say, 諦観 here may be the listener’s. You may be able to know which is suitable according to the background. – Yamacure Sep 20 '19 at 08:29
  • Thanks again for your input! – Alice B. Rabbit Sep 21 '19 at 13:29
  • (it can be a thing even if it’s the speaker’s) you mentioned this and I wondered about it. I don't think I ever encountered such a situation and I want to know if I understand right, because I see that many have answered with (my) resignation like in the example above, but here there is くれる which would mean that is someone's (the listener's) 'resignation/clear vision is the one that lessened hesitation (mine). Is it possible to say for myself something like (私の）諦観が迷いをいでくれてたんだ. MY OWN clear vision helped me? Is it possible to say it in this manner? That would be something new for me! – Alice B. Rabbit Sep 21 '19 at 19:15
  • くれる can be used if the subject is the speaker’s thing. These may not be proper examples because almost everything doesn’t belong to one person, but この部品が製品の質を保ってくれてた, この服は汗を吸収してくれるから夏にオススメです, and 眼鏡が目をガードしてくれた are OK. But the subject is the listener himself, くれる can’t be used. For example, 俺が仕事をしてくれた is unacceptable unless it is irony. – Yamacure Sep 22 '19 at 02:01
  • I also want to say that 殺ぐ may mean “extinguish” rather than “lessen”. It basically means “cut off”. And 殺 is a powerful kanji that is used like 殺す(kill). So I think 削ぐ doesn’t mean just “lessen” but “extinguish” though I know it’s not a common sentence in English. – Yamacure Sep 22 '19 at 02:10
  • Thank you so much for elaborating more on that subject! I don't think I ever read sentences where properties of objects can be described withてくれる, like the example [この服は汗を吸収してくれるから夏にオススメです], it's my first time hearing this. I knew that it is usually 'somebody' did something for me. Quite interesting! And this would change my perspective for the sentence that I try to translate. – Alice B. Rabbit Sep 22 '19 at 04:01
  • Thank you too. That’s a really common phrase heard in clothes shops. – Yamacure Sep 22 '19 at 09:04