憚る

Japanese

FWOTD – 30 April 2023

Etymology

Kanji in this term
憚
はばか Hyōgaiji
kun’yomi

Cognate with 阻む (habamu, “to prevent, thwart”), 蔓延る (habikoru, “to grow dense”), and possibly 幅 (haba, “width”).

Also cognate with classical adjective 憚し (habashi, “hesitant, shy”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) はばか​る [hàbákáꜜrù] (Nakadaka – [3])
• (Tokyo) はばかる [hàbákárú] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [ha̠ba̠ka̠ɾɯ̟ᵝ]

Verb

憚(はばか)る • (habakaru) transitive or intransitive godan (stem 憚(はばか)り (habakari), past 憚(はばか)った (habakatta))

1. (intransitive) to hesitate, to be afraid to do
   • 2007, 新時代日漢辭典／新时代日汉辞典 (Xīn Shídài Rì-hàn Cídiǎn), 1st edition, 大新書局／大新书局 (Dàxīn Shūjú), →ISBN:

     彼(かれ)を憚(はばか)って何(なに)も言(い)わない

     Kare o habakatte nanimo iwanai

     Afraid to say anything to him

2. (intransitive) to get full, grow rampant
3. (intransitive) to throw one’s weight around, to make one’s presence felt
4. (archaic, transitive) to beware of, be wary of
5. (archaic, transitive) to abhor, detest
6. (archaic, transitive) to grieve, hold a funeral service

Conjugation

Conjugation of "憚る" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	憚ら	はばから	habakara
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	憚り	はばかり	habakari
Shūshikei ("terminal")	憚る	はばかる	habakaru
Rentaikei ("attributive")	憚る	はばかる	habakaru
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	憚れ	はばかれ	habakare
Meireikei ("imperative")	憚れ	はばかれ	habakare
Key constructions
Passive	憚られる	はばかられる	habakarareru
Causative	憚らせる 憚らす	はばからせる はばからす	habakaraseru habakarasu
Potential	憚れる	はばかれる	habakareru
Volitional	憚ろう	はばかろう	habakarō
Negative	憚らない	はばからない	habakaranai
Negative continuative	憚らず	はばからず	habakarazu
Formal	憚ります	はばかります	habakarimasu
Perfective	憚った	はばかった	habakatta
Conjunctive	憚って	はばかって	habakatte
Hypothetical conditional	憚れば	はばかれば	habakareba

Classical conjugation of "憚る" (ラ行四段活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	憚ら	はばから	fabakara
Continuative (連用形)	憚り	はばかり	fabakari
Terminal (終止形)	憚る	はばかる	fabakaru
Attributive (連体形)	憚る	はばかる	fabakaru
Realis (已然形)	憚れ	はばかれ	fabakare
Imperative (命令形)	憚れ	はばかれ	fabakare
Key constructions
Negative	憚らず	はばからず	fabakarazu
Contrasting conjunction	憚れど	はばかれど	fabakaredo
Causal conjunction	憚れば	はばかれば	fabakareba
Conditional conjunction	憚らば	はばからば	fabakaraba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	憚りき	はばかりき	fabakariki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	憚りけり	はばかりけり	fabakarikeri
Perfect tense (conscious action)	憚りつ	はばかりつ	fabakaritu
Perfect tense (natural event)	憚りぬ	はばかりぬ	fabakarinu
Perfect-continuative tense	憚れり 憚りたり	はばかれり はばかりたり	fabakareri fabakaritari
Volitional	憚らむ	はばからむ	fabakaramu

Derived terms

• 憚(はばか)らはし (habakarawashi)
• 思(おぼ)し憚(はばか)る (oboshihabakaru)
• 思(おも)ひ憚(はばか)る (omoihabakaru)

 

Idioms

• 世(せ)を憚(はばか)る (se o habakaru)
• 人(ひと)前(まえ)を憚(はばか)る (hitomae o habakaru)
• 人(ひと)目(め)を憚(はばか)る (hitome o habakaru)

 

Proverbs

• 過(あやま)ちては則(すなわ)ち改(あらた)むるに憚(はばか)ること勿(なか)れ (ayamachite wa sunawachi aratamuru ni habakaru koto nakare)
• 憎(にく)まれっ子(こ)世(よ)に憚(はばか)る (nikumarekko yo ni habakaru)

Old Japanese

Etymology

From a pab- stem cognate with modern Japanese 阻む (habamu, “to prevent, thwart”).

Verb

憚る (pabakaru) (kana はばか​る)

1. (intransitive) to hesitate, to be afraid to do
   • c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 20, poem 4372:

     , text here

     ...阿良志乎母多志夜波婆可流不破乃世伎久江弖和波由久...

     ...arasi wo mo tasi pabakaru Pupa-no₂-seki₁ kuyete wa pa yuku...

     Will a wild man hesitate to stand? Across the barrier of Fuwa I go.

2. (transitive) to beware of, be wary of
   • 720, Nihon Shoki, (Emperor Nintoku, fortieth year of reign [c. 353 CE], second month):

     ; Maeda-bon glosses

     然重_二皇后之言_一、亦敦_二友于之義_一而忍_レ之勿_レ罪

     But [the Emperor] was wary of the Empress’s words; out of respect for the rules of brotherhood, he was patient and did not punish [his son].

Derived terms

• 行き憚る (yuki₁pabakaru)

Descendants

• Japanese: 憚る (habakaru)