満を持す

Japanese

Kanji in this term
満	持
まん Grade: 4	じ Grade: 3
goon

Alternative spelling
滿を持す (kyūjitai)

Alternative forms

満(まん)を持(じ)する (man o jisuru, more modern variant)

Etymology

Verb phrase comprised of 満 (man, “full; fullness”) +‎ を (o, accusative particle marking the object) +‎ 持す (jisu, “to hold, to keep”). Literally, "to hold the fullness", and figuratively, "to keep one's bow fully drawn".^[1]^[2]

First attested in Japanese in the 1827 work, the Nihon Gaishi by Rai San'yō.^[1]

From the "Hereditary Houses" chapter within the Records of the Grand Historian covering the hereditary lineage of Zhou Bo. During the Western Han dynasty, the emperor was visiting a general, Zhou Yafu, who was guarding against barbarians to the north. His soldiers were properly armoured, with swords sharpened, and bows drawn with arrows ready to be loosed at any time. However, regardless of what orders the emperor gave the soldiers, they refused to stand down and return to the camp, because Zhou Yafu had trained his soldiers to only follow the general's orders.^[3]

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ma̠ɰ̃ o̞ d͡ʑisɨ]

Verb

満(まん)を持(じ)す • (man o jisu) transitive

to wait for the perfect opportunity, to wait for the right time, to bide one's time

Conjugation

Classical conjugation of "満を持す" (サ行変格活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	満を持せ	まんをじせ	man wo zise
Continuative (連用形)	満を持し	まんをじし	man wo zisi
Terminal (終止形)	満を持す	まんをじす	man wo zisu
Attributive (連体形)	満を持する	まんをじする	man wo zisuru
Realis (已然形)	満を持すれ	まんをじすれ	man wo zisure
Imperative (命令形)	満を持せよ	まんをじせよ	man wo ziseyo
Key constructions
Negative	満を持せず	まんをじせず	man wo zisezu
Contrasting conjunction	満を持すれど	まんをじすれど	man wo zisuredo
Causal conjunction	満を持すれば	まんをじすれば	man wo zisureba
Conditional conjunction	満を持せば	まんをじせば	man wo ziseba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	満を持しき	まんをじしき	man wo zisiki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	満を持しけり	まんをじしけり	man wo zisikeri
Perfect tense (conscious action)	満を持しつ	まんをじしつ	man wo zisitu
Perfect tense (natural event)	満を持しぬ	まんをじしぬ	man wo zisinu
Perfect-continuative tense	満を持せり満を持したり	まんをじせりまんをじしたり	man wo ziseri man wo zisitari
Volitional	満を持せむ	まんをじせむ	man wo zisemu

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
^ Matsumura, Akira (1995) 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN
^ 2018, 故事成語を知る辞典 (Koji Seigo wo Shiru Jiten) (in Japanese), Tokyo: Shogakukan

[KDJ-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[DJS-2] Matsumura, Akira (1995) 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[3] 2018, 故事成語を知る辞典 (Koji Seigo wo Shiru Jiten) (in Japanese), Tokyo: Shogakukan

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