Grammar Info

N1 Lesson 4: 6/17

たるに

To be (in a position of), As a, For

Structure

Noun + たるに
Noun + たる + Noun

Details

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    Formal

  • 使用域

    硬い

About たる

たるに is a structure that indicates something that 'is (A)' in the same way as である, and will often be translated as '(B) in the position of (A)', or '(B) as an (A)'. たるに itself as a combination of たる, which is the attributive form of classical auxiliary verb たり, and the case marking particle に.
たるに will appear after a noun marking some sort of position, with a statement about that position following after. It may be used either positively or negatively.
  • あの選手(せんしゅ)()けるぐらいなら、うちのチームの一員(いちいん)たるにふさわしくない。
    If you aren't good enough to defeat that opponent, you are not suitable to be (in the position) a member of our team.
  • あなたは従業員(じゅうぎょういん)たるに相応(ふさわ)しい対応(たいおう)ができたと(おも)っているのかい?
    Do you think that you were able to deal with that as an employee?
たるに is not as common as たるもの, which is a combination of たる and the noun (もの), used to identify people. In these cases, (A) たる(もの) will specifically mean 'a person in the position of (A)', and generally describes what is appropriate of that position. This use may be translated as 'for' or 'as'.
  • 先生(せんせい)たる(もの)生徒(せいと)将来(しょうらい)優先(ゆうせん)するべきだ。
    As teachers, we should put the future of our students first.
  • 警察(けいさつ)たる(もの)国民(こくみん)平和(へいわ)(まも)るべきだ。
    As police, you should protect the peace of the people.
Although this structure means 'to be' in the same way as である, the emphasis is far more on qualifications or expectations related to that position. Due to this, たる will not be used when simply stating that '(B) is (A)'.
Caution
Although たる does relate to the suitability of something being in a specific position, be careful not to confuse it with the う-Verb ()る 'to be sufficient', or 'to be worthy'.
Fun Fact
たり itself is a contraction of the case marking particle と and あり 'to be'. This can be compared to なり, which is a contraction of に and あり.

Examples

  • なんと()っても教師(きょうし)たる(もの)は、情熱(じょうねつ)必要(ひつよう)なのである

    Above all, to be (in the position of) a teacher, a person must be passionate.

    In Aたる者(は)B, expressions of strong judgment like べきだ, べし, なければならない, てはならない and 方がいい and so on are used in B.

  • 社員(しゃいん)叱責(しっせき)()ける:「そんな簡単(かんたん)問題(もんだい)さえ解決(かいけつ)出来(でき)ないようならうちの社員(しゃいん)たるに相応(ふさわ)しくない(ひと)です。」

    An employee receiving a reprimand: 'If you cannot even solve that simple problem, then you are not suitable to be (in the position of) an employee at our company.'

    たるに is not often used in modern Japanese. として is much more common.

  • 学生(がくせい)たる(もの)は、アルバイト(かま)けすぎて学業(がくぎょう)(おろそ)かにしてはならない。

    A (person that is in the position of a) student must not get too preoccupied with a part-time job and neglect their studies.

  • 需要(じゅよう)供給(きょうきゅう)関係(かんけい)理解(りかい)できない(かれ)には総理大臣(そうりだいじん)たる資格(しかく)がない。」

    He who cannot comprehend the relationship between supply and demand is not qualified to be (in the position of) a prime minister.

    たる資格がない is a common sentence pattern.

  • 職人(しょくにん)たるもの最新(さいしん)専門分野(せんもんぶんや)発達(はったつ)についていかなければならない。

    A (person that is in the position of a) professional must follow the latest developments in their field.

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たる – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (2 in total)

  • Liras348

    Liras348

    About 7 months ago

    資格がない is an adjective, so shouldn’t my answer still be correct?

  • IcyIceBear

    IcyIceBear

    About 7 months ago

    資格 itself is a noun, with a negative ある attached

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