Structure
あくまで(も)+ Phrase
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Standard
使用域
一般
About 飽くまで(も)
飽く is the old-fashioned and somewhat poetic version of 飽きる the る-Verb meaning 'to tire of (A)', or 'to get sick of (A)'. When used in conjunction with the adverbial particles まで 'until', 飽くまで can imply that (A) is 'just', 'only', or 'strictly' something. The more literal translation of 'to continue (A) to the point of getting tired of it' fits these interpretations quite well, implying that (A) will never deviate from what is being described about it.
This use of 飽くまで often appears at the beginning of a phrase, and functions adverbially. The adverbial particle も 'even' may be added for extra emphasis, but it is not required.
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彼はあくまでも新人なので優しく接してあげてください。He is merely a newbie, so please treat him kindly.
- それはあくまで可能性に過ぎないからなんの役にも立たない。That is merely a possibility, so it doesn't help.
- 私はあくまでも素人に過ぎませんが、設計にミスがあると思います。I am just an amateur, but I think that there is a mistake in the design.
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これはあくまで私の意見なので参考にしないでくださいね。This is just my opinion, so please don't refer to it.
Examples
会社の代表はビジネスパートナーに:「今からお話しすることは、飽くまで私の個人的な意見で、会社としての公式な意見ではないことをご了承いただきたいのですが、...」
Company representative to business partners: 'What I am about to say is just my personal opinion, so please understand that this is not our official stance as a company…'
配偶者1は配偶者2に:「もうガスがちゃんと閉めてあるか確認したのを知ってるけど、もう一度確認してね。飽くまでも一応だけどね。」
Spouse 1 to Spouse 2: 'I know you have already checked if the gas is turned off, but please check again. Just to be sure.'
In this case, spouse 2 could have taken the remark as insinuating incompetence, so spouse 1 uses あくまでも to not appear arrogant or overly assertive.
「その影響で東京オリンピックは20XX年も開催できないと思います。でもまぁ、飽くまでも私の想像に過ぎないので、真剣に考えないでください。」
'I think that due to its influence, the Olympics might also not happen in 20XX. But this is just what I imagine will happen, so don't look into it too much.'
学術論文:「このアルゴリズムの実世界での使用法は場合によって異なりますので、飽くまでも本稿はガイドラインとして取り扱いください。」
Scientific article: 'The real-world application of this algorithm differs from case to case, therefore use this paper just as a reference.'
探偵:「その火が上がったのは偶然ではなかったかもしれない。まぁ、これは飽くまで僕の仮説ですが。」
Detective: 'That fire might not have been entirely an accident. This is just my hypothesis, though.'
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Excellent breakdown of あくまで(も)
Japanese StackExchange
Offline
A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar
Page 11
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