てこそonly by doing
Only by doing one thing does another come about, or mean anything. It is how people state a lesson: this is what it takes.
Only by using a foreign language every day can you make it your own.
It is only thanks to your support that I have come this far.
How to form it
Verb in the て-form + こそ
使って → 使ってこそ. With ある it is 〜があってこそ: "only with", "only thanks to".
- Before it
- What it takes: やって, 続けて, 経験して, 自分で考えて.
- After it
- What then becomes possible or worth something: 分かる, できる, 意味がある, 価値がある, 〜と言える. Not an order or a plan.
- Tone
- Earnest. It sounds like a motto, or a lesson learned.
- Where you'll meet it
- Speeches, advice, essays, interviews. In conversation, when someone is making a point.
In use
What you have learned only becomes part of you when you think for yourself.
Just buying a book isn't enough. It only means something if you read it.
You can only be called a true leader when you take on responsibility.
てこそ or からこそ?
It's because you failed that you can grow.
The failure has happened. It is the very reason.
You only grow by failing.
What it takes, for anyone: no failure, no growth.
からこそ gives the reason. てこそ gives what it takes: without that, it doesn't happen.
Close neighbours
からこそN3
"Precisely because". It follows a plain form, so the reason can be a feeling or a fact as well as something done.
It's because I care about you that I'm so hard on you.
て初めてN3
A memory more than a principle: it took this before you understood.
It wasn't until I lived on my own that I understood how much work housework is.
Check yourself
1What does this mean?
負けてこそ、
Choose an answer to see why.
2Which sentence sounds natural?
Choose an answer to see why.
More sentences
You only really understand how much preparation matters once you have failed.
Only by supporting one another can we get through hard times.
Only by seeing the place for yourself can you grasp how serious the problem is.
It is overcoming difficulties that makes the joy of success greater.