Translation guide
Describes actions, attitudes, or creations that show excessive obedience, lack of originality, or strict adherence to rules or models. The most common Japanese expressions focus on blind obedience or mindless copying.
Describes a person or behavior that obeys without question, like a slave.
Literally 'blindly obedient'. Used for people or attitudes that follow orders without thinking.
I'm amazed at his slavish attitude toward his boss.
Means 'slave-like'. Stronger and more negative than 盲従的. Can describe both obedience and harsh conditions.
They were forced into slavish labor.
Formal term for 'subservient' or 'slavish'. Often used in political or historical contexts.
A slavish foreign policy harms national interests.
Describes a copy or imitation that sticks too closely to the original, without creativity.
Means 'lacking originality'. A natural way to criticize slavish copies in art, writing, or design.
The movie is nothing but a slavish imitation of the original.
Literally 'like a monkey's imitation'. Colloquial and vivid, implying mindless copying.
His work is a slavish copy.
Means 'blindly imitated'. Emphasizes the lack of thought behind the copying.
Describes an overly strict or literal following of rules, instructions, or a text.
Idiomatic phrase meaning 'rigidly rule-bound'. Used for people or actions that stick to rules without flexibility.
A slavish adherence to the rules will anger customers.
Means 'word-for-word' or 'literal'. Often used for slavish translations that sound unnatural.
A slavish translation is hard to read.
Means 'mechanical'. Describes slavish, unthinking repetition of actions or rules.
盲従的 focuses on blind obedience without thought, while 奴隷的 emphasizes the harsh, dehumanizing aspect of being like a slave. 奴隷的 is stronger and more negative.
Slavishly obedient employees often just wait for orders.
They protested against the slavish treatment.
The English word 'slavish' often translates naturally into phrases like 独創性のない or 盲目的な模倣 rather than a single adjective. Using 奴隷的 in all contexts can sound overly dramatic or unnatural.
He's just slavishly following trends.
Slavish memorization doesn't allow for application.