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一本やり (いっぽんやり) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Freq. Frequency Top 100,000 Meanings 1
noun, noun, used as a suffix
sticking to one thing ; single-mindedly ; never deviating from
idiomatic expression
Idiomatic expression used after a noun to describe someone or something that is relentlessly focused on a single method, principle, or objective. Often carries a nuance of inflexibility or narrowness.
あの
会かい
社しゃ
は
品ひん
質しつ
一いっ
本ぽん
やり
で
やっ
て
き
た
。
That company has stuck to quality above all else.
2
noun
one's sole talent ; one's only forte
idiomatic expression
Refers to a person's single strong point or only skill. Often used self-deprecatingly or to describe someone with a narrow but deep ability.
Written forms 一いっ 本ぽん やり
Standard spelling; the kana やり avoids confusion with the literal spear reading.
一いっ 本ぽん 槍やり
Alternate kanji spelling; 槍 can suggest the literal spear origin, but the idiomatic meaning is the same.
Similar words 一ひと 筋すじ 一筋 also means single-minded devotion, but is more often used as an adverb (一筋に) and can sound more earnest or pure. 一本やり is more colloquial and can imply stubbornness.
一いっ 点てん 張ば り 一点張り is similar in meaning (sticking to one thing), but is more often used for insisting on a single opinion or demand, while 一本やり emphasizes a consistent approach or method.
Etymology Literally 'one spear', from 一本 (one long thing) + 槍/やり (spear). The idiomatic meaning of single-mindedness comes from the image of charging with only one spear, i.e., having no other weapon or plan.
