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はばかりながら Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
adverb
with all due respect ; I venture to say ; excuse me, but
usually written using kana alone
A formal, somewhat old-fashioned set phrase used to soften a potentially presumptuous or contradictory statement. Often heard in speeches or formal announcements.
はばかり ながら 、 その ご 意い 見けん に は 賛さん 成せい し かね ます 。
I venture to say that I cannot agree with that opinion.
Written forms 憚はばか りながら
Rare kanji spelling; 憚 is not a jōyō kanji.
憚はばか り 乍なが ら
Rare kanji spelling using the old form 乍ら for ながら.
Kanji 乍 though, notwithstanding, while Similar words 恐おそ れ 入い りますが A more common and slightly less formal phrase used to politely preface a request or statement. はばかりながら is more old-fashioned and often used in formal speeches.
僭せん 越えつ ながら Also a formal phrase meaning 'though I may be presumptuous', but 僭越ながら emphasizes the speaker's lack of status or qualification, while はばかりながら focuses on showing respect to the listener.
Etymology From the verb 憚る (はばかる, 'to hesitate, to be wary') in the negative continuative form 憚り (はばかり) plus ながら ('while, though'), literally 'while hesitating' or 'though I hesitate'. The phrase became a fixed formal expression.
