我がを張はる

が

を

は

る

Meanings

1

expression, godan verb (-ru)

Used when someone stubbornly sticks to their own opinion or way of doing things, often in a confrontational or unyielding manner.

彼かれは会かい議ぎでいつも我がを張はって、他ほかの意い見けんを聞きかない。
He always insists on his own ideas in meetings and doesn't listen to others' opinions.

我がを張はらずに、時ときには妥だ協きょうすることも大たい切せつだ。

It's important to compromise sometimes without being stubborn.

Written forms

我がを張はる
Standard kanji spelling for this expression.
がを張はる
Kana spelling of the first part is sometimes seen, but the kanji form is more common.

Kanji

我ego, I, selfish
張counter for bows & stringed instruments, stretch, spread

Similar words

意い地じを張はる
Similar in meaning, but 意地を張る often implies stubbornness out of pride or obstinacy, while 我を張る focuses more on insisting on one's own ideas or will.
我がを通とおす
Also means to insist on one's own way, but 我を通す can be used in a broader sense of pushing through one's will, not necessarily in a confrontational manner.

Etymology

The expression combines 我 (self, ego) with 張る (to stretch, to insist), literally meaning 'to stretch one's ego'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it has been used idiomatically to mean stubborn insistence.