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身過ぎ世過ぎ (みすぎよすぎ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
noun
making a living ; livelihood ; getting by
A set phrase referring to the daily business of earning a living and managing one's life. Often used in contexts about the difficulty or simplicity of making ends meet.
田舎いなか で は 身み 過す ぎ 世よ 過す ぎ が 楽らく だ と 言い わ れる が 、 実じっ 際さい は そう で も ない 。
They say making a living is easier in the countryside, but that's not really the case.
Written forms 身み 過す ぎ 世よ 過す ぎ
Standard kanji spelling for this set phrase.
身み すぎ 世よ すぎ
Mixed kana spelling; less common but still encountered.
Kanji 身 somebody, person, one's station in life 過 overdo, exceed, go beyond 世 generation, world, society Similar words 生せい 計けい 生計 is a more formal, objective term for 'livelihood' or 'living', while 身過ぎ世過ぎ is a colloquial, somewhat old-fashioned set phrase emphasizing the personal, day-to-day struggle of getting by.
暮く らし 暮らし refers broadly to one's lifestyle or daily living, whereas 身過ぎ世過ぎ focuses narrowly on the economic aspect of sustaining oneself.
Etymology A compound of 身過ぎ (making a living for oneself) and 世過ぎ (getting through the world), forming a set phrase. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it likely arose as an emphatic, rhythmic expression for the struggle of daily subsistence.
