不ふ承しょう不ぶ承しょう

ふ

しょ

う

ぶ

しょ

う

Meanings

adverb, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'

reluctantly; grudgingly; unwillingly

yojijukugo (four-character idiom)

A yojijukugo describing doing something with clear reluctance, often with a sense of being forced or having no choice. Used adverbially or with の to modify nouns.

彼かれは不ふ承しょう不ぶ承しょうながらも、その仕し事ごとを引ひき受うけた。
He reluctantly took on the job.
不ふ承しょう不ぶ承しょうの返へん事じだったが、とにかく承しょう諾だくしてくれた。
It was a grudging reply, but he agreed anyway.

See all 5 example sentences ›

Kanji

不negative, non-, bad
承acquiesce, hear, listen to
請solicit, invite, ask
祥auspicious, happiness, blessedness
精refined, ghost, fairy

Related words

渋しぶ々しぶN1
不承不承 is a stronger, more literary word for doing something very unwillingly with visible reluctance, whereas 渋々 is the more common, everyday term.
いやいやN1
不承不承 is a more literary/formal way to say 'reluctantly', close in meaning to 嫌々 but less colloquial.

Written forms

不ふ承しょう不ぶ承しょう
Standard kanji spelling for this yojijukugo.
不ふ請しょう不ぶ請しょう
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
不ふ祥しょう不ぶ祥しょう
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
不ふ精しょう不ぶ精しょう
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.

Etymology

A yojijukugo composed of 不承 (ふしょう, 'non-acceptance' or 'reluctance') repeated for emphasis. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it follows a common pattern of doubling a two-character compound to intensify the meaning.