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憂き身をやつす (うきみをやつす) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
expression, godan verb (-su)
be absorbed in ; devote oneself to ; give oneself over to
Literary expression meaning to become completely engrossed in something, often to the point of neglecting oneself or one's appearance. The phrase 憂き身 (sorrowful body) suggests a self-sacrificing or all-consuming devotion.
に
憂う
き
身み
を
やつす
の
も
悪わる
く
ない
。
It's not so bad to give oneself over to love.
Written forms 憂う き 身み をやつす
Common spelling using 憂き身 (sorrowful body) and kana for やつす.
憂う き 身み を 窶やつ す
Rare kanji spelling using 窶す for やつす; the kanji 窶 is uncommon and may not be recognized by many readers.
Kanji 憂 melancholy, grieve, lament 身 somebody, person, one's station in life Similar words 没ぼっ 頭とう する 没頭する is a more neutral and common way to say 'be absorbed in,' while 憂き身をやつす has a literary, self-sacrificing nuance.
身み をやつす 身をやつす means to disguise oneself or to become emaciated; 憂き身をやつす adds the sorrowful/self-neglecting nuance of 憂き.
Etymology The expression combines 憂き (sorrowful, painful) + 身 (body, oneself) + を + やつす (to become thin, to be absorbed). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it likely evolved from the idea of wasting away or neglecting one's body due to intense focus on something.
