「ことば検定スマート」は、テレビ朝日の番組で林修先生がことばや漢字に関するクイズを出題し、解説するコーナーです。今回の問題は、「ひらめき」という言葉の本来の意味は何かというものでした。正解は「光」で、この言葉は平安時代初期に成立した「竹取物語」に登場する表現に由来します。考えがひらめくという意味は明治時代から使われ始めた比較的新しい使い方であり、元の意味は雷のような鋭い光を指すものでした。知的財産の価値や日本の特許出願件数についても紹介されていました。
What is the original meaning of “Inspiration”?
【Word Test】Today’s Question and Answer
Good morning! Here are the questions and answers from the “Word Test Smart”.
Mr. Hayashi presents quizzes related to “words” and “kanji” and explains them in an interesting way.
*Please note that until the official answers are announced, the answers provided are just predictions.
Word Test Questions
Today, April 26th, is “World Intellectual Property Day”.
Intellectual property refers to property with commercial value that is created through creative activities such as patents and trademarks.
Even if it doesn’t have a physical form, ideas alone are considered intellectual property.
In last year’s ranking of international patent applications, Mitsubishi Electric, the 4th largest company in the world, had 2152 applications.
It seems they have been in the top 5 for 10 consecutive years.
It is said that there are about 300,000 applications submitted to the Japan Patent Office in a year.
It might be a good idea to apply if you have a sudden inspiration.
So, today’s question is about the original meaning of the word “Inspiration”.
What is the original meaning of “Inspiration”?
Blue – Light
Red – Door
Green – Calf muscle
We are reporting the answers to the “Word Test” quiz. |
Word Test Answers
Blue – Light
Word Test Explanation
Explanation for Today
“Inspiration” is a noun form of the verb “Inspire”.
The usage of “inspiration” in the sense of “having a sudden idea” is relatively new since the Meiji era.
You might think it’s quite old, but this word has been used since the Heian period, more than 1000 years ago, so in the Meiji era, it was considered new.
The usage of the answer today appears in Japan’s oldest story, “The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter,” which originated in the early Heian period.
It is used in a scene where a man tasked with bringing a “dragon’s jewel” by Princess Kaguya sets out to sea in a boat.
“Kami wa ochikakaru yō ni hirameku”
This means “Inspired as if a god was about to fall,” but the “god” here refers to lightning, not a deity.
It signifies “the sea waves were high and lightning was flashing,” and after that, the man gives up.
“To inspire” originally meant to flicker a moment and then disappear, and the sharp light like lightning is called “inspiration.”
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