言い得て妙

• 読み: いいえてみょう
• ローマ字: iietemyou
• 漢字の分解: 言 (gen/i) — say; 得 (toku/e) — obtain, succeed; 妙 (myou) — exquisite, uncanny, wonderful
• 発音: /iː.e.te.mjo̞ː/

意味

Aptly put; well said; a felicitous expression. Describes a turn of phrase that captures something perfectly.

An expression of high praise for a particularly apt or insightful phrasing. 言い得て means 'successfully said/expressed,' and 妙 means 'exquisite, wonderful, uncanny.' The phrase acknowledges that someone has found exactly the right words for something difficult to articulate. Used as a standalone comment or to modify a noun (言い得て妙な表現 — a felicitous expression). Often seen in literary criticism and academic writing.

例文

1. 人生は旅だというのは、まさに言い得て妙な表現だ。
2. 先生のその一言は言い得て妙で、クラス全員が深くうなずいた。
3. 彼女の評論には言い得て妙な比喩が多く、読んでいて楽しい。

使い方ガイド

場面: compliment, rhetoric, literature, conversation

トーン: appreciative

起源と歴史

言い得る (to succeed in expressing — from 言う 'say' + 得る 'succeed') + て (conjunctive particle) + 妙 (wonderful, exquisite, subtle). A set phrase praising the successful achievement of perfect expression.

文化的背景

時代: Modern

世代: Adult

社会的背景: Educated