Grammar Info

N1 Lesson 8: 10/19

びる-like, Looking, Feeling, With an air of, To become

Notice that 古びた and ひなびた are generally only used to modify (describe) nouns.

Structure

Noun + びる
［い］Adjective［い］ + びる
Noun + びた + Noun
［い］Adjective［い］ + びた + Noun

Used with a limited set of expressions:
・Common:
おとなびる・おとなびた
古(ふる)びた
ひなびた

・Uncommon/sometimes used in literary language:
田舎(いなか)びた
物寂(ものさ)びる

・Generally not used in modern language:
ひねこびる
神(かみ)さびる
おさなびる,

Details

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    Formal

About びる

びる, like めく, is a verb that is used exclusively as a suffix. It is a る-Verb, and may be translated as '(A) looking', '(A) seeming', or 'behaving like (A)'. びる is quite formal, and will follow a limited set of expressions.

びる will appear after nouns, or occasionally the stem form of い-Adjectives.

びる indicates that, according to the speaker, something 'gives off the sense of (A)', and is based on visual information. As it is a descriptive verb, びる will change to びた when linked directly to a second noun.

Fun Fact

Both びる and めく can be thought of as similar to さ, the structure that pairs with adjectives to create new nouns indicating an extent. This is due to the fact that when びる or めく attach to a word, they turn that word itself into a verb that expresses 'having the feeling of (A)', or 'having gained the feeling of (A)' when used in past tense.

Examples

--:--

    「くみこは年(とし)の割(わり)に大人(おとな)びている。」

    'Kumiko feels mature for her age.'

    小説(しょうせつ)：「ヴァミリオは大人(おとな)びて見(み)えるが、純粋(じゅんすい)で、表情(ひょうじょう)がわかりやすい少女(しょうじょ)なのだ。」

    A novel: 'Vamirio looked mature-like, but she was a pure girl with easy-to-read facial expressions.'

    プレミアが付(つ)いているせいでこんな古(ふる)びたレコードが三十万円(さんじゅうまんえん)もするなんて…！

    To think that due to it being limited, this kind of old feeling record would go for 300,000 yen...!

      小説(しょうせつ)：「古(ふる)びた木橋(もくきょう)は足(あし)を踏(ふ)み出(だ)すたびに不穏(ふおん)な音(おと)がした。」

      A novel: 'The old-looking wooden bridge was making a disturbing noise with every step.'

      小説(しょうせつ)：「そのテレビは本当(ほんとう)に古(ふる)びたものだった。まるで昭和(しょうわ)の時代(じだい)から飛(と)び出(だ)したかのようだった。」

      Novel: 'That TV was really old-fashioned-like. As if it jumped straight out of the Showa era.'

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