Structure
せいぜい + Phrase
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Standard
About 精々
精々 'at the limit' is an adverb used to convey that something is 'at the most (A)', or 'at best (A)'. This just indicates that the point that (A) has reached cannot be progressed beyond, due to having already reached some physical or metaphorical barrier. This can also often come across as 'no more than (A)', especially in cases where no actual barrier exists, but the speaker cannot imagine that anything higher (or lower) than (A) is possible.
As 精々 is an adverb, it often appears at the beginning of sentence, or at the beginning of the second clause of a sentence, before the thing that is thought to be at its maximum is described.
Fun-fact
精々 is said to have come from the old-fashioned word 精試, which meant 'to completely exhaust all of one's good faith'. In modern times, 精々 itself has kept this meaning of 'completely exhausting (A)'. However, this is no longer used in reference to 'good faith', but rather exhausting all of one's 'power', 'mental capacity', or 'power of assumption' in relation to (A).
Examples
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「38歳だって?精々30くらいなものだと思っていたよ。」
'38 years old you say? I thought he was around 30 at most!'
「電車が来ないうちに観光出来るのは精々4時間ぐらい。」
'Before the train comes, we can do sightseeing for four hours at most.'
証人:「加害者はたぶん精々30歳ぐらいでしょ。」
Witness: 'The assailant is about 30 years old at most.'
凄く怒ったファン:「ダーデンは精々二流のコーチだぞ!子供でさえもっと上手くコーチングできるぞ!」
Extremely angry fan: 'Durden is a second-rate coach at best! Even a child can coach better than him!'
「この車を買うのに彼が支払ったのは精々3万ドルだと思う。」
'I think that in order to buy that car he spent 30 grand at most.'
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[AIAIJ] An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese
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