以上(いじょう) ②Since, Now that, As long as, If

Structure

Verb + 以上(いじょう)(は)
［い］Adjective + 以上(いじょう)(は)
［な］Adjective + である + 以上(いじょう)(は)
Noun + である + 以上(いじょう)(は)

Details

About 以上 ②

When combined with the adverbial particle は, 以上(いじょう) is frequently translated as 'since (A), (B)', 'now that (A), (B)', or 'as long as (A), (B)'. This is a formal structure that is rarely found in daily speech.

This construction may be used with verbs and い-Adjectives in their standard forms, and な-Adjectives or nouns followed by である以上(いじょう)は.

As with many other grammar points, the particle is often dropped, leaving 以上(いじょう) by itself.

Due to である以上(いじょう)は often presenting something which is being acted upon, the (B) part of sentences that include this grammar structure will frequently include the resolutions or intentions of the speaker, and can be thought of as either obvious or necessary once considering (A). This usually appears in the form of べきだ, つもりだ, はずだ, たい, ほうがいい, and similar patterns.

Fun-fact

Despite the standard translations, the literal meaning of 'above and beyond (A), (B)' is also a good way to remember this grammar pattern, as it basically highlights that anything 'past', 'beyond', or 'above' (A) is what needs to be considered.

Synonyms

Examples

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試験(しけん)を受(う)ける以上(いじょう)、休(やす)むことはできない。

As long as I am taking the exam, I can't rest.

親(おや)である以上(いじょう)は子(こ)育(そだ)てを頑張(がんば)るべきだ。

Since you are a parent, you should do your best to raise your child.

日本(にほん)に来(き)た以上(いじょう)、真剣(しんけん)に日本語(にほんご)の勉強(べんきょう)をしたいと思(おも)います。

Now that I have come to Japan, I think I want to study Japanese seriously.

都心(としん)に住(す)んでいる以上(いじょう)、渋滞(じゅうたい)は避(さ)けられない。

Now that I am living in the city center, I can't avoid the traffic.

この条件(じょうけん)で引(ひ)き受(う)けた以上(いじょう)、文句(もんく)は言(い)えない。

Now that I have agreed to these terms, I can't complain.

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以上 ② – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (4 in total)

Pushindawood
@Ambo100 Hey! The first 以上 was originally displayed in hiragana to make it more accessible to new users. I have changed the 以上s to be 以上① and 以上②. We are working on getting all of the page numbers of DIJG and DAJG onto the site and will push them once allocated. Cheers!
entropyofchaos
Is the usage of this with い-adjectives correct? I was taught in my class that we can’t use 以上②. Is this correct? I showed her the one example in the explanation section and she said it seemed strange. She tried to look up the grammar point in her own resources and couldn’t find anything showing it was ok except maybe when ない is used.
lisaki8
You’re right. 以上は only follows verbs (plain form) or 〜である.

The books A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar and A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar are very useful fo checking on points like this.