Glossary entry

English term or phrase:

uncut diamonds

Japanese translation:

磨かれざる玉

Added to glossary by KathyT
Jun 3, 2005 04:35
18 yrs ago
English term

uncut diamonds

English to Japanese Art/Literary Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
...meaning a person who has not yet reached their full potential.

Is there an equivalent expression in Japanese that uses this kind of imagery?

Discussion

Non-ProZ.com Jun 10, 2005:
Thank you all. I really liked mstkwasa-san's suggestion but I had to retain the image of gemstones here. After careful consideration, I have decided to go with Kawamura-san's suggestion, which I think fits the context best.
Apologies for the delay in grading!
Non-ProZ.com Jun 3, 2005:
Can - Yes, of course! I'm having a lot of trouble with a doc written by a Swedish native - and I'm getting totally confused! Time for another coffee...
Can Altinbay Jun 3, 2005:
By the way, the usual expression in English in my experience is "diamond in the rough", and that's what you need to ask Eijiro to translate to get cinefil's answer.

Proposed translations

+1
1 day 2 hrs
Selected

磨かれざる玉

「玉磨かざれば光なし」の諺のとおり磨けば光るすぐれた可能性を秘めた人材のことですね
Peer comment(s):

agree mstkwasa : Would be closer to the imagery of diamond.
8 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you, Kawamura-san."
37 mins

まだ頑張っています。

There is no literal meaning of this word "uncut diamonds"
But as per the sentence in Japanese you can say "あの人はまだ頑張っています。"
Hope this will help you.
Regards
Peer comment(s):

neutral Can Altinbay : I don't think that conveys the meaning.
1 hr
neutral Minoru Kuwahara : same comment as Can. i guess it's a bit different from 頑張る. -
3 hrs
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+6
3 hrs

未完の器

「大器晩成」や「器の大きい人」というような例があるとおり、人間を測る場合、器を使うことが多くあります。

「未完の器」の用例:
青年は未完の器であり、未知なるものである。明日への可能性のもとに置かれている。希望は人生に価値を与える。
http://kitamiryokuryo.ed.jp/krhs/gakkou/symbol.htm

I'd think there are other similar expressions but I cannot think of any other at the moment.
Peer comment(s):

agree Can Altinbay : It does come up a lot on Google and has the right meaning. It's up to asker to determine if this works, as she asked for "this kind of imagery".
8 mins
Absolutely, it depends on the context and style of the piece.
agree kokuritsu : We also say "未完の大器," don't we?
8 mins
Thanks and we do! It might be a better suggestion than a simple 器!.
agree Minoru Kuwahara : 意味的にはこれからどうにでもなる余地のある人物、成長が期待される有名人等について言われるケースがあるような気がします。"未完の大器" なんて何かすごい人を想像しますね。-
19 mins
Many thanks for looking up the usages for different occasions. As you and others have suggested, the context is all important here.
agree catlover
10 hrs
agree sumc
3 days 13 hrs
agree Yoshimine : 未知なるかのうせい、さいのうからいかに結果、成功を導き出すか、何か秘訣はある
5 days
Something went wrong...
2 hrs

ダイヤモンド原石

without no

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Note added at 2 hrs 0 min (2005-06-03 06:36:08 GMT)
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http://angelicstones.com/G-dia.htm

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Note added at 2 hrs 40 mins (2005-06-03 07:15:36 GMT)
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http://www.am8.jp/amie eddy shop2.htm --> find ダイヤモンド原石 on the page.

http://www.incl.ne.jp/ktrs/aijapan/2002/020202.htm --> This is a new in both English and Japanese.



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Note added at 3 hrs 50 mins (2005-06-03 08:25:38 GMT)
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sorry....I just got what you all meant.
My mistake, missed out the explaination section.
Peer comment(s):

neutral Can Altinbay : Can you show an example in this context? Your link talks about actual diamonds. The links I found for this context includes the "no".//Those new sites are still about diamonds themselves.//No problem, happens to many of us.
21 mins
neutral Minoru Kuwahara : the same reason as Can. the background is allegorical naturally. -
1 hr
Something went wrong...
+6
8 mins

ダイヤモンドの原石

ダイヤモンドの原石

げんせき【原石】

(1)原料となる岩石。

(2)加工していないもとのままの宝石。

三省堂 『ハイブリッド新辞林』



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 11 mins (2005-06-03 04:46:55 GMT)
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ダイヤの原石”が見つかった。広島の練習生として日南・秋季キャンプに参加しているマルテ・ビクトル投手(23)の評価が高まっている。第1クール最終日の5日は、フリー打撃に登板。その力感あふれる投球に山本浩二監督(58)も安仁屋宗八投手コーチ(60)もすっかりほれ込む好素材。来季、契約する可能¥性も高まってきている。
http://www.sanspo.com/baseball/top/bt200411/bt2004110609.htm...

採掘場には無数の石が転がっています。
たとえその中に『ダイヤの原石』が混じっていたとしても、パッと見はただの石コロです。普通の人はまず気付きもしないでしょう。
これが『モテる潜在能¥力を持った人』なんです。

素人目にはただのサエない人ですが、磨けばどんどん輝き始める・・・かの『電車男』さんなどは、実はこの『モテる潜在能¥力を持った人』だったのかもしれませんね。
http://roundhearts.fc2web.com/motesou.html


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Note added at 24 mins (2005-06-03 05:00:10 GMT)
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F.Y.R. Please
たま【玉】

(6)(「璧」とも書く)美しい宝石。「―¥をちりばめる」

(9)美しいもの,すぐれているものをほめていう。「―¥垣」

━に瑕(きず)

非常に立派だが,ほんの少し欠点がある。

━磨かざれば光なし

すぐれた人も,学問・修養をしなければ大成しない

三省堂 『ハイブリッド新辞林』



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Note added at 4 hrs 22 mins (2005-06-03 08:57:17 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

here are some alternatives
(まだ)ツボミの、未完成の、将来性のある、潜在能¥力のある、隠れた能¥力をもつ、将来が楽しみな(新人)、“発展途上”(人)
Peer comment(s):

agree Can Altinbay : I was going to ask "in this context?", but lo and behold, 英辞郎supports this, and I found a handfull of Google matches where they use this in this sense. Bravo. But I would make sure that the context is clear in the final Japanese sentence.
9 mins
thanks
agree kokuritsu
3 hrs
thanks
agree Minoru Kuwahara : 「ダイヤの原石」という場合はスポーツ選手などについて言われるようなケースが多いような気がしますが皆さんいかがでしょうか。-
3 hrs
thanks
agree tappi_k : this was the first expression that came to my mind - and I wouldn't think this is just for sport players. someone with potential for a brilliant future.
9 hrs
thanks
agree aira07 : I think this is the most common translation
1 day 22 hrs
thanks
agree Yoshimine : スポーツ選手などでは、数多くの「ダイヤの原石」が大成せずにキャリアを終えるケースがよく聞かれます。成功する人は何が違うんでしょうか?
5 days
thanks
Something went wrong...
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