The Particle しき
In this lesson, we will learn about the adverbial particle しき, which is oddly not a JLPT topic but present nonetheless in set expressions.
The Adverbial Particle しき
The adverbial particle しき is largely synonymous with the adverbial particle くらい, denoting a low degree that is not of much importance. Principally, it is used exclusively after the demonstratives これ, それ, あれ.
1. なんのこれしき！
Nah, this is no big deal!
2. これしきの問題で弱音を吐くな。
Don’t whine about such an insignificant problem.
3. それしきな事に死ぬ事があるものか。
Who dies from something like that?
From 『咄本・福来すずめ』
4. ほんのあれしきのことで驚いてはいけないぞ。
You mustn’t be astonished at such a mere thing as that.
5. これしきのことでぐだぐだと言うな。
Don’t be fussing over something like this.
6. これしきの酒で酔うとはな。
To think, you’d get drunk over this amount of alcohol.
7. あれしき、なんということはありません1。
That (circumstance which I went through) really wasn’t much to begin with.
The Suffix ～しき
In antiquity, しき was often seen spelled as 式, and oddly enough, it does happen to be derived from this noun. One meaning which has since fallen out of use is “circumstance,” and from this meaning, the suffix しき emerged as a means of hinting at other similar things with a tinge of contempt or a belittling effect. “Belittling” oneself is where it attained its humble nuancing in scenarios like Ex. 5.
8. 我等式の人は、聞きてもいかがは
My, what would we do if people such as ourselves were to ask?
From the 『発心集』.
9. 丸しき2を抛りけ出して置いて往きな
Dish out the dough you got and go.
From 『人情本・寝覚之繰言』
By deriving from the noun 式 with a more literal interpretation of “circumstance,” that means that it itself may attach to ～程, with ～程式, thus, referring to a circumstance to “this” degree in, of course, a belittling sense. So, while しき as an adverbial particle in Modern Japanese is limited to demonstratives with a meaning identical to くらい・ほど, it is not entirely the case that ～程式 is redundant. In practice, however, when 式 was frequently used to mean 事情・有様 in Classical Japanese, it usually appeared as a standalone noun, thus realizing as ～の式 outside the handful cases of it as a suffix.
10. このほどの式をば身に替へても申し宥むべく候ふ
I would like to smooth these affairs out even if it costs me.
From the 『太平記』.
Incidentally, in the phrase 塩梅式, ～式 simply denotes “circumstance” without any negative connotation, although it is a rarity in that regard.
11. まずこんな塩梅式だから、吾々一行の失策物笑いは数限りもない。シガーとシュガーを間違えて煙草を買いにやって砂糖を持って来るもあり、医者は人参と思って買って来て生姜の粉であったこともある。
First of all, given the circumstances, our lot made countless, laughable blunders. Once, we accidentally mixed up “sugar” for “cigar,” and when we thought we were out buying cigars, we came back with sugar instead. Then, there was another time a doctor bought what he thought was ginseng but only to find out that it was ginger powder.
From 『福翁自伝』by 福沢諭吉.