The Particle しも
The particle しも is a compound particle formed by the affixation of the bound particle も to the adverbial particle し, with its primary function being to point to a particular item and emphasize it. Traditionally, it may do so after nominals (included nominalized expressions via the 連体形), adverbs, etc., but in Modern Japanese, while what appears with remains quite varied, most instances of the particle can be viewed as set phrases.
The Adverbial Particle しも
As stated in the introduction, the compound particle しも is a combination of the now-moribund adverbial particle し, which was remarkably similar to the particle こそ in meaning as far as how it emphasized elements of a sentence, and the then bound particle も.
The adverbial particle しも inherits three distinct functions from its more productive eras in Classical Japanese:
- To single out a nominal phrase in the sense of “X in particular.”
- To indicate a limited situation, translating as “only in that situation,” in which case it is followed by a conditional phrase.
- When followed by a negation, しも emphasizes said negation.
Even in Modern Japanese, these meanings live odd even with the particle’s overall limited capacity. For instance, 誰しも meaning “anyone” makes it clear that “anyone and everyone” is being singled out. The phrase 折しも meaning “just then” has a very distinct nuance of “only in that instance (despite how there could have been other opportunities), which utilizes the second meaning—made more evident by the phrase’s uncontracted iteration 折しもあれ. As for the third meaning, it is heavily used in several grammar points, one being 必ずしも～とは限らない meaning “not necessarily the case that…”
1. 誰しも地獄へ落ちるのは怖い。
Everyone is afraid of going to hell.
2. 勢力はそれ自体では必ずしも幸福をもたらすとは限らない。
Power, in itself, doesn’t necessarily bring happiness.
3. 折しも（あれ）、地震が起きた。
Just at that time, there was an earthquake.
4. 折しも、雪崩が発生し、登山者の二人は行方不明となった。依然として行方不明のままである。
Just then, the avalanche was sparked, and the two mountain climbers went missing. They are still to this moment unaccounted for.
必ずしも～とは限らない
The adverb 必ず means “always/without exception/necessarily,” but when paired with the adverbial particle しも, the resultant 必ずしも must take a negative predicated, thus the translation becomes the opposite as “not necessarily.”
5. 高いものが必ずしも良いものではない。
Expensive items are not always good.
6. 必ずしも楽観はできない。
I/we/one cannot always be so optimistic.
Oftentimes, the predicate is stated as “verb in the affirmative + とは限らない” to make it more evident that the truth statement of the predicate is not limited to the affirmative and that, as made evident by 必ずしも, there are certainly cases in which the situation is not true.
7. 不審者と思われる人が必ずしも犯罪を犯したとは限らないですし、その逆もあり得ます。
It is not always the case that the person who seems suspicious has necessarily committed a crime; in fact, the opposite is just as possible.
8. 日本人の日本語は必ずしも正しいとは限らない。
The Japanese that is spoken by Japanese people is not always correct.
You may also encounter 必ずしも～わけではない, which frames the situation that is “not necessarily” as not necessarily being the plausible reasoning behind what is going on.
9. 毎日日本語を勉強しているからといってうまく使いこなせるようになるわけではない。
Just because you study Japanese every day doesn’t necessarily mean that you will become proficient in using it.
10. アメリカの経済が必ずしも強いわけではない時代を迎えました。
We have entered an era in which the U.S. economy is not always necessarily strong.
11. 女の人は必ずしも必要なものがあるから買い物に行くわけではありません。
Women do not necessarily go shopping because there is something they need.
～ならまだしも
The grammar pattern ～ならまだしも utilizes the hypothetical-marking conjunctive particle なら, only to be followed by まだしも to indicate that “Situation A is one thing, but Situation B is…” In the broadest interpretation of this structure, Situation A is “plausible/acceptable,” but Situation B is “implausible/unacceptable.”
～ならまだしも may occur with all predicate types: nominal, verbal, adjectival, etc., with the particle なら attaching to the 連体形 of verbs/adjectives and to the stem of nouns and adjectival nouns.
12. 1日か2日ならまだしも、10日も無断欠勤だなんて、許されないものだし、非常識だ。
It’s one thing to be 1 or 2 days, but an over ten day unexcused leave is intolerable and against common sense.
13. 新鮮ならまだしも、変色して黒ずんでいる果物を誰が買うものなのか。
Being fresh is one thing, but who would ever by fruit that’s discolored and black?
14. 日本語ならまだしも、英語なんて全く全然分からないよ。
Japanese is one thing, but I absolutely don’t understand English at all!
15. 寒いだけならまだしも、お腹が空いてきた。
If it were just cold, that would be one thing, but I’ve gotten hungry.
16. 事情を説明しに来るならまだしも、顔さえ見せない。
Coming to explain the situation is one thing, but (he) won’t even show his face.
17. 一度ならまだしも、ここまで10回までその言葉を間違えて書いたんですよ。
Once is fine, but you’ve written the word incorrectly ten times now.
18. それならまだしも死んだ方がましだ。
That would be one thing, but I’d rather just be dead.
～なきにしもあらず
A combination of なき（無き） , the classical copula verb にあり, the particle しも inserted within said copula verb, and completed by having the copula be in the negative, ～なきにしもあらず can be more or less translated into Modern Japanese as ないわけではない. As a double negative phrase, it is more less like saying “cannot say never/not at all” in English.
Given all the archaic elements involved, while it is a highly emphatic expression, it is typically only encountered in the written language. When utilized in Modern Japanese, it is often followed by the copula だ, indicating that the expression as a whole has become fossilized (unable to be modified internally).
19. あの子はまだ望みはなきにしもあらずだ。
It’s not to say that the kid doesn’t have (any) hope.
20. 台風が接近しているので、雨が降る事もなきにしもあらずなので、傘をお忘れなく。
The typhoon is approaching, so don’t forget your umbrella because it’s not like it couldn’t rain.
21. 急にカメラが壊れることもなきにしもあらずですよ。
It’s not to say that your camera won’t suddenly break down.
22. 事故などで死ぬ事もなきにしもあらずだからだ。
That’s because it’s not the case that you won’t die in an accident or something.
～をしも
The adverbial particle しも is archaic enough that it breaks one particular norm which can be observed with modern adverbial particles like も, which is that the case particle を does not get ellipsed due to its presence. If it is the case that a nominal phrase + を is the element of the sentence being particularly emphasized by しも, no ellipsis of the object marker occurs.
23. 男たちは縁側で将棋に興じている。街路樹のプラタナスの葉ずれ。ああいうのをしも、人間の文化といわずして、何というのだろう。
The men are amusing themselves with shogi on the veranda while plane trees rustle on the sides of the road. What would you call this if not human culture?
From 『古川柳おちぼひろい』 by 田辺聖子.