Where does “問うに落ちず語るに落ちる” come from?
問うに落ちず語るに落ちる (Japanese) comes from Japanese に, from Old Japanese に.
問うに落ちず語るに落ちる (Japanese): to keep a secret when asked about it, but let it slip inadvertently when chatting on another occasion
Definitions
- to keep a secret when asked about it, but let it slip inadvertently when chatting on another occasion
Ancestry of “問うに落ちず語るに落ちる”, step by step
問うに落ちず語るに落ちる traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Japanese に
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | に | particle for indirect objects; to; particle for... |
| 2 | Old Japanese | に | — |
via Japanese 落ちる
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 落ちる | to fall; to go down; to trip |
| 2 | Old Japanese | 落つ | to fall |
via Japanese 問う
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 問う | to ask; to inquire |