孫の手

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Japanese

FWOTD – 23 September 2017
Kanji in this term
孫 手
まご
Grade: 4 		て
Grade: 1
kun'yomi
 孫の手 on Japanese Wikipedia
孫の手

Etymology

From 麻姑 (Mako, “Magu”, a nymph in Chinese mythology) +‎ の (no, possessive particle) +‎ 手 (te, “hand”), literally “Mako's hand/claw”. Legend has it that Mako's fingernails resembled bird claws.

Compare the following verses in a poem by Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai:

明星玉女備灑掃，麻姑搔背指爪輕。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
明星玉女备洒扫，麻姑搔背指爪轻。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
From: 8th century CE, 李白 (Li Bai), 《西嶽雲台歌送丹丘子》 (A Song of Parting for Dan Qiuzi on Mt Hua's Cloudy Peak)
Míngxīng yùnǚ bèi sǎsǎo, Mágū sāobèi zhǐzhǎo qīng.
The Jade Girl of the bright stars prepares to sprinkle and sweep;
Magu scratches her back lightly with claw-like nails.

This term was remodelled by folk etymology into the current form of 孫 (mago, “grandchild”) +‎ の +‎ 手, i.e. literally “grandchild's hand”.

Pronunciation

Noun

孫(まご)の手(て) • (mago no te) 

  1. a backscratcher
    • 2017, 40代になると巻き起こる老化怪奇現象の対処術‎:
      生(う)まれて初(はじ)めて、お婆(ばあ)さんが、孫(まご)の手(て)を使(つか)って背中(せなか)を掻(か)く気持(きも)ちが分(わ)かったっす。
      Umarete hajimete, obāsan ga, magonote o tsukatte senaka o kaku kimochi ga wakattassu.
      For the first time in her life, the old lady understood what it feels like to use a backscratcher to scratch her back.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Descendants

  • → Korean: 효자손 (hyojason) (calque)

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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