五本の指Five Fingers

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What you'll learn

A narrator describes the House of Jean de Nielle by comparing its five members to the five fingers of a hand, each with distinct traits. The thumb is a jovial innkeeper, the index finger is a strict housewife, the middle finger is a rough son, the ring finger is a flirtatious daughter, and the little finger is a spoiled child.

Key vocabulary

Grammar points you'll meet

• ～たことがない N5Indicates that someone has never experienced something.
  これまでに誰一人身代限やお仕置になつたことの無い正しい家柄
• ～たら N4Used for conditional 'if' in casual speech; in this text, it appears as the negative form '～なかったら'.
  酒造人でなかつたら兵隊
• ～だろう N4Expresses speculation or probability, equivalent to 'probably'.
  嫉けるのだらう
• ～ている N5Indicates ongoing action or state.
  煙草をのんでる

Cultural notes

• The Five Fingers MetaphorThis passage uses the five fingers of a hand to represent members of a family, reminiscent of European folklore or literary devices. Each finger's characteristics (thumb strong, index pointing, middle long, ring adorned, little weak) correspond to the family members' roles and personalities.
• Archaic Japanese Literary StyleThe text employs pre-modern Japanese orthography and grammar, such as historical kana usage (ゐ for い, を for お, etc.) and classical conjugations (なつた for なった, 無い for ない). This style was common in early 20th-century literature and can be challenging for modern learners.

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Topics & grammar

Short Storychildrenpersonificationfamilypoetichumorous〜ているte iru · ongoing action / state〜たらtara · if / when