As long as my eyes are black

Posted on 01. May, 2007 @ 4:38 pm by in Culture, Language Views: 326

It’s fun with Japanese time…

There is an expression in Japanese that goes like this…

「私の目が黒いうちは〜」

Literally it means, “as long as my eyes are black…” and it means pretty much the same thing as the English expression, “as long as I’m alive…”

For example…

「私の目が黒いうちは、彼の浮気は絶対に許しません」

「わたしのめがくろいうちは、かれのうわきはぜったいにゆるしません」

“As long as I’m alive, I’ll never allow him to have an affair!”

Or…

「俺の目が黒いうちは、公認会計士を目指そうなんて思わないね」

「おれのめがくろいうちは、こうにんかいけいしをめざそうなんておもわないね」

“As long as I’m alive, I’m not even thinking about trying to become a certified public accountant…”

Umm… Most Japanese people have black eyes, so this expression works.

My eyes are black too. Heh.

- Harvey

  • http://ikimashokie.nutang.com Jess

    I tell people I have black eyes, and they wonder how I can have black eyes…

    Surely I mean brown? No, if I had brown eyes, then I could see my pupils, you know? I can… but I have to stare really hard, or blind myself with a flashlight.

    Then the forms never say “black” as an eye color… sheesh.

    I wonder if people using different colored contacts use the expression as well…

  • Michael

    I like this expression as well, particularly because I don’t have black or even brown eyes. Thus it becomes a fun way to jokingly state a vow I have no intention of keeping. ^_^
    -
    A variant form, which I’ve heard a little more than this one, replaces が with の, giving 「目の黒いうちは」. You can stick your favorite “my” in front of it or say it as is. And sometimes you’ll hear either one with うちに instead of うちは, but は is more typical.

  • Grace

    Really? Yeah, I was going to say that most people (even Japanese) probably have BROWN eyes, but then I read the post above, and now I’m no longer sure.

    p.s. And stay in Yokohama. :(

  • http://www.japannewbie.com harvey

    Actually I have heard a rumor that no one actually has black eyes, just deep brown.

    Apparently if your eyes, or irises, are black, they will absorb all the light that reflects off your retina and you won’t be able to see.

    I am so not a scientist. This may be a complete and total farce.

    But it’s what I heard.

  • http://ikimashokie.nutang.com Jess

    That does make sense, it’s like being invisible, you can’t absorb the light, and then you can’t see.

    I think it’s easier just to call them black eyes, on most of us, you can’t see our pupils anyway… :p

  • bri

    I don’t know about that, harvey. Your iris isn’t the part of your eye responsible for seeing, per se. Your pupil is where the light enters, and it’s most definitely black :)

    Great site by the way.

  • http://www.japannewbie.com harvey

    bri, isn’t he pupil just a hole? Which is why it’s black?

    Hrm.

    Glad you like the site!

    Anyone care to create “eyenewbie.com”?

  • mdchachi

    I read that as
    “As long as I’m alive, I’ll never forgive him for having an affair”
    When you say 彼の浮気 it implies he’s already been 浮気 don’t you think?

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