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ておく question

killerinsidee

先輩
14 Dec 2013
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I've been searching around for the exact meaning of おく in 任せておく for a bit and I can't find anything definite. Everyone is saying something different. Sites I've seen - http://maggiesensei.com/2010/11/25/〜ておく-teoku/ http://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/5216/what-does-the-ておく-mean-in-任せておく て形+おく; te + oku
No idea what this "To do something for someone" category has to do with ておく.
I'm aware of the common usages of ておく, 1. do something in advance for future convenience, 2. leave someone in the state they are in (そのまま) with causative, and 3. 当座の処置としてひとまず…する意を表す. In 任せておく case, or more commonly 任せておけ/任せておいて, both 1. and 3. could work. I'm not really sure if it's one of those two or is it considered more like a set phrase, i.e., something different?

Thanks.
 
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This paper (in Japanese) is quite interesting. It seems it's a bit more complex. Your 3) is part of the "処置" section, which also describes this category:

「事態の収拾を図ること」を表す「~ておく」
example:
図書館員:ええと、じゃ、これに記入をお願いします。あとはこちらでやっておきますから。
(Librarian: In that case, please fill out this form. We'll handle the rest.)
It seems to me that in the case of saying something like 任せておけ this could fit.

--but (1) and (3) both seem like possibilities given the right context.
 
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