驚いたなんてものじゃない

E

eeky

先輩

8 Jun 2010

2,431

22

• 21 Jan 2015

• #1

Hi,

大広間のすべての目がいっせいに自分に向けられるのを感じながら、ハリーはただ座っていた。驚いたなんてものじゃない。痺れて感覚がない。夢を見ているに違いない。きっと聞き違いだったのだ。

What is the meaning of 驚いたなんてものじゃない and 痺れて感覚がない? I am confused especially by whether じゃない is negative or positive, and by the fact that 痺れる can apparently mean two nearly opposite things: to become numb and to be excited.

 

Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

Twenty-year veteran

15 Mar 2002

16,758

2,298

• 21 Jan 2015

• #2

It means that "surprised" isn't a strong enough way of expressing his feeling/reaction. It was beyond that.

 

Toritoribe

松葉解禁

Moderator

Fifteen-year veteran

22 Feb 2008

18,266

4,926

• 21 Jan 2015

• #3

eeky said:

by the fact that 痺れる can apparently mean two nearly opposite things: to become numb and to be excited.

Click to expand...

It's the former here.

 

E

eeky

先輩

8 Jun 2010

2,431

22

• 21 Jan 2015

• Thread starter
• #4

So together it means "He is beyond surprised. He is numb and feels nothing.", right?

 

Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

Twenty-year veteran

15 Mar 2002

16,758

2,298

• 21 Jan 2015

• #5

Yes.

 

E

eeky

先輩

8 Jun 2010

2,431

22

• 21 Jan 2015

• Thread starter
• #6

OK, thank you both.

 

Majestic

先輩

Ten-year veteran

12 Oct 2013

4,072

5,024

• 22 Jan 2015

• #7

Already overkill perhaps, but this structure and usage isn't far from the English use of phrases like;

Q. Were you excited when you met the Queen?
A. Excited doesn't begin to cover it!
A. Excited isn't the word for it!
A. Excited isn't the half of it!

If you tried to reverse-engineer any of those phrases into a direct Japanese translation, the result might be confusing due to the negation of the word "excited" implied in all of them.

 

Last edited: 22 Jan 2015

Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

Twenty-year veteran

15 Mar 2002

16,758

2,298

• 22 Jan 2015

• #8

The dismissive aspect of なんて is also an important element.