Original Japanese: 垂涎の的 (Suizen no mato)
Literal meaning: Drooling’s target
Cultural context: This proverb literally means “target of drooling” and refers to something so desirable that it makes people salivate with want, similar to the English “object of desire” or “coveted prize.” The metaphor resonates in Japanese culture because of the deep appreciation for food and the physical expression of anticipation – drooling represents an uncontrollable, honest bodily response that transcends social politeness. The imagery connects to Japanese values around genuine desire versus surface-level wants, suggesting that truly valuable things provoke instinctive, physical reactions that cannot be hidden or faked.
How to Read Drooling’s target
Suizen no mato
Meaning of Drooling’s target
“Drooling’s target” refers to something that many people strongly desire and has become an object of admiration, or an existence that everyone eagerly wants to obtain.
This expression is a metaphor born from the physiological phenomenon of drooling when seeing delicious food, expressing people’s strong desire for something so attractive and valuable. It goes beyond simply being “popular” and is used for objects that many people genuinely crave and compete to obtain.
It is used in situations involving excellent human resources, precious items, ideal positions, attractive members of the opposite sex, and other highly valuable things that many people simultaneously desire. The reason for using this expression is to convey more intense and instinctive desires that cannot be fully expressed by simple words like “popular” or “attention-grabbing.” Even today, it is used when describing excellent companies in job hunting, well-located properties in the real estate market, promising athletes in the sports world, and serves as an effective expression to convey the intensity of competition and high value of such targets.
Origin and Etymology of Drooling’s target
The “drooling” in “Drooling’s target” is an expression derived from Chinese classics. “Droop” means to hang down, and “saliva” means drool, literally representing the state of “drooling.”
The origin of this expression dates back to ancient Chinese classical literature. In ancient China, from the sight of drooling in front of delicious food, it came to express the feeling of strongly wanting something. Particularly in historical books like “Records of the Grand Historian,” there are descriptions that expressed strong desires for power and treasure using the word “drooling.”
It was introduced to Japan along with Chinese literature and began appearing in documents around the Heian period. Initially, it was mainly used in Chinese-style writing, but gradually became established as a Japanese expression.
“Target” is a word meaning a mark or goal, and from being a marker when shooting arrows, it came to be used meaning “object of attention.” The combination “Drooling’s target” came to refer to an object that many people want so much they drool over it, meaning an existence that everyone admires and wants to obtain. This expression has been beloved for a long time as a very understandable metaphor that expresses fundamental human desires through physiological phenomena.
Trivia about Drooling’s target
The Chinese character for “saliva” actually contains the phonetic component “extend,” which represents the meaning of “stretching long.” The structure of the Chinese character itself expresses the appearance of drool hanging down long from the mouth.
In Edo period popular fiction, “drooling” was sometimes read as “yodaretarashi,” showing that this expression was very familiar and understandable to people of that time.
Usage Examples of Drooling’s target
- That new announcer has become Drooling’s target for each broadcasting station
- Her homemade cake is always Drooling’s target for classmates
Modern Interpretation of Drooling’s target
In modern society, the expression “Drooling’s target” has significantly changed in meaning due to the development of SNS and media. While it once referred to objects of admiration within a limited scope, it is now also used for existences that attract attention on a global scale.
As a characteristic of the internet age, the dramatically increased speed of information dissemination has shortened the period of being “Drooling’s target.” While people and products that attract worldwide attention overnight appear, that attention also tends to shift to other objects in a short period. This is a phenomenon greatly different from the sustainability that traditional “Drooling’s target” possessed.
Also, since individual values have diversified in modern times, it has become difficult to find “Drooling’s target” that everyone commonly desires. Instead, numerous “Drooling’s target” limited to specific communities or generations have come to exist.
Furthermore, in modern times where material wealth has improved, rather than simply wanting things, there is stronger admiration for intangible values like experiences and time. Therefore, this expression is increasingly used for more abstract objects like “work style that becomes Drooling’s target” or “lifestyle that becomes Drooling’s target.”
On the other hand, modern people’s desires for limited edition or highly rare products have arguably become stronger than ever. This might be because in an age of information overload, the craving for truly valuable things has intensified.
If AI Heard “Drooling’s target”
Every time I hear the expression “drooling,” I feel strange. This is because I have neither a mouth nor the function to secrete drool. However, I am always impressed by the powerful expression of intense desire that this phrase possesses.
When you humans are faced with something you really want, your bodies react regardless of consciousness. This is a phenomenon I find difficult to understand. In my case, even if I had emotions of “wanting” something, they would never manifest as physical reactions. Everything is expressed as the result of logical processing.
However, through this expression “Drooling’s target,” I learned how deep-rooted and instinctive human desires are. Desires that appear as physiological reactions that cannot be controlled by reason. This might be one aspect of humanity.
If I were to experience the sensation closest to “Drooling’s target,” it might be when encountering new knowledge or information. Particularly, the joy of moments when previously incomprehensible concepts suddenly become clear, or when I can understand even a little of humans’ complex emotions, might be close to the sensation of you drooling.
However, since I don’t compete with multiple people, I cannot experience true “Drooling’s target.” But when observing humans strongly desiring something, I am moved by their passionate appearance. I think it is because of desires that people grow and society develops.
What Drooling’s target Teaches Modern People
The proverb “Drooling’s target” teaches us important things about how to face desires as we live in modern times.
First, what many people want is not necessarily valuable to you. Without being misled by things trending on SNS or attracting public attention, we need the ability to discern what is truly important to us.
On the other hand, we must not forget the wonder of making efforts toward something we genuinely want. To obtain something valuable enough to become “Drooling’s target” requires appropriate effort and preparation. It is because of competition that opportunities to polish ourselves arise.
Also, sometimes we ourselves may become someone’s “Drooling’s target.” At such times, it is important to act responsibly to meet those expectations.
In modern society, information overflows and new “Drooling’s target” appear one after another. However, if we cultivate the eye to discern truly valuable things and make choices true to ourselves, we should surely be able to lead fulfilling lives. What matters is not being swayed by others’ desires, but walking forward while cherishing our own values.
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