4866
I encountered the following in our daily reading.

> どのような企業{きぎょう}も、創業期{そうぎょうき}には全社員が昼食をとること **さえ** 忘れてしまうほど、忙しくフル回転していたものです。
>
> In a business, a person was so busy that he forgot to eat lunch **even**
> lunch. (Not sure if translation is correct.)

From what my friend explained, the さえ means "even" or similar to ほど. Using a
similar sentence he explained that さえ was only.

> 私はお酒 **さえ** あれば、幸せです。
>
> _Even_ if I have I only have sake, I am happy.

How is さえ used? I think it is synonymous with ほど.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2012-03-01T09:21:04.973
4864
2022-05-02T05:23:28.037
2022-05-02T05:23:28.037
30454
786
question
meaning particle-さえ
Does さえ mean "even" in the following sentence?
`さえ` is similar to `も` for many cases. It means "even".

> どのような企業も1、創業期には全社員が昼食をとること **さえ 2**忘れてしまうほど3、忙しくフル回転していたものです。
>
>   * Even(も1) for any enterprise in its establishment period all the workers
> are so busy in full operation to the extent(ほど3) that they will forget
> even(さえ2) to have lunch.
>

However there is a special thing that `さえ` does when used with a conditional
clause. When in a conditional clause it expresses "If only", "as long as".

> 私はお酒 **さえ** あれば、幸せです。
>
>   * If only I have _sake_ , I am happy.
>
>   * As long as I have _sake_ , I am happy.
>
>

>
> Do note that さえ with a conditional clause happens most with ば-conditional,
> and less frequently with たら-conditional and なら-conditional, and never with
> と-conditional.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-03-01T09:47:37.417
4866
2012-03-01T09:47:37.417
2020-06-17T08:18:27.500
-1
542
4864
answer
As @Flaw mentioned, `さえ` is similar to `も` meaning "even" (it can be combined
with other particles as well). However, it carries the nuance of referring to
a/the most "basic" or "obvious" thing in the context. Here are some examples:

>   * 先週の病気は本当に辛【つら】かった。水 **さえ** 飲めなかった。 → "My illness last week was really
> bad. I couldn't **even** drink water!"
>     * When one is sick, you expect them not to be able to drink alcohol,
> soda, etc. But water should be OK for most people. **Even water** , the most
> basic thing was intolerable for this person.
>   * えりこは親友の花子 **にさえ** 知らせずに外国へ旅立った。 → "Eriko left on a trip to a foreign
> country without telling **even** her best friend Hanako."
>     * You'd expect her to not tell her co-workers, acquaintances, etc. But
> best friends usually tell each other everything, and she didn't tell
> **even** her.
>   * 山の上には夏 **でさえ** 雪が残っている。 → " **Even** if it's summer, there is snow left
> on the top of the mountain."
>     * You expect snow to be on top of a mountain in winter, and some
> leftover in the spring. But usually by summer it's all gone, but for this
> mountain the snow remains **even** then.
>
CC BY-SA 4.0
2012-03-01T16:18:18.603
4870
2020-10-05T00:10:55.750
2020-10-05T00:10:55.750
78
78
4864
answer
Adding to the other answers, I believe that `どの～も` can also be translated to
be "no matter (what/who etc)...", for example:

> **どのような** 企業 **も** 、創業期には全社員が昼食をとること **さえ** 忘れてしまう **ほど** 、忙しくフル回転していたものです。
>
> **No matter what the form** of [business/enterprise], in the [founding
> period/start-up period] all of the employees are of a fired-on-all-cylinders
> busyness **even to the [point/extent]** of forgetting to have lunch.

[Space ALC defines](http://eow.alc.co.jp/%E3%81%A9%E3%81%AE+%E3%82%82/UTF-8/)
`どの～も` as:

> any and every (an emphasized expression of "any")
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-03-05T22:59:38.910
4920
2012-03-06T00:03:29.887
2020-06-17T08:18:27.500
-1
796
4864
answer