> 子供は **やれ肉** がすくないと文句を言っている.

What is exactly やれ? Is it kind of a とか or やら？
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-21T11:44:03.813
74535
2020-02-22T07:27:48.780
2020-02-22T07:23:32.733
9831
9357
question
grammar interjections
Meaning/translation of やれ
やれ is a word that is used when you mention about two or more similar things.
It has a nuance of complaining about the incident that is occurring.

Ex.

> 彼は僕のことを **やれ** ばかだの、 **やれ** のろまだのと言い続けた。  
>  = He kept calling me a fool and a dimwit.

Difference between とか and やら:

They are also used to list more than two things, but it doesn't necessarily
have a complaining nuance.

Ex.

> けんそんな人は、家のまわりの[雑用]{ざつよう} **とか** 家の[掃除]{そうじ} **とか** といったつまらなそうな仕事でも進んで行う。  
>  = A humble man is ready to perform menial tasks such as doing chores around
> home or cleaning the house.
>
> バナナ **やら** リンゴ **やら** 、果物をたくさん買った。  
>  = I bought a lot of fruits - bananas, apples, and so on.

In the case of the question, やれ is used only once, but it suggests the kid's
complaining attitude.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-21T17:39:55.497
74538
2020-02-22T07:27:48.780
2020-02-22T07:27:48.780
9831
36915
74535
answer
This やれ is basically an old interjection similar to "O",
"[Lo](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lo#English)" or "Oh my". See [this
dictionary
entry](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/%E3%82%84%E3%82%8C/#jn-223445). As an
standalone interjection, it's no longer used in modern conversations. (A
similar interjection, やれやれ, is still common.)

However, it's still used in the form of `やれ A だ やれ B だ` or `やれ A だの やれ B だの`
to list two (or more) things. This expresses A and B may be important to
someone but the speaker has a negative (or at least indifferent) feeling about
them. Both [AだBだ](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/15082/5010) and
[AだのBだの](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/25554/5010) already have a
similar function, and やれ makes it sound stronger. This is a fixed pattern you
have to memorize.

Your sentence is atypical in that it has only one やれ, but I feel there is
still a list (of complaints). The use of やれ implies the child is trying to
keep drawing attention by complaining, and the parent has a negative feeling
about it.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-22T04:08:17.403
74548
2020-02-22T04:24:25.197
2020-02-22T04:24:25.197
5010
5010
74535
answer