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One of the definitions of 事柄,

> その事に見られるようす

I'm bit confused with this sentence. Is その事に見られる modifying ようす? What's the
role of に here? What conjugation is 見られる? Is it interchangeable with 見える?
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2021-12-12T01:08:29.483
91575
2021-12-13T19:33:06.433
48970
question
grammar
Parsing その事に見られるようす
### The phrase itself

Considering the context (as a short phrase serving as a sense definition for
事柄【ことがら】), we would have to parse this as a noun phrase, wherein the parts to
the left qualify (modify) that noun. So the core or "head" term in this phrase
is [よ]{●}[う]{●}[す]{●}.

Here's that line deconstructed:

  * 事柄 = その事に見られる[よ]{●}[う]{●}[す]{●}  
What is a _kotogara_? A _kotogara_ is a kind of _yōsu_ :  
事柄 = [よ]{●}[う]{●}[す]{●}  
But what kind of _yōsu_ are we talking about? We have to look at the part to
the left of the word, the part that describes what kind of _yōsu_ we have. The
kind that:  
その事にみられる

Let's look at this word-by-word.

  * その事に見られるようす →
  * [その]{that}[事]{fact, thing, circumstance }[に]{ PART: "in" }[見られる]{ PASSIVE: "be seen" }[ようす]{ state; manner; look; kind; characteristic}

Reading this phrase more-or-less backwards to arrive at the English ordering
of concepts, we get:

  * The characteristic seen in that thing / circumstance.

### Your specific questions

> Is その事に見られる modifying ようす?

Yes. See above.

> What's the role of に here?

See above. With a passive verb like 見られる, the に _could_ be marking the agent
(the do-er) of the verb (translatable as _" by"_, as in _" something done
**by** someone"_), but that interpretation just doesn't make any sense in this
context. に can also mark location where motion is going, or where a thing or
quality exists (translatable as _" to"_, or _" at"_ or _" in"_ or " _on_ ", as
in _" we go **to** the store"_ or _" it's **on** the table"_ or _" there is
red **in** this"_), and it's this latter sense that fits the context best.

> What conjugation is 見られる? Is it interchangeable with 見える?

見られる here must be the passive. In this case, it's not interchangeable with
見える, since the passive sense is needed instead of the potential.
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2021-12-13T19:33:06.433
91590
2021-12-13T19:33:06.433
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answer