99771
I was reviewing some old cards I had flagged as "uncertain" and I came across
a scene from "Your name" (君の名は).

At around the 47th minute the characters ride a shinkansen to meet the
"friend" of the MC.

The dialogue is as follows:

> Colleague : たきくん、メル友に会いに行くんだって。
>
> Taki： いや、メル友っていうかそりゃ方便で…

From my understanding it can mean something like "Just a figure of speech" The
definitions of J to J dictionaries are not very helpful either.

> （１）ある目的を達するため便宜的に用いられる手段。てだて。「うそも―」
>
> （２）〔仏〕 〔梵 upāya〕
> （ア）仏が衆生(シユジヨウ)を教化・救済するために用いるさまざまな方法。（イ）真実の教えに至る前段階として教化される側の，宗教的能力に応じて説かれた教え。
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-28T09:43:00.173
99768
2023-07-03T20:10:14.387
2023-07-03T20:10:14.387
42293
question
meaning nuances anime
What is/are the meaning(s) of 方便 in this sentence and in general?
The first definition says "a means employed expediently to attain an
objective." 嘘も方便 is a fixed expression that means telling a lie is sometimes
necessary to achieve a greater goal, or something like that. Outside of this
expression, 方便 is often used in the sense of "pretext" or "ostensible reason."

The character is suggesting meeting their e-pal is not the real purpose of
their trip.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-28T13:50:36.753
99771
2023-05-28T13:50:36.753
43676
99768
answer