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I have this sentence in a JLPT study textbook, as an example of the use of
`しいて`:

> 食{た}べたくなければ **しいて** 食べることないから、食べられるものだけ食べてね。

The translation is, "If you don't want to eat it, you don't have to, so only
eat what you can." I can get that meaning, but, it seems to me that if `しいて`
weren't in the sentence, it would still mean the exact same thing.

> 食{た}べたくなければ、食べることないから、食べられるものだけ食べてね。

The book says that `しいて` is "an expression that shows compulsion", and does
not give much else for explanation. So it doesn't really say enough to help me
see what `しいて` brings to the party.

What exactly does `しいて` mean, and how does it make a difference in the two
sentences above?
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2012-12-26T14:14:23.407
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2012-12-26T15:01:40.800
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question
grammar jlpt
What function does 「しいて」 serve in this sentence?
WWWJDIC writes しいて (adv) as 強いて "by force". In your sentence, しいて食べる is
roughly equivalent to 無理して食べる, i.e. overdoing it in some way. A more literal
translation might be

> 食べたくなければしいて食べることないから、食べられるものだけ食べてね。  
>  If you don't want to eat anything, don't force yourself (to eat) and just
> eat as much as you can/want.
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2012-12-26T14:24:26.667
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2012-12-26T14:24:26.667
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answer
In addition to tobiuo's answer, the sentence

> 食べたくなければ、食べることないから、食べられるものだけ食べてね。

is _not_ equivalent. Here ない means "not necessary" and しいて食べることない means "it is
not necessary to force yourself to eat". 食べることない by itself makes little sense
in this context.
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2012-12-26T15:01:40.800
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answer