65679
The whole phrase is 自分で強いと言うだけあるな, I know from consulting translations that it
says "he is as strong as he says himself" (earlier Hikaru said that he doesn't
know his rank but he thinks he's pretty strong) but am still not able to fully
understand it using my own power.

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/yrOID.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/yrOID.png)

It is written という here in this scan from the 単行本, but in the 完全版 version which
I own, [it is written と言う, like so](https://i.stack.imgur.com/LXyNy.jpg).

After a little investigation i think that だけ is [this
だけ](http://www.jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=dake), so 言うだけ is "just as
[he] says", but I am still not able to understand this ある because the only
hits for だけある I have found are after nouns suggesting the ["there is only
[noun]" meaning of だけ](http://maggiesensei.com/2016/06/08/how-to-
use-%E3%81%97%E3%81%8B-%E3%81%A0%E3%81%91-shika-dake/).

So my question is, why is ある here and what does it mean?
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-02-24T05:55:54.877
65676
2019-02-24T07:42:45.707
2019-02-24T06:07:57.823
30813
30813
question
grammar
understanding ある in と言うだけある
I think "he is as strong as he says himself" is a valid translation. だけ(は)ある
is short for だけのことはある. This ある itself is a verb meaning "to be" or "to exist".
こと in this construction refers to something abstract such as "quality",
"value", "reason" or "truth". So 強いというだけある is the same as 強いというだけのことはある, which
literally means something like "There is as much amount of
truth/value/strength as he says" or "There is something to the extent that he
is saying."

According to 明鏡国語辞典 第2版:

> ### だけ
>
> ❻ 《「…だけのことはある」の形で》それにふさわしい内実がある意を表す。  
>  「高い金を払うだけのことはある」「この音を聞き分けるとは、さすが音楽家だけのことはある」

References:

  * [JGram - だけのことはある](http://www.jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=dakenokotohaaru)
  * [Learn JLPT N2 Grammar: だけのことはある](https://japanesetest4you.com/flashcard/learn-jlpt-n2-grammar-%E3%81%A0%E3%81%91%E3%81%AE%E3%81%93%E3%81%A8%E3%81%AF%E3%81%82%E3%82%8B/)
  * [What does こと refer to in だけのことはある](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/2248/5010)
  * [Shouldn't this phrase using だけのこと mean "just for that"?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/1945/5010)
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-02-24T07:37:37.123
65679
2019-02-24T07:42:45.707
2019-02-24T07:42:45.707
5010
5010
65676
answer