This is from Midnight Diner and it doesn't seem to match the English subtitle
so was curious for a literal meaning and translation of this quote that I got
from Japanese subtitle:

> 世の中は いっぱい いっぱい せいいっぱい 人生へこたれんなよ  
>  Life is one hurdle after another. Don't lose heart.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-03-26T00:35:54.483
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2022-03-27T02:24:26.627
2022-03-26T18:23:02.007
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question
meaning japanese-to-english
What does this mean: 世の中は いっぱい いっぱい せいいっぱい 人生へこたれんなよ
It seems some words are being ommitted, so I'm not even sure what exactly
means in Japanese. But I assume, "There is many difficulties in life, and you
have to deal with it but try not to defeat".
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2022-03-26T01:37:56.760
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2022-03-26T01:37:56.760
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answer
> 世の中は **いっぱい いっぱい せいいっぱい**

seems to be trying to make a rhyme here. So, it may mean more of a figurative
manner and 'Life is one hurdle after another' sounds a good translation as an
aphorism in my first impression when you encounter a lot of difficulties with
a **full** energy.

  * いっぱい literally means 'full'.
  * いっぱいいっぱい is a set phrase and normally used to beyond one's control when one has too many things to deal with.
  * せいいっぱい literally means "Full energy".
  * へこたれる means gives up, so へこたれんなよ means "don't give up" or something like that.

There is a space in lyrics, so it does not explicitly say "いっぱいいっぱい” in a
complainant sense and it implies a flavor of the set phrase.

Therefore, it probably implies something like "there are so many things to
work on with your full energy to your limit" and "Never give up".
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-03-27T02:21:23.387
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2022-03-27T02:24:26.627
2022-03-27T02:24:26.627
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answer