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I was studying the expression 抱えて生きている (literally "living while holding"?),
and have found the best English equivalent to be "having to live with." In the
English expression, the "thing" that one has to live with is almost always
negative, unless you use the expression in an ironic way (ex., I have to live
with all these hot co-eds staying at my place). In the Japanese examples I
found, this negative implication seems to exist as well, but I was told that
it is not necessarily so.

Here are some examples that clearly illustrate the negative meaning:

> 私はそのことを抱えて生きなければならない。 I have to live with that.
>
> 私は持病を抱えて生きていくすべを身につけました。 I learned to live with my chronic disease.
>
> １０年間、家に病人を抱えて生きてきました。I've had to live in the same house as a sick person for
> 10 years.
>
> 彼はいつも、何か問題を抱えて生きている。He is always living with some kind of problem.
>
> 私は、あなたがいつか離れていくのでは、という不安を抱えながら生きていくのに、疲れました。I have become so tired from
> having to live with the anxiety that you will someday leave me.

In the following example, my first translation gives the implication that the
situation has a negative quality. In my second translation I attempt to more
explicitly leave out this quality (the feeling of obligation that I imply may
be wrong as well but that was my best shot). Does this expression always
contain a negative nuance (except in ironic statements) or is my assumption
wrong? If it is not always negative, could you provide an example where it is
used to the contrary?

> 毎日、僕達は人に伝えたいことをいっぱい抱えて生きている。
>
> Everyday, we live with (the problem/difficulty of) having to express things
> to other people.
>
> Everyday, we live with having to express things to other people.

Addendum: Most of these translations are mine, so feel free to point out any
flaws.
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2012-06-11T18:29:02.967
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2012-06-12T19:13:45.963
2012-06-11T20:36:44.710
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question
expressions
Does the expression 抱えて生きている always imply a situation with negative aspects?
After some very depressing searches (people are living with a lot of sad
things), I did locate a few instances of this phrase used in a positive light.

  * In [her Ameba profile](http://profile.ameba.jp/min104), one woman stated 「なんとなく生きる中で見つけられた幸せを大切に抱えて生きたい」 ("I want to hold dear the happiness I have somehow been able to find while living").
  * In [a tweet](http://twitter.com/h_a_a_t/statuses/48728842570969088), someone said 「不安を抱えるより、希望を抱えて、生きたい」 ("I would rather live cradling hope than cradling regret").
  * The author of [this blog entry](http://ameblo.jp/kukkinoonaka/entry-11268103578.html) stated 「何も諦めることなく、全て抱えて生きたいと思います」 ("I want to live with everything, without giving up on anything").
  * In [another blog entry](http://d.hatena.ne.jp/hase0831/20120314), someone wrote 「照れたり意地をはって、本当の気持ちを相手に言えないまま後悔するよりは、やるだけやった、と思えるエゴを抱えて生きたいと思います」 ("I think I'd like to live with an ego that can believe it took a chance, rather than feel regret after clinging embarrassingly to my pride and being unable to express to someone my true feelings").

While it seems all of these "positive" results have some degree of seriousness
and melancholy, I believe they are all still examples of someone _wanting_ to
live with something. Furthermore, while I realize the original question
specifically asks about 抱えて生きている and not 抱えて生きたい, I believe there is evidence
here to suggest, for example, that 「希望を抱えて生きている」 or 「幸せを大切に抱えて生きている」 would not
be inappropriate things to say.

It does seem to me therefore that 抱えて生きている does not _always_ imply a situation
with negative aspects.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-06-12T19:13:45.963
5840
2012-06-12T19:13:45.963
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answer