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I've been doing some research on おかげさまで and, not content with just memorising
sayings, am wondering why おかげさまで is used as a standalone/response.

Does it mean 'thanks to you', 'thanks to God and society and everything', or
does it just have the nuance of 'thank you'?. I'm mainly wondering, therefore,
who exactly is being thanked when this saying is used as a standalone. The
classic example is obviously

> 「元気ですか。」
>
> 「ええ、おかげさまで。」

This then translates as: 'Are you well?'. 'Yes, thank you'.

Is the listener being thanked? Because surely that would imply 'Yes, thanks to
your shadow (offering of some kind of support)'. And in the original example
it is unlikely the listener has actually provided any support to the speaker
meaning it is incorrect/insincere.

Also, in the opening of 「ハリーポッターと賢者の石」you see the line:

> 「おかげさまで、私どもはどこから見てもまともな人間です。」
>
> "However you look at us, we are upstanding people, thank you very much."

But, literally, this would surely translate as 'With the support of X/by the
grace of X, however you look at us, we are upstanding people.'

Again, whose かげ is being referred to that has provided the support the speaker
is referring to? The reader's かげ? The かげ of society and their circumstances?
God? Or does that saying just act as a standalone meaning 'thank you'?
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2019-03-31T18:43:35.720
66357
2019-03-31T20:31:45.727
2020-06-17T08:18:27.500
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question
words politeness idioms
About using おかげさまで as a standalone
おかげさまで _O-kage-sama de_ is just a modest and sophisticated way of saying
"Thank you." It means that your well-being and health are due to God and other
people, including the person you are talking to.
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2019-03-31T20:00:03.093
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2019-03-31T20:00:03.093
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answer
As you are aware, the かげ in おかげさまで means "shadow." Indeed, the original
meaning of おかげさまで was, "Due to the shadow of the deities." The idea is that
although the deities may not actively be trying to help you, _simply by
standing in their shadow_ you are protected. By extension, the person you are
thanking may not have actively helped you, but you are thankful anyways.

Looking at the definition of おかげさまで in [大辞林
第三版](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%BE%A1%E8%94%AD%E6%A7%98-451208), we find

> 特に恩恵を受けていなくても、漠然とした感謝の気持ちを表す語。
>
> Translation: A word that expresses a vague sense of gratitude, even without
> really being helped.

Examples sentences from the same source are

> 「 －で無事に帰って参りました」
>
> 「『御両親は御健在ですか』 『はい、－で』」

As for the question, "whose おかげ is it?," another interpretation is given in a
[Huffington Post article](https://www.huffingtonpost.jp/toshio-
tanabe/okagesama-source_b_14000632.html). Here, the shadow is _invisible_. The
idea here is that the speaker does not know who caused the shadow; the shadow
is some mysterious object that the speaker cannot perceive.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-31T20:31:45.727
66361
2019-03-31T20:31:45.727
2020-06-17T08:18:27.500
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answer