往生際が悪い
おうじょうぎわがわるい
expression / adjective (i)
refusing to give up; being a poor loser
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 往生際が悪い | 往生際が悪くない |
| Past | 往生際が悪かった | 往生際が悪くなかった |
| て form | 往生際が悪くて | 往生際が悪くなくて |
| Adverbial | 往生際が悪く | — |
| Conditional ば | 往生際が悪ければ | 往生際が悪くなければ |
| Conditional たら | 往生際が悪かったら | 往生際が悪くなかったら |
1.
refusing to give up; being a poor loser; not accepting defeat gracefully
Stubbornly refusing to accept an inevitable outcome or admit defeat. Literally 'bad at the moment of death,' from the Buddhist concept of dying peacefully.
往生際が悪いぞ。
Stop being such a poor loser.
証拠があるのに往生際が悪く否認し続けた。
Despite the evidence, he stubbornly continued to deny it.
負けを認めず言い訳ばかりするのは往生際が悪い。
Not admitting defeat and making excuses all the time is being a poor loser.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Buddhist terminology: 往生 means passing on to the Pure Land (dying peacefully), and 際 means the moment of. Someone with a 'bad' 往生際 cannot accept their fate and clings desperately to life — extended figuratively to anyone who refuses to accept an inevitable outcome.
USAGE:
Used to criticize someone who won't gracefully accept defeat, admit wrongdoing, or give up when the situation is clearly hopeless. Often said directly to the person.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 往生際が悪い人 (a person who can't accept defeat)
- 往生際悪く抵抗する (to stubbornly resist)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 潔くない: ungraceful — refusing to accept things cleanly
- 悪あがき: desperate struggle — futile resistance