a matter of time
時間の問題
解説 Definition
ある出来事が遅かれ早かれ必ず起こるだろうということ。時間の問題に過ぎないという意味。
A matter of time means something will definitely happen sooner or later. It is used when the result seems certain, and only the timing is unknown. It often appears in discussions about future events or changes.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
matter をまず「問題・論点」と取ると、この句は「残る問題は time だけ」→条件はほぼそろっていて、あとは時間がたてば起こる、という感覚で覚えやすい。よく It's only a matter of time before ... の形で使い、「soon」よりも『時期は未定でも、発生自体はほぼ確実』という inevitability が強い。事件の悪化、成功、発覚など、流れがもう止まらない場面と結びつけると定着しやすい。
Think of `matter` as “the only issue.” Then `a matter of time` means the main thing left is time itself. You will often see `It's only a matter of time before ...`, which suggests something is very likely and will happen sooner or later.
例文
With the current trend, it's only a matter of time before electric cars dominate the market.
現在の傾向からすれば、電気自動車が市場を支配するのは時間の問題だ。
The old bridge is crumbling — its collapse is just a matter of time.
古い橋は崩れかけており、崩壊は時間の問題にすぎない。
Given her talent, it was only a matter of time before she got promoted.
彼女の才能を考えれば、昇進は時間の問題だった。
a matter of time の類義語・関連語
a matter of time の語源・成り立ち Etymology
a matter of time の matter はラテン語 materia『材料・もと』由来で、time は古英語 tima『時』です。material と同じ materia 系の『土台』を思えば、『条件はそろい、残る材料は時間だけ』という含みが見えてきます。
Matter comes from Latin materia, meaning "material," "substance," or "source," and time comes from Old English tima. The older sense of matter was the basic stuff something is made from. In this phrase, that idea shifted to mean that the only remaining "substance" or condition left is time. Related English words include material and maternal through the same Latin family.
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