think outside the box
既成概念にとらわれず考える
解説 Definition
従来の枠組みや固定観念にとらわれず、自由で創造的な発想をすること。
To think outside the box means to think in a new, creative, and non-traditional way. It is used when usual ideas are not enough and a different approach is needed. This expression is common in business, problem-solving, and teamwork.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
直訳の「箱の外で考える」を、そのまま場面で覚えるのが最短です。ここでの box は本物の箱ではなく、「いつものやり方」「固定観念」「前提条件」の比喩。箱の中で考えると無難な答え、outside に出ると新しい案が出る、という対比で意味が定着します。会議・企画・問題解決でよく使われ、be creative よりも「既存の枠を外して発想する」感じが強めです。We need to think outside the box. の形ごと覚え、inside the box なら逆に型通りだと対比すると忘れにくいです。
Treat the box as a symbol for usual rules and fixed ideas. If you think outside it, you leave the normal frame and look for a fresh idea. The full sentence `We need to think outside the box` is worth memorizing as a chunk.
例文
To solve this problem, we need to think outside the box.
この問題を解決するには、既成概念にとらわれずに考える必要がある。
The company encourages employees to think outside the box when developing new products.
その会社は新製品開発の際、従業員に既成概念にとらわれない発想を奨励している。
Thinking outside the box led to a creative solution that nobody had considered before.
既成概念にとらわれない発想が、誰も考えなかった創造的な解決策を生んだ。
think outside the box の類義語・関連語
類義語
対義語
think outside the box の語源・成り立ち Etymology
thinkは古英語thencan、outsideはout+side、boxも古いゲルマン系語です。thoughtやoutwardと縁があり、点を枠外まで線で結ぶ発想パズルの比喩から、think outside the box は既成の枠を越える考え方を表すようになりました。
This idiom is built from old Germanic words: think comes from Old English thencan, outside from out + side, and box from a Germanic root. The modern expression became popular from a puzzle where people had to draw lines beyond the edges of a box-like pattern. Because of that, it came to mean thinking beyond normal limits or accepted patterns.
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