In the light of: 〜に照らして
Noun (law, rules, experience) + に照らして（みると）／に照らせば
Reference noun (law, rule, experience, common sense) + に照らして: judging a case in the light of that norm. Variants: に照らしてみると, に照らせば. Legal and editorial style.
In short
〜に照らして: judging or examining a case by measuring it against a reference (the law, a regulation, experience, common sense): “in the light of, judged against”. 照らす is “to shine light on”: you shine the norm on the case to see whether it matches. Legal, administrative and editorial style.
- 法律に照らして判断すると、彼の行為は違法だ。ほうりつにてらしてはんだんすると、かれのこういはいほうだ。Judged against the law, his act is illegal.
- 過去の経験に照らしてみれば、この計画は成功しそうにない。かこのけいけんにてらしてみれば、このけいかくはせいこうしそうにない。In the light of past experience, this plan is unlikely to succeed.
- 社会通念に照らして、この処分は重すぎる。しゃかいつうねんにてらして、このしょぶんはおもすぎる。Judged by generally accepted standards, this penalty is too harsh.
The basics
照らす means “to light up, to shine on”. 〜に照らして is examining a case in the light of a reference, to see whether it conforms. The reference is a norm (a law, a regulation, criteria), accumulated experience or common sense.
What follows is almost always a judgement: legal or illegal, fair or excessive, possible or impossible. You find it in court rulings, investigation reports and editorials.
Judged against the law, his act is illegal.
- noun
- grammatical form
- verb
- adjective
- 法律に照らして判断すると、彼の行為は違法だ。ほうりつにてらしてはんだんすると、かれのこういはいほうだ。Judged against the law, his act is illegal.
- 安全基準に照らして、この建物は改修が必要だ。あんぜんきじゅんにてらして、このたてものはかいしゅうがひつようだ。Judged against safety standards, this building needs refurbishing.
How to form it
Reference noun + に照らして. It's often lengthened to に照らしてみると / みれば (“if one examines it in the light of”) or shortened to に照らせば. The compound verb 照らし合わせる means “to check against, to compare point by point” two documents.
| Form | Nuance | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun + に照らして | judged against | 規則に照らして処分する |
| Noun + に照らしてみると | if one examines it in the light of | 経験に照らしてみると |
| Noun + に照らせば | judged against (shorter) | 常識に照らせば |
| AとBを照らし合わせる | check A against B | 原本と照らし合わせる |
- コピーを原本と照らし合わせて、誤りがないか確認した。こぴーをげんぽんとてらしあわせて、あやまりがないかかくにんした。I checked the copy against the original to make sure there were no errors.
- 私の経験に照らせば、この種の問題は時間が解決してくれる。わたしのけいけんにてらせば、このしゅのもんだいはじかんがかいけつしてくれる。In my experience, this kind of problem sorts itself out with time.
に照らして, に即して or からすると?
に即して describes an action that adapts to reality (acting in keeping with the facts). に照らして describes a judgement: you measure a case against a norm. You write a report 事実に即して, but you judge an act 法に照らして.
からすると / から見ると (N2) take a point of view, often a person's (“from the child's point of view”). に照らして doesn't accept a person: the reference is a norm or experience.
- 子どもの立場からすると、この規則は厳しすぎる。こどものたちばからすると、このきそくはきびしすぎる。From the children's point of view, this rule is too strict.
- 現状に即して、規則を見直すことにした。げんじょうにそくして、きそくをみなおすことにした。We decided to revise the rules to fit the current situation.
Common mistakes
- Using a person as the reference: “×先生に照らして” is wrong; you say 先生から見ると.
- Confusing it with に即して: 照らして is for judging a case, 即して for acting in keeping with reality.
- Forgetting that what follows is a judgement: after に照らして, an assessment is expected (違法だ, 妥当だ, 問題がある).
7 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N1 point is on the San'yō Line (Law and institutions) of the Shinkansen.