Doing my best -

Japanese: 一所懸命 - いっしょけんめい

〘noun〙① In the Middle Ages, the act of risking one's life to protect one's territory as a means of survival. Also, that territory. → A land where one puts one's all into one's efforts. ※Kojidan (c. 1212-15) vol. ₁ "He only heard of _two instances of doing so with all his might." ※Yomihon, Tsubakisetsu Yumiharizuki ( 1807-11 ) vol. 2 "The manor that he put his all into was given to the child of Saito." ② ( adjective- verb) An imminent situation where life and death are at stake. Something that risks one's life. Also, that state. Desperate. Doing one's best. *Kanazoshi Chiekan (1660) 1: "As an important event requiring all one 's efforts came to pass, he sneaked into the Imperial Palace in the middle of the night." *Jinjo Shogaku Tokuhon (Elementary School Reader) (1887) (Ministry of Education) 5: "The fox ran as fast as he could and immediately reached the appointed place." [Etymology] In the Middle Ages, "ichisho" meant "the same place" or "one place," and the idea of a place can be seen, but from the early modern period onwards, this idea became weaker, and even when written as "ichisho," it came to mean "together." In parallel with this, only the meaning of "risking one's life" or "desperate feeling" remained in "ichishokenmei," and the meaning of ② was derived. It is thought that with this change, the idea of a place or territory was forgotten, and the word changed into "isshokenmei (with all one's efforts)." → Etymology of "iseishokenmei"

Source: The Selected Edition of the Japanese Language Dictionary About the Selected Edition of the Japanese Language Dictionary Information

Japanese:

〘名〙① 中世、生活の頼みとして、命をかけて所領を守ろうとすること。また、その所領。→一所懸命の地。※古事談（1212‐15頃）一「彼は只一所懸命之由聞_二食之_一」※読本・椿説弓張月（1807‐11）残「彼西東の子どもに、一所懸命(イッショケンメイ)の荘園を宛行(あておこなは)れたり」② (形動) 生死をかけるような、さし迫った事態。命がけのこと。また、そのさま。必死。一生懸命。※仮名草子・智恵鑑（1660）一「一所懸命(いっショケンメイ)の大事出来けるにより、夜中ひそかに禁中へしのびいらせ」※尋常小学読本（1887）〈文部省〉五「狐は、一所懸命に走りて、忽ち定めの場所に達し」[語誌]中世には「一所」は「同じ場所」「ひとつの場所」の意で、場所の観念がみられるが、近世以降になるとその観念は薄まり、「一所」と表記されても「一緒」の意味をもつようになる。それと平行して「一所懸命」も「いのちがけの」あるいは「必死な気持」の意だけが残り、②の意味が派生する。この変化に伴い、場所・所領の観念が忘れられて「いっしょうけんめい（一生懸命）」へと語形変化したものと考えられる。→「一生懸命」の語誌

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