# 偽善という仮面を被っては辣腕を振るっていた



## Yoshie0

I'm a bit confused about the bolded part in the following passage. Does ては shows that while 禮次郎 is 偽善という仮面を被る he is also - 辣腕を振るう, which are his 裏表. So ては emphasizes it? Or maybe I'm mistaken something.

希は禮次郎がたった一人、心を許した人物でもある。富も名誉もある男が晩年に授かった子種・・・・・・。
それは幾つもの企業を経営し、*偽善という仮面を被っては辣腕を振るっていた*禮次郎という裏表のある男が唯一、心理的打算も外交的策略もなく付き合える相手だった。


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## karlalou

This ては shows the two actions described before and after it are repeated together.
禮次郎 often wore a mask of hypocrisy and exerted his impressive ability.

「書いては消し、書いては消し」is what I do all the time..


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## wind-sky-wind

Your translation shows "...ては" correctly, but there's one point you don't understand.
That is, "裏表のある" modifies 禮次郎 and indicates his character.
"裏表（のある）" isn't directly related to "偽善という仮面を被る" and "辣腕を振るう."

I mean, "偽善という仮面を被る" and "辣腕を振るう" are not "裏表."
Just "偽善という仮面を被る" might show "裏表のある."


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## Yoshie0

Thanks everyone for help.
@wind-sky-wind I'm bit a confused... While I understand what you mean by -「"Just "偽善という仮面を被る" might show "裏表のある."」, I don't understand the reason for "辣腕を振るう" not being as a part of "裏表". I thought that it's his 裏 part...


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## wind-sky-wind

Um, as I said, "辣腕を振るう" is not related to "裏表."

There just happen to be two aspects: "偽善という仮面を被る" and "辣腕を振るう."

Anyway, you should consider "裏表" separate from these two aspects.
And "裏表のある人" is almost equal to "偽善者."


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## Yoshie0

So  "偽善という仮面を被る" and "辣腕を振るう" are unrelated to "裏表"?


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## karlalou

One side of 禮次郎という裏表のある男 was when he wore the mask of hypocrisy. When he wore the mask he 辣腕を振るっていた. The sentence only says two actions happened together.

Common sense might tell that 辣腕を振るう is 表, but here the other side can be when he was without the mask, and logically what this sentence is saying is this. And I don't think it necessarily mean that he wasn't any good businessman without the mask, but maybe depending on the business, he actually always needed the mask to do his business.


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## Yoshie0

Well, later in the text I found the following sentences - 意図的な情報操作で生んじた世評は兎も角ーー*その実、辣腕で知られた禮次郎*に恨みを抱いている連中は多い。特に内部の人間にはそうだ。身内ともなれば尚更、禮次郎本来の人柄を良く知っている。
So does it changes the fact that "辣腕を振るう" is his 裏側, or am I still misunderstanding something?


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## karlalou

What we can say without knowing the story is just the sentence originally in question means only the two actions happened together, and anything beyond that might be for the readers to decide through the reading.

From the sentences you came back with, it seems like his business is not like drag dealing.. and it's not that we Japanese have a certain rule to say exactly what is hypocrisy. Don't worry about it, I believe the definition of hypocrisy in Japanese is just as same as the rest of the world.


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## frequency

Yoshie0 said:


> So  "偽善という仮面を被る" and "辣腕を振るう" are unrelated to "裏表"?


Good. Yoshie, why is that man described so badly, as a two-faced man lol?

He uses falseness, ostensible goodwill to be successful in performing his job ability.
The words the two-faced and the ostensible goodwill（偽善） fit with each other. And you know　both work for describing how the person (he) is.

And
(He is) the two-faced man who, 禮次郎, 偽善という仮面を・・
Yours 偽善という仮面を被っては辣腕を振るっていた works as a relative clause with who.

Do you roughly understand he needs falseness to achieve his high job performance?
Is my post answering your question?


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