# Question about a context sentence for 一生

**URL:** <https://community.wanikani.com/t/question-about-a-context-sentence-for-%E4%B8%80%E7%94%9F/45316>\
**Category:** Questions\
**Created:** [August 10, 2020, 4:08pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/question-about-a-context-sentence-for-%E4%B8%80%E7%94%9F/45316 "2020-08-10T16:08:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![xyrill](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/xyrill/32/316276_2.png) [@xyrill](https://community.wanikani.com/u/xyrill)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 4:08pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/question-about-a-context-sentence-for-%E4%B8%80%E7%94%9F/45316/1 "2020-08-10T16:08:55Z")

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For the [vocab 一生](https://wanikani.com/vocabulary/%E4%B8%80%E7%94%9F), WK gives this example sentence:

> わたしの父は、しぬまで一生どくしんでした。  
> My father remained single all his life.

I can understand each part as far as I can see, but I wonder why 一生 is required at all in this sentence since しぬまで already means “until his death”. Is there a nuance or grammar rule that I’m overlooking?

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**Author:** ![anon54313967](https://cdck-file-uploads-global.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wanikanicommunity/original/3X/f/d/fd4c154120954695f788402f3bcf4e616499bc2d.png) [@anon54313967](https://community.wanikani.com/u/anon54313967)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 4:12pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/question-about-a-context-sentence-for-%E4%B8%80%E7%94%9F/45316/2 "2020-08-10T16:12:53Z")

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I think without the 一生, it could be interpreted that he wasn’t single at some point, but then from some unspecified point he become single and then stayed that way until his death. Whereas with 一生, you’re making it explicit that he was single for his entire life. You remove any ambiguity.

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**Author:** ![Darcinon](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/darcinon/32/449998_2.png) [@Darcinon](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Darcinon)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 4:19pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/question-about-a-context-sentence-for-%E4%B8%80%E7%94%9F/45316/3 "2020-08-10T16:19:41Z")

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> [@xyrill](#):
>
> I wonder why 一生 is required

Maybe it’s not required. After all, in English I could say

> his whole entire life

even though I’m not required to say both “whole” and “entire”

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/original/4X/6/2/a/62a8b0f4c59ff2c5b6651ffcf43531480b3e5297.png) [@system](https://community.wanikani.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2021, 4:19pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/question-about-a-context-sentence-for-%E4%B8%80%E7%94%9F/45316/4 "2021-08-10T16:19:46Z")

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Closed on August 10, 2021, 4:19pm UTC

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