棚に上げる (Tana ni ageru): The Art of Ignoring Your Own Flaws to Criticize Others

Surely, we've all encountered this frustratingly ironic situation:

During a meeting, colleague A is passionately criticizing colleague B for missing a deadline, while you know for a fact that colleague A just submitted his own report late last week... 😠

Or:

Your parents are constantly nagging you for being on your phone, while they themselves have been glued to the TV all evening. 📺

For moments like these, the Japanese have a very 'potent' phrase to describe it: 棚に上げる (tana ni ageru).

🧐 What does "Putting it on the shelf" mean?

• 棚 (tana): A shelf, a rack.
• 上げる (ageru): To raise, to put up.

The literal meaning is "to place something on a shelf." But when used in conversation, it carries a much more sarcastic meaning: To ignore, to deliberately not mention one's own problems, shortcomings, or unfavorable matters, and then proceed to criticize or lecture others on those very same things.

Simply put, it's the act of "forgetting" one's own faults to comfortably "point out" the faults of others. A rather annoying tactic, isn't it? 😉

🗣️ Usage in Real Life

This is a phrase you'll hear a lot in informal conversations, or when someone is complaining about a third person. It expresses dissatisfaction and a sense of "I can't believe it!" at the other person's hypocrisy.

Example 1: In the workplace 💼

自分の大きなミスは棚に上げて、後輩の小さな失敗ばかりを厳しく注意する先輩にはうんざりする。 (I'm so fed up with the senior who ignores his own huge mistakes but only focuses on harshly scolding his juniors for their small failures.)

Example 2: Among friends 👫

彼、自分がいつも遅刻するのを棚に上げて、「5分遅れるなんて信じられない」って私に言ったんだよ。ひどくない？ (He, conveniently forgetting that he's always late himself, told me, "I can't believe you're 5 minutes late." Isn't that outrageous?)

Example 3: Daily life 🏠

自分の部屋が散らかっていることは棚に上げて、弟に「部屋を片付けろ」と文句を言う。 (He ignores the fact that his own room is a mess and complains to his younger brother, "Clean up your room.")

✨ Conclusion

棚に上げる is a fantastic "weapon" for you to "call out" people with double standards, who say one thing and do another. Next time you encounter someone pontificating about another's faults that they themselves possess, you can mutter to yourself:

"Ah, there it is again, the classic 自分のことは棚に上げて (jibun no koto wa tana ni agete)!" 🤫

Understanding phrases like this will not only help you speak better Japanese but also gain a deeper insight into the tricky communication situations in Japanese life!