Being strict with oneself and one's student with 心を鬼にする
Idiom Explanation: Taking a hardhearted stance with 心を鬼にする
Conan’s classmates aren’t fond of their new teacher’s strict attitude. Ms. Kobayashi explains how at her last school, she couldn’t bring herself to be strict, and it allowed her students to get so out of control that students were injured in a fight.
- 小林:
- 「だから、この学校では二度とあんな事は繰り返すまいと…」
- “Therefore, to keep from repeating that kind of situation at this school...”
- 「心を鬼にして自分にも生徒にも厳しくしてきたの…」
- “I hardened my heart and became strict, with myself and with my students...”
- Literal: “I made my heart a demon and became strict with myself and with my students...”
Key Points
1心を鬼にする = harden one’s heart
- This idiom means to suppress softer feelings and take a stern stance.
- In the scene, the teacher is saying she forced herself to be strict for everyone’s sake.
2〜にして links the idiom to the following action
- 心を鬼にして means “making my heart like an ogre” and then…
- What follows is the concrete result: she treated both herself and her students strictly.
3〜てきたの looks back on an ongoing policy
- 厳しくしてきた means she has been strict up to now.
- The final の gives explanatory softness, fitting a sincere confession.
Vocabulary
この (This)
この means “this” or “these” and comes directly before a noun. It points to something near the speaker or something the speaker is referring to in the conversation.
学校 (School)
学校 means a school, where teachers provide organized instruction to students.
自分 (Oneself)
自分 means oneself, myself, yourself, or one’s own, depending on context.
See Also
- Idiom: Taking a hardhearted stance with 心を鬼にする
- Future entry: Past tense with 〜た・〜だ
- Grammar: Marking the topic with は and も
- Kanji: Dividing and portions with 分
- Kanji: Learning and schooling with 学
- Kanji: Schools and checking with 校
名探偵コナン © its respective creators. It is used here for educational commentary.