Could you teach me the meaning of " the rest finds itself"?
"You have known how to look after yourself each time," said the grinder. "If you can only get on so far as to hear the money jingle in your pocket whenever you stand up, you will have made your fortune."

"How shall I manage that?" said Hans. "You must be a grinder, as I am; nothing particular is wanted for it but a grindstone, the rest finds itself. I have one here; it is certainly a little worn, but you need not give me anything for it but your goose; will you do it?"

This is a short story " Hans in Luck" from Grimms' Fairy Tales. Could you teach me the meaning of " the rest finds itself"?

Question

Could you teach me the meaning of " the rest finds itself"?
"You have known how to look after yourself each time," said the grinder. "If you can only get on so far as to hear the money jingle in your pocket whenever you stand up, you will have made your fortune."

"How shall I manage that?" said Hans. "You must be a grinder, as I am; nothing particular is wanted for it but a grindstone, the rest finds itself. I have one here; it is certainly a little worn, but you need not give me anything for it but your goose; will you do it?"

This is a short story " Hans in Luck" from Grimms' Fairy Tales. Could you teach me the meaning of " the rest finds itself"?

Answer

It means that once a certain condition is met, in this case having a grindstone, that other events will naturally occur.  In this event he's talking about becoming wealthy.  So he's saying that if you have a grindstone that you will become wealthy, then asks to exchange a grindstone for the person's goose.

Answer

Thank you for your comment. I think it's a good translation.

Answer

”他は何とかなる”という意味だと思います。話の背景をよく知らないので、解釈は難しいですが、多分こういう意味かと。Grindstoneさえあれば、他は何とかなるという意味でしょうか？
Perhaps its synonym would be "the rest will fall into [its rightful/appropriate] place" (他はどうにかなるでしょう）

Answers · 4

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