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Formation: N + やら + N + やら; V-dictionary + やら + V-dictionary + やら; い-adj + やら + い-adj + やら; often followed by で (cause) or a verb like 大変だ

Gives two examples taken from many and suggests there was even more. It is often used for a busy or messy situation, or for mixed feelings at the same time (嬉しいやら恥ずかしいやら). The sentence usually goes on to describe the overall effect, such as being exhausted, flustered or overwhelmed, rather than giving a neutral list. It is a little colloquial but also common in essays and narrative writing. Compared with や or とか, which are plain listing, 〜やら〜やら adds a sense of 'all this and more, all at once'. Don't confuse it with 〜なり〜なり, which suggests options to choose from, or 〜にしろ〜にしろ, 'whether A or B'. A separate use is question word + やら, as in 何やら or どこへやら, which expresses uncertainty ('something or other', 'who knows where').

Variants: 〜やら〜やらで、疑問詞 + やら (何やら, いつのことやら)

Examples

• 引っ越しの準備やら仕事やらで、休む暇もない。
  What with getting ready for the move and work, I don't get a moment's rest.
• 合格の知らせに、嬉しいやらほっとするやらで涙が出た。
  When I heard I'd passed, I was so happy and relieved, all at once, that I cried.
• 部屋には本やら服やらが散らかっていた。
  Books, clothes and whatnot were strewn all over the room.

In real texts 0 occurrence(s)

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