The expression "Martyshkin labor": the meaning of phraseology, the origin and synonym

It happens that a person thinks: "My God, what I do is the same Martyshkin work ..." We will discuss the meaning of phraseology today.

Origin

When people are interested in expressions, they first want to know their history. There is no riddle here. Many phrases that have become winged, gave us an outstanding Russian fabulist Ivan Andreevich Krylov.

The plot of the fable "The Monkey" (1811)

He, as always, is both entertaining and instructive at the same time. One peasant, a little sun rose, went to work. The peasant worked selflessly and passionately, worked the ground for hours and every man passing by the field praised him for his zeal. From the main hero of the fable IA Krylov was sweating with hail. In other words, he gave himself completely to work.

When the monkey heard the peasant praise, she also decided to try her luck and get her share of glory. She found a log (heavy, all honor in honor) and began to drag him back and forth. External signs are the same as the peasant: sweat, fatigue and work. Only here is the trouble: the peasant is praised, and her - no. Why? The answer is simple: the laborer plows the earth, and the monkey only curves. It was from this source that the expression "Martyshkin labor" came to us. The meaning of phraseology will be clear further when we turn to the morality of the fable.

Morality

The moral message of the work correctly orientates not only the youth, but also the person as a whole. It can be formulated as follows: it is necessary to work solely for the fact that useful activity ennobles the external and spiritual appearance of a person. If there is no public or personal benefit in the work, then to claim fame and gratitude is stupid and short-sighted. True, for the sake of justice it must be said that at the present time in the interpretation of the phrase "marmoskin labor" (the meaning of phraseology follows) there is a certain proportion of subjectivity. For example, one person considers the work of his neighbor as a waste of time, which brings neither money nor honor, but at the same time for the worker himself, work can be filled with sacred significance. Images of the peasant and monkey are embossed and do not involve objections. In the real world, it is difficult to understand who is a "peasant", doing something important, and who is a "monkey", wasting the time of life. One way or another, "Martyshkin labor" (the meaning of phraseology) can be briefly described as the performance of a useless, meaningless work.

The myth of Sisyphus

In Europe there is an image that conveys the same meaning as Russian phraseology. And for its clarification, let us turn to Greek mythology. Here we will not retell the entire plot of the story in detail (whoever wants, can easily find it), say only that Sisyphus was a noble family, he was the son of one of the gods, his mind knew no equal in his cunning. According to legend, he is the only mortal who managed to lead first the god of death - Tanata, and then the ruler of the underworld of the dead - Aida.

But the ancient Greek gods were quite touchy, so they severely punished Sisyphus, not appreciating the jokes. In the underworld, the rogue engages in heavy and meaningless work: on a high mountain, he rolls a huge boulder. The fate of the stone and Sisyphus are the same - they are not destined to reach the summit. By the way, the image of the hero of Greek mythology is even more recognizable both in Europe and in Russia than the character of Krylov. And when a person says: "Sisyphean labor", - it implies a meaningless and useless work. Exactly the same meaning of the expression "Martyshkin labor." The meaning of the phraseological Russian coincides in content with the winged word combination of legends.

IA Krylov and Sisyphus

Russian writer, as an educated man, probably knew the myth of the scion of the gods. And, as he had it, he decided to adapt Western fiction in accordance with Russian realities. As an experiment, we suggest the reader to imagine the image, when the measure of the meaninglessness of what is happening will pass all known limits.

Sisyph pushes his stone onto the mountain, and his monkey parodies. Of course, for the sheer absurdity, everything happens in the realm of Hades. We hope that the reader is no longer puzzled by the meaning of the phraseology "Martyshkin labor". This expression is used when the observer sees, from his point of view, a vapid activity.

The benefits of mindless work

But not everything is so bad for those who love the whole soul with meaningless work. It is known that in schools of Pythagoreans or Buddhists, absurdity was used as a filter for the selection of people suitable for training. If a person stood the test of meaningless activity, he became a loyal adherent of the school. And among Buddhists, experiencing absurdity is the road to enlightenment. Even understanding the definition and meaning of phraseology "Martyshkin labor", it is difficult to apply it to the practice of religious schools, because it contains a sacred meaning.

It is also known that it is better to rest, not lying on the couch, but certainly doing something. Switching activity is much more useful than idleness, even if the first, in the opinion of an outside observer, is very similar to the second one. It does not matter. You never know what anyone thinks.

There is another argument in favor of meaningless labor. A person can not evaluate what he does, as something that is knowingly meaningless. The personal meaning is even in the most bad habits, however, it does not put them at all on a favorable side.

The main thing is to avoid the clutches of chemical addictions, and otherwise the person is free to dispose of his time as he sees fit, of course, in his spare time.

We have considered the phraseology "Martyshkin labor" (the origin and meaning of the expression) in sufficient detail. We hope that the reader will no longer have problems with his interpretation.