Table of Contents
Definition
(自分のことを/は) 棚に上げる (tana ni ageru) is a Japanese idiom that literally means “put (oneself) up on a shelf” and figuratively means “to behave hypocritically”, just like “the pot calling the kettle black”.
Usage
This idiom is used to describes hypocritical behaviour, in which someone criticises others for a fault or mistake that they have themselves. For instance, if someone who is always late criticises someone else for being late, the person “puts himself/herself up on a shelf” and does not put his/her problems on the table. Some people also use this phrase by themselves when they make a criticism that may also apply to themselves to some extent, as shown in the second example below.
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Example
彼女 (かのじょ) は遅刻魔 (ちこくま) なのに、誰(だれ)かが遅(おく)れて来(く)るといつも自分の事を棚に上げて批判(ひはん)する。
Although she is always late, whenever someone comes late, she puts herself on a shelf and criticises them.
* 遅刻魔 (chikoku ma) means a person who is always late, where 遅刻 (ちこく) means “be late”. Similarly, サボり魔 (sabori ma) means a person who always “サボる”, i.e. “shirks one’s work or skips classes at school”
自分(じぶん)のことは棚に上げて言（い）うけど、彼（かれ）ちょっと太（ふと）りすぎだよね。
I’m saying this by putting myself up on a shelf, but I think he is a bit too fat.
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