I'm working on translating a script for a SNES game and have run into this grammar in the following sentences:
ナガサキの家で おまえの両親を 我々が殺した時の あの すさまじいまでのパワー あの時おまえは まだ たったの４さい・・・
オレ達 ゾク世間から 遠くはなれた あの神々しいまでの うつくしさ・・・
I've tried checking some grammar dictionaries & textbooks but haven't had any luck finding this so far. I was only ever taught that a noun or a verb could come before まで, so I'm not sure what's supposed to be the difference in meaning here compared to just い adjective + noun.
what's supposed to be the difference in meaning here compared to just い adjective + noun.
Practically, there's not much difference and I think, in terms of translation, you can forget までの: tremendous power / divine beauty.
The usage of まで is mentioned, e.g., in the following questions (the second one is similar in usage, but separate).
Literally XなまでにA means A to the point of being X and XなまでのN is the corresponding noun. As something that works naturally, 神々しいまでの美しさ is a nominal form of 神々しいまでに美しい=beautiful to the point of being divine, and means beauty that is almost divine.
In terms of usage, it is a kind of rhetoric to emphasize the degree of 'A'(or corresponding 'N'). In a case like すさまじいまでのパワー, I guess it can be only terrible/tremendous/gigantic power translationwise.
