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一秒として同じ姿を保っていない

I get the feeling it means something like "Not even for a second" but what exactly does this として do?

hrq123
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2 Answers2

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〜として〜ない is a idimatic phrase structure that means "it doesn't ... not even for ..." where として can be further thought of as と＋して. と is a particle and して is a conjugation of す/する, a versatile verb that carries so many meanings.

する accompanies a time related noun to mean a passing of the time, such as 一時間すれば帰ってくるよ and I think this one is similar.

Kohsuke Kawaguchi
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  • Since this 〜として〜ない pattern can be used in contexts that don't have anything to do with time, I don't understand why you've included the second paragraph of your answer. (In other words, it's of course true that する can be used to refer to the passage of time, as in the example you've given, but I don't see how this is relevant to hrq123's question. Or am I missing something?) – Nanigashi May 03 '20 at 22:45
  • @Nanigashi Just because something is a pattern doesn't excuse it from its grammatical analysis, so IMO とする calls for an explanation, given that the question specifically asks for it. – Kohsuke Kawaguchi May 04 '20 at 00:27
  • Hmm. I don't seem to have made myself nearly as clear as I'd hoped, and I'll confess I'm having some difficulty understanding the comment you posted in response to me, too. I regret that I wasn't able to frame my suggestion in a way you would have found helpful; I would try again, but it isn't really all that important and frankly, I fear that I'm simply not up to the task. Sorry about that! – Nanigashi May 04 '20 at 02:27
  • @Nanigashi, I think he is explaining that time-noun + する is a construction on its own to stress the fact that, in OP's instance, として can be thought of as と + して separatedly. – jarmanso7 May 11 '20 at 05:33
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〜として + (否定形)

・（下に打消しの語を伴って）例外なく全部である意を表す。「一人として生き残った者はいない」「一時 (いっとき) として目が離せない」　(三省堂/小学館 大辞林)
・例外なく全てであることを表す　(三省堂　新名解国語辞典3版　金田一京介/春彦　日本で初めての小型現代国語辞典を編纂した)

This is one of several usages of 〜として, meaning "all and no exception". The example, 'No one survives, all dead'. Originally 〜とて...ない

The phrase is used for the way to emphasis the point and it does greater than 一人も...ない

See also, 〜も + (否定形)

Appendix: It's a collocasional phrase, you don't want to get the Gestaltzerfall, don't worry the Japanese experts don't know which Old Japanese auxiliary verb became into a phrase, no answers. 一人として明確な結論を得たものはない