伝記を書くことが難しいのは、それが半ば記録であり、半ば芸術であるからだ。

Sentence Analyzer

English Translation

The difficulty with biography is that it is partly record and partly art.

Furigana

伝記(でんき)を書(か)くことが難(むずか)しいのは、それが半(なか)ば記録(きろく)であり、半(なか)ば芸術(げいじゅつ)であるからだ。

Romanji

Denki o kaku koto ga muzukashii no wa, sore ga nakaba kiroku de ari, nakaba geijutsu de aru kara da.

Words

伝記 (でんき)

biography; life story

を (を)

indicates direct object of action; indicates subject of causative expression; indicates an area traversed; indicates time (period) over which action takes place; indicates point of departure or separation of action; indicates object of desire, like, hate, etc.

書く (かく)

to write; to compose; to pen; to draw; to paint

事 (こと、こん)

thing; matter; incident; occurrence; event; something serious; trouble; crisis; circumstances; situation; state of affairs; work; business; affair; after an inflectable word, creates a noun phrase indicating something the speaker does not feel close to; nominalizing suffix; pretending to ...; playing make-believe ...; alias; aka; nickname; alternative name; also known as

が (が)

indicates sentence subject (occasionally object); indicates possessive (esp. in literary expressions); but; however; still; and

難しい (むずかしい、むつかしい)

difficult; hard; troublesome; complicated; serious (disease, problem, etc.); fussy; particular; fastidious; hard to please; displeased; gloomy; glum; sullen; serious (look); dirty; unclean; filthy; detestable; unpleasant; uncomfortable; creepy; spooky

の (の)

indicates possessive; nominalizes verbs and adjectives; substitutes for "ga" in subordinate phrases; (at sentence-end, falling tone) indicates a confident conclusion; (at sentence-end) indicates emotional emphasis; (at sentence-end, rising tone) indicates question

は (は)

topic marker particle; indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated); adds emphasis

其れ (それ)

that (indicating an item or person near the listener, the action of the listener, or something on their mind); it; that time; then; there (indicating a place near the listener); you

半ば (なかば)

middle; half; semi; halfway; partly

記録 (きろく)

record; minutes; document; a record (e.g. in sports); results; score; to record; to document; to set a record (e.g. in sports); to show a result; to reach a value

だ (だ)

be; is; indicates past or completed action; indicates light imperative

或 (ある)

a certain ...; some ...

芸術 (げいじゅつ)

(fine) art; the arts

から (から)

from (e.g. time, place, numerical quantity); since; from (originator); by; because; since; out of (constituent, part); through (e.g. window, vestibule); after; since