“〜te made・〜made shite”: Going So Far As to 〜 (often with negative evaluation) [JLPT N2]

By Nihongo to Japan · Updated July 3, 2026

Resorting to excessive means for a goal.

“〜te made・〜made shite”: Going So Far As to 〜

「(verb て-form) ＋ まで」 and 「(noun) ＋ までして」 mean “going so far as to 〜, to the extent of 〜” — resorting to excessive, extreme means for some goal, often with the critical sense that ‘there's no need to go that far.' E.g. 「行列に何時間も並んでまで、食べたいとは思わない」 (I wouldn't want it badly enough to queue for hours), 「嘘をついてまで勝ちたいのか」 (do you want to win so badly you'd even lie? — there's no need). It expresses doubt or disapproval of ‘going to any lengths for a goal.'

🧠 Core nuance: going to that (excessive) extent — usually felt to be ‘unnecessary'

The core is resorting to excessive means for a goal, with a negative evaluation: someone goes to an extreme, excessive extent to achieve a goal (queue for hours, lie, borrow money, stay up all night), and the speaker uses 「てまで」 to express the doubt or disapproval of ‘is it necessary to go that far?' (嘘をついてまで勝ちたいのか = want to win so badly you'd lie? Too much). ⚠️ Key contrast: 「てまで」 carries a negative evaluation (no need to go that far); 「てでも」 is positive resolve (will do whatever it takes). E.g. 借金してまで (going so far as to borrow, critical) vs 何としてでも (whatever it takes, positive). Connection: verb て-form ＋ まで; nouns use 「までして」 (借金までして).

📌 How to Connect

💬 Example Sentences

• 行列に何時間も並んでまで、食べたいとは思わない。(I wouldn't want it enough to queue for hours.) — negative evaluation
• 嘘をついてまで、勝ちたいのか。(Do you want to win so badly you'd even lie? — there's no need.) — criticism
• 健康を犠牲にしてまで、働く必要はない。(There's no need to work at the cost of your health.) — disapproval
• 借金までして、ブランド品を買うなんて。(Going so far as to borrow money to buy brand goods, of all things.) — noun までして
• 徹夜してまで、終わらせる価値があるのか。(Is it worth staying up all night to finish?) — doubt

🔄 Compare: てまで vs てでも vs ほど vs くらい

⚠️ Common Mistakes

1. てまで vs てでも: てまで carries a negative evaluation (unnecessary); てでも is positive resolve (whatever it takes) — opposite!
2. Nouns use までして: nouns take 「までして」 (借金までして), verb て-form takes 「てまで」.
3. Often with a rhetorical question/negative: てまで often pairs with 〜のか (doubt), 〜たくない (disapproval).
4. Connection: verb て-form ＋ まで (✗ dict. form).

💡 Nuance & When to Use

てまで・までして mean “going so far as to 〜, to the extent of 〜,” resorting to excessive, extreme means for a goal, often with the critical sense that ‘there's no need to go that far' (queue for hours, lie just to win). ⚠️ Opposite to the positive-resolve 「てでも (whatever it takes)」 — てまで doubts, てでも affirms. Nouns use までして. Often paired with a rhetorical question for disapproval. Useful for questioning ‘going to any lengths.' A must at N2.

🎯 JLPT Exam Tips

• High-frequency N2: verb て-form ＋ まで = going so far as to 〜 (excessive means, often negative evaluation); noun ＋ までして.
• Core distinction: てまで (negative evaluation, unnecessary) vs てでも (positive resolve, whatever it takes) — opposite!
• Collocation: often with a rhetorical question (〜のか), negative (〜たくない) for disapproval.

🖊️ 練習題（5題）

Q1. 「行列に何時間も並ん___、食べたいとは思わない。」（不惜排隊好幾小時）

(A) でまで　(B) でも　(C) ながら　(D) どころか

Q2. 「てまで」と「てでも」の違いは?

(A) てまで＝帶否定評價(沒必要做到那樣);てでも＝正面決心(無論如何要)

(B) 兩者完全相同

(C) てまで＝正面決心

(D) てでも＝否定評價

Q3. 「嘘をついてまで勝ちたいのか」の語感は?

(A) 帶批評：不惜說謊也要贏嗎(沒必要吧)

(B) 稱讚他努力

(C) 表示感謝

(D) 純粹疑問無評價

Q4. 「てまで」の前に来るのは?

(A) 動詞て形（名詞用までして）

(B) 辭書形

(C) ない形

(D) た形

Q5. 接法が正しいのは?

(A) 借金してまで買う。　(B) 借金するまで買う(てまでが正)。

(C) 徹夜してでまで。　(D) 嘘をつくてまで。

答案解析

1. (A) でまで ── 不惜排隊好幾小時(並んでまで)。

2. (A) ── てまで 帶否定評價;てでも 正面決心。

3. (A) ── 帶批評(不惜說謊,沒必要)。

4. (A) ── 動詞て形＋まで。

5. (A) ── 「借金してまで」(て形)正確。