And the casket simply opened. The meaning of the phraseological unit “and the casket simply opened”, the history of its origin

Were borrowed from literary works. Some of them came to us from the famous fables of Ivan Andreevich Krylov. For example, the phraseological unit “and the box just opened.”

In this article we will look at this quote from Krylov's fable, determine its meaning and moral.

The meaning of the phraseological unit “and the casket just opened”

To define the expression, we turn to various dictionaries. The intelligent I. S. Ozhegova gives the following interpretation to this stable phrase: “About what seemed complex, but in fact was completely simple.” The linguist noted that the expression is used in a conversational style.

Let's consider what definition the dictionary of I. A. Bunin, edited by A. I. Vasiliev, gives to the stable phrase “and the casket just opened.” The meaning of the phraseological unit in it is as follows. “It is used when talking about some matter, an issue in the resolution of which there was nothing to be clever about.”

The phraseological dictionary of Rose T.V. contains the following interpretation: “A simple way out of a seemingly difficult situation.”

As we see, all definitions are expressed in different words, but have a common meaning.

Origin story

As already noted, it came to us from the 1808 fable “Larchik” by I. A. Krylov. It begins with the author’s main idea. What follows is the story of how one mechanic tries to unravel the secret of a chest without a lock: how it opens.

He turns it this way and that, racks his brain, presses different places. But the casket does not budge, and the audience laughs. The mechanic tried, sweated, got tired and gave up. But the casket opened simply, it was not locked.

Moral of the phrase

There is such a thing as “breaking into an open door.” It perfectly conveys the meaning of the phraseological unit “and the casket just opened.” The author of the quote from the fable we are considering conveys to readers the idea that often seemingly complex situations have a completely simple way out.

The phrase from this work instantly became a catchphrase. It is popular among writers and journalists. The former often use it in dialogues, while the latter often use it in titles. They use this expression to show that everything is actually simpler and clearer than it seems.

The meaning of the fable passage is relevant to all of us. After all, we often find things complicated that sometimes actually have a simple solution. In such cases, it is worth remembering Krylov’s fable “The Casket”. She perfectly shows us how people complicate something that has a simple solution.

The question has come up, I’ll try to sum it up.

Now it has dawned on me that the opinion of “Gramma” quoted in one of the answers (which, by the way, was not found anywhere in verified sources) is far from being understood.

In Krylov’s fable “And the casket simply opened,” the word “simply,” according to generally accepted opinion, is an adverb (how did the casket open? - simply, easily, without difficulty). However, there are other opinions (in our opinion, speculative, forgive the harshness), according to which the word “simply” in this line is a particle in the meaning of “only”.

The upside is that the author acknowledges the problem caused by ambiguity, but that's it. The given options “it opened easily, without effort” and “it just opened” are in fact the same thing, there is nothing different here. I don’t understand at all how this can be opposed - and even in such harsh terms.
I really don’t know what Ivan Andreevich wanted to say, but I don’t have to choose from these options. The options here are: 1. Chest wasn't locked, that is, it did not have a lock (neither secret nor any other) - and opened simply: without difficulty, by lifting the lid.
2. The castle was secret. But very simple. And it opened simply: not difficult.

The entire text of the fable speaks in favor of the first case. Although “Gramma” (allegedly) called the adherents of this version “speculators,” it is difficult to deduce otherwise from the text.

Why did this question appear here at all? But listen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnS9Hwea7-Q Ilyinsky is reading. He clearly emphasizes the word “simply” - that is, he leans toward the second version, “simply” here is an adverb of manner, meaning that the opening actions were simple. I heard similar performances from other famous readers (I’m afraid to lie, but it seems even from Irakli Andronikov himself in his youth).

Are you saying I'm crazy? After all, we were taught differently from school?

In my defense, I will give one more opinion. Kazinik - a famous person, violinist, although he has nothing to do with literature. But I am ready to subscribe to his every word.

Remember Krylov’s fable “Larchik”? About how a certain “mechanical sage” undertook to open the casket, because it, he was sure, contained a secret. No matter how hard the sage tried, nothing came of it, in fact - remember, the last line: “And the Casket simply opened.” I wonder how you read it? Most likely, as they taught at school: “And the casket JUST opened.” But this is wrong, says Mikhail Kazinik, you need: “But the casket just OPENED!” Why? Yes, because if you read it the way it was drilled into you in childhood, it remains unclear: so HOW does this very Chest open? It turns out that old man Krylov did not finish the fable. But if we put logical emphasis on last word- “opened up”, then everything falls into place.

Bottom line. In Russian, “open” has at least two main meanings

OPEN, -cut, -cut; open; -covered, -a, -o; St. What.

Opening, swinging open doors, doors, lids, etc. some premises, containers, make them accessible inner part, contents; make it possible to gain access to smth. O. piano. O. suitcase. O. buffet. O. pan. O. room. O. doors, windows, shutters. O. window. O. car door. O. gate, gate. O. cover (lift, fold back the cover). O. hugs smb. (spread your arms, intending to hug someone). // (how). Unlock, unlock. O. door with a key. O. gate, removing the bolt. Open! (not locked, you can enter).

(how). Uncork, open, print. O. corkscrew a bottle of wine. O. with a knife a can of canned food. O. letter, parcel post, package. The first is obvious, if it’s clearer for someone, then the translation into English is to open. The second of these meanings is practically equivalent to “unlock”, “open the lock”, to unlock. In good English, the door is “open”, locks, bolts, etc. cannot be opened - “open”, only unlock. As can be seen from the text, it was in this meaning that the word was used by the loser hero, who undertook to open (unlock) the casket.

So it turns out that the options are from Krylov: the box "simply unlocked" or "simply opened". In my opinion, it is obvious that the first option (known from school, according to Ilyinsky and “Gram”) does not work here.
It's a shame that Ekaterina deleted her answer, leaving me in the dark as to why.

Thanks to your question, I thought about the function in the sentence A THE CASTER JUST OPENED the words simply. What is it: an adverb - a circumstance of the manner of action (opened HOW? simply) or a particle with the verb OPENED with the meaning “only”, “only”? I come to the conclusion that since Ivan Andreevich did not tell in detail how exactly the casket was opened, he only meant the process of lifting the lid with a slight hand force. This means that it is SIMPLY a particle, and the casket only needed to be opened.

Read the text of the fable:

A Casket was brought to someone from the master.
The decoration and cleanliness of the Casket caught my eye;
Well, everyone admired the beautiful Casket.
Here a sage enters the mechanics room.
Looking at the Casket, he said: “A casket with a secret,
So; it doesn't even have a lock;
And I undertake to open it; yes, yes, I'm sure of it;
Don't laugh so secretly!
I will find the secret and I will reveal the little chest to you:
In mechanics, I’m also worth something."
So he set to work on the Casket:
Turns him from all sides
And he breaks his head;
First a carnation, then another, then a bracket.
Here, looking at him, another
Shakes his head;
They whisper, and they laugh among themselves.
The only thing that rings in my ears is:
\"Not here, not like that, not there!\" The mechanic is even more eager.
Sweated, sweated; but finally got tired
I left Larchik behind
And I couldn’t figure out how to open it:
And the casket simply opened.

Moral of Larchik's fable:

The moral of the fable is that you should not look for difficulties and hidden meanings where they are not and cannot be. Often, like this master, people try to come up with their own facts for any situation. But in this way they only complicate what is actually simple and understandable. Certainly, main character fables – mechanic – was experienced craftsman. However, he was not smart enough to understand: there was nothing complicated in this casket. The fabulist teaches what to look for secret meaning in such cases it simply means making life more difficult for yourself and others.

Tarasov is an ordinary provincial town with a million inhabitants. No better and no worse than others. It has everything that others have Russian cities: cinemas and shopping centers, stadiums and universities, restaurants, casinos, nightclubs. There is also an airport, museums, theaters, large squares and beautiful cathedrals. In general, there is everything.

And life in Tarasov proceeds the same way as everywhere else - there is both good and bad. There are snowstorms and floods, landslides and hurricanes, inflation and privatization. There are elections and re-elections, revelations of unscrupulous politicians and contract killings.

By the way, Tarasov does not lag behind the capital in terms of contract killings. First, they kill some crime boss in his own office, and with him, God knows how many other people. Then they blow up an entrepreneur along with his car, poison a local politician, and kill the president of some society with a pistol at the entrance of his house. Then dies mysterious death a former mayor, or under strange circumstances a major industrialist commits suicide... This list goes on and on.

But besides the negativity, which is rich in modern life, Tarasov residents have a whole bunch of attractions nearby - several theaters, the Sobinov Conservatory, a museum founded by Radishchev’s grandson... Chernyshevsky, Sobinov, Konstantin Fedin, Lev Kassil and many others lived here famous people of the past. The city of Tarasov is lucky with current celebrities, such as Tabakov, Yankovsky, or pop stars Alena Apina, Bari Alibasov and other nays.

Tarasov has always been famous for his love of art. There is no other city on the map that is so valued by touring musicians and actors. Therefore, it is not surprising that the incident described below occurred right here, in Tarasov...

A long-awaited event took place in everyone’s favorite Radishchev Museum - an exhibition of a unique collection of ancient icons. Tarasovtsy, passionate fans and connoisseurs of “deep legends” were looking forward to its opening. The director of the museum negotiated for several months with the owner of the collection, Sergei Viktorovich Godyashchev.

The collector of rarities did not object to the exhibition and agreed to show his fellow countrymen his collection, but... The unexpected happened: last moment When all that remained was to sign the agreement, urgent matters required Godyashchev’s presence in Moscow, and the agreement remained unsigned. The director of the museum, Alexei Petrovich Belov, very upset, of course, by this circumstance, was literally besieged by journalists from television and local newspapers, and since he had no doubt at all that the agreement would be signed, he told reporters about the exhibition as a decided matter. And suddenly... such an offensive discrepancy.

In the meantime, Alexey Petrovich decided to start repairing and maintaining the museum’s security system, so that when the icons finally take their places, everything will be in order and there will be nothing to complain about.

The alarm system in the museum was, of course, quite old and left much to be desired. The director was worried that she would not be able to provide full, reliable protection of the valuable collection of icons during the exhibition that was being negotiated. But quite recently a real miracle happened: one company offered the museum to install an ultra-modern security system with video cameras and other sophisticated bells and whistles in exchange for government subsidies promised to the museum. Belov initially refused, but then he reasoned this way: he would not receive money from the state earlier than in six months, and then he would still have to seriously deal with the alarm system. Therefore, with a clear conscience, he agreed to accept the offer, which seemed quite acceptable to him. The relevant documents were signed, and the company undertook to install all the necessary devices upon request.

And now, since the exhibition was postponed, the director decided to use the services of the company. On the same day, when it became clear that Godyashchev urgently had to leave for Moscow, Belov called a team of installers. They soon arrived and began unloading the equipment. Alexey Petrovich watched them with undisguised admiration, they worked so easily and harmoniously. At the threshold of the museum, a mountain of boxes, boxes and coils of wire gradually grew. There were ladders, rope lifts and a bunch of other incomprehensible equipment. Belov opened the doors of the museum for the brigade, and the mountain from the porch just as quickly migrated inside. The installers, all of them in orange overalls, quickly and efficiently brought their equipment into working order. Alexey Petrovich could not keep up everywhere, work was carried out in several places of the building at once, every ten minutes the foreman came up to him and clarified some details. In a word, the museum has turned into an anthill.

It all ended exactly one day later, as suddenly as it began. Alexey Petrovich walked through the museum with an inspection. He expected to see some garbage, wire scraps, for example, but the halls were perfectly clean. The alarm system, as Belov used to call the security system in the old fashioned way, was installed, but there was no trace of any activity left. The director walked around the building twice, examined the doors and windows, from which the ugly wires from the old alarm had completely disappeared. In general, everything was fine.

Then he went to the former technical room, where all the museum trash had previously been dumped. Now there is a control panel for the security system. The room turned out to be filled with monitors, instruments and other boxes of unknown purpose. Alexey Petrovich carefully sat down on a chair in front of the main control panel, looking at this miracle of technology. Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and without waiting for an answer, a young tall guy in gray suit. Taking a quick glance at everything, he turned to Alexei Petrovich:

- Hello, are you the director?

– Yes, I, Alexey Petrovich Belov, director of the museum.

- Great! I'm Maxim Romanchenko, they sent me from the company that installed the system here. I will work for you as its operator for a month. During this time, you can find a replacement for me from your staff or hire a person, and I will train him in everything.

- Amazing! – Alexey Petrovich said smiling. “I was just now thinking about what we were going to do with all this now, and, to be honest, I already wanted to call you.”

– Well, since I’m here myself, let me explain to you how the system works so that you have an idea of ​​what you’ve got. “The guy put a small leather case on the table and, clicking the locks, took out a huge thick book sealed in plastic. – Here is the instruction manual, but in general only those who already know how to handle the system can use it.

- Oh, I'm afraid I'll never learn this.

- Why, it’s not difficult. But you still shouldn’t go beyond a general introduction, and for serious work you’ll find some smart guy. By the way, it will be better if you do this quickly - I need time to train him.

- Sit closer.

Maxim turned a toggle switch, and the whole infernal machine came to life, the monitors lit up, the lights began to blink, and the buzzer buzzed. Alexey Petrovich looked at the monitors, the screens of which were divided into four parts. In each field one could see some part of the museum - halls, corridors, utility rooms, wardrobe, Entrance door. Well, that's all. A panorama of the four outer walls of the museum was broadcast on a separate monitor.

Maxim twirled some knobs and began to explain to Alexey Petrovich:

– On the monitors you can view the entire museum from inside and outside. The system operates 24 hours a day and requires an operator. The purpose of the system is not only security, but also control. Everything that is recorded by video cameras is recorded on special digital tapes. They’re here,” he tapped on some huge box that was quietly humming. – You can look out for and catch not only thieves, but also hooligans. For example, someone threw an apple core into a vase. The security guard will notice this and stop the bully. Boys who got into the habit of breaking windows or cutting doors with a knife in the evenings can now be identified and punished. The system works very reliably. Video cameras cover ninety-eight percent of the museum's area. Almost everything is under control.

A Casket was brought to someone from the master.
The decoration and cleanliness of the Casket caught my eye;
Well, everyone admired the beautiful Casket.
Here a sage enters the mechanics room.
Looking at the Casket, he said: “A casket with a secret,
So; it doesn't even have a lock;
And I undertake to open it; yes, yes, I'm sure of it;
Don't laugh so secretly!
I will find the secret and I will reveal the little chest to you:
In mechanics, I’m also worth something.”
So he set to work on the Casket:
Turns him from all sides
And he breaks his head;
First a carnation, then another, then a bracket.
Here, looking at him, another
Shakes his head;
They whisper, and they laugh among themselves.
The only thing that rings in my ears is:
"Not here, not like that, not there!" The mechanic is even more eager.
Sweated, sweated; but finally got tired
I left Larchik behind
And I couldn’t figure out how to open it:
And the casket simply opened.

Casket - Moral of Ivan Krylov's fable

It often happens to us
And work and wisdom to see there,
Where you just have to guess
Just get down to business.

Moral in your own words, the main idea and meaning of the fable Larchik

Sometimes on complex issue There is a simple and correct solution.

Analysis of the fable Larchik, the main characters of the fable

Analyzing one of the most original fables by Ivan Krylov, “The Casket,” we see a self-confident and, probably, experienced, but not at all smart mechanic who tried in every possible way to open the casket, but it turned out to be beyond his power. The spectators who gathered to watch this action tried in every possible way to help with their tips, but this did not lead to success.

The whole solution is hidden in the last lines of the work “And the casket simply opened,” but as far as one author knows. In life, it often happens that people look for a way out of a simple situation in complex ways, thereby greatly complicating everything. So the main character just needed to open the casket, and not come up with cunningly wise options.
Author of this work with my lines I wanted to convey to humanity that there is no need to turn his fables inside out, choosing the key to each line and word, but rather look at the surface. There is also a hint that you should not quit what you have started, halfway through encountering the slightest difficulties.

If we analyze the work with reverse side, then we see that the author did not give a specific answer as to how exactly the casket was opened. It is not entirely clear whether the problem is the absence or presence of a lock, or the stupidity of the master. Another moral emerges from this: there is no single problem for any problem. the right way out and solutions need to analyze the situation and look for a special, individual approach.

Ivan Andreevich in his fables, including “Larchik”, amazingly tries to open people's eyes to simple, absurd situations and stupid actions. If the main character (the mechanic) had been a little smarter and had not exaggerated his capabilities, had not considered himself a great sage, but had looked at the task assigned to him, he would have easily opened the beautiful casket.

Winged expressions that came from the Larchik fable

• And the casket simply opened.

Listen to Ivan Krylov's Fable