を皮切りに|をかわきりに
- 1Marks the opening event of a planned series, such as a tour or campaign, that then continues and expands.Ex. 1
- 2Marks the initial event that sets off a succession of subsequent developments, such as a wave of reactions from various sources.Ex. 2
Verb (plain form)The plain (non-ます) forms of a verb: affirmative or negative, non-past or past.
行く・行かない・行った・行かなかった
The dictionary form is only one of these: 行く.
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A written, fairly formal expression common in news reports, business writing and announcements. The main clause describes something that develops, continues or spreads after the starting point, such as tours, sales rollouts or waves of reactions. Unlike trigger expressions such as をきっかけに, it stresses X as the starting point of a sequence of events that follow.
Learners sometimes use it for a single resulting change; the main clause should describe a series of events that continue or spread.
Do not attach it directly to verbs or adjectives; it follows a noun.
Note that it sounds stiff in casual conversation, where simpler phrasing is more natural.
- 1.をきっかけにN2「をきっかけに」emphasizes the trigger that causes a change or new action, and what follows can be a one-time personal change; its register is neutral. 「を皮切りに」emphasizes the starting point of a series of developments, so what follows must imply continuation or expansion, and it leans toward written style.
- 2.を機にN1「を機に」means taking something as an occasion to start a new action or change, and what follows may be a one-time decision or change. 「を皮切りに」requires that what follows occur in succession or expand. Both lean toward written style and generally cannot be interchanged.
- 3.を契機にN2「を契機に」stresses that the preceding item is the turning point that triggers a change or new action, and what follows can be just a one-time change. 「を皮切りに」only states where a series of successive or expanding events begins, without emphasizing the cause. Both lean toward written style.
- 4.てからというものN1「てからというもの」attaches to the て-form of a verb and indicates that since some event, one's state or behavior has been different from before and has remained so to this day, often with an emotional tone. 「を皮切りに」speaks of the starting point of a series of unfolding events, so the two cannot be interchanged.
- 5.に先駆けてN1「に先駆けて」means acting ahead of others, or doing something before it officially begins, and carries no sense of subsequent succession or expansion, so it generally cannot be interchanged with「を皮切りに」; it usually attaches only to nouns.
をきっかけに, を機に and を契機に present X as a trigger or opportunity for a change, while を皮切りに presents X as the starting point from which a series of events unfolds one after another. てからというもの describes a lasting change in state since some point, and に先駆けて means doing something ahead of others.
