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〜をおいて(他に)ない

no one / nothing but X

Noun + をおいて(他に)〜ない

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をおいて〜ない means "apart from X, there's nothing else", which strongly praises X as the only possible choice: この仕事を任せられるのは、彼をおいて他にいない, "there's no one but him I can trust with this job".

The noun is a person, a company or a time. The second half is 他にいない / 他にない / ない. With time words, it means "now or never": 今をおいてチャンスはない, "there'll never be a better chance than now".

It's formal and highly evaluative, common in recommendations and speeches. The verb 置く here means "to set aside", so it's literally "setting X aside, there's nothing".

Compare をもって (N1), "by means of", which looks similar but means something very different.

Examples

  • この仕事しごとを任まかせられるのは、彼かれをおいて他ほかにいない。

    There's no one but him I can trust with this job.

  • 日本にほんでこの技術ぎじゅつを持もっているのは、この会社かいしゃをおいてない。

    No company in Japan but this one has this technology.

  • 今いまをおいてチャンスはない。

    It's now or never.

  • 話はなし合あうなら、今日きょうをおいて他ほかにない。

    If we're going to talk, today is the only time.

  • リーダーにふさわしいのは、あなたをおいて他ほかにいません。

    There's no one more suited to be leader than you.

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