What does「十分になるか、ならないか」mean?


Currently reading こころ 四話

> 「たった今出たばかりで、 **十分になるか、ならないかでございます** 」と奥さんは気の毒そうにいってくれた。

Does the bold part mean the same thing as「十分になるかもしれません」? How this phrase
works?




The meaning of 十分になるかもしれません _Possibly ten mins have passed_ may be not that
different from the bold phrase, but it is more interchangeable with 十分くらいです
_It is about ten mins_.

Generally Xになるかならないか where X contains some quantity means _(the amount)
reaches X or possibly less_. In the example, the amount is the time that has
passed since someone (husband?) left home, and she is saying it is 10±α mins.

Some other examples:

  * 私が10歳になるかならないかのとき _When I was around 10 years old_
  * このパソコンは5万するかしないかだった _This PC costed 50000 yen or maybe less_
  * 今年のボーナスは100万いくかいかないかくらいだ _This year's bonus will be around 1000000 yen_

The pattern has a nuance of _at most (around) X_ , which should be the
difference from the other expressions mentioned above.




The meaning of 十分になるかもしれません _Possibly ten mins have passed_ may be not that
different from the bold phrase, but it is more interchangeable with 十分くらいです
_It is about ten mins_.

Generally Xになるかならないか where X contains some quantity means _(the amount)
reaches X or possibly less_. In the example, the amount is the time that has
passed since someone (husband?) left home, and she is saying it is 10±α mins.

Some other examples:

  * 私が10歳になるかならないかのとき _When I was around 10 years old_
  * このパソコンは5万するかしないかだった _This PC costed 50000 yen or maybe less_
  * 今年のボーナスは100万いくかいかないかくらいだ _This year's bonus will be around 1000000 yen_

The pattern has a nuance of _at most (around) X_ , which should be the
difference from the other expressions mentioned above.

