made possible only by; thanks to

あっての means that one thing exists only because of another; without the first, the second is meaningless. Use the form "A あっての B" where both are nouns. It stresses total dependence of B on A.

Examples

• お客様きゃくさまあっての商売しょうばいだ。

  Okyakusama atte no shoubai da.

  Business exists only thanks to customers.

• 健康けんこうあっての人生じんせいだから、無理むりはしないで。

  Kenkou atte no jinsei dakara, muri wa shinaide.

  Life depends on health, so don't overdo it.

Vocabulary in these examples

• ある to exist (inanimate); to have
• 商売 business, trade
• 健康 health
• 無理 impossible, unreasonable
• する to do

Related patterns · Condition and dependency

• 〜いかんで depending on
• 〜いかんにかかわらず regardless of
• 〜なくして without; if there were no
• 〜とあれば if it is the case that; if (for the sake of)
• 〜ばこそ precisely because