make of

Osam Dazaiの小説 "The Setting Sun" の(Donald Keen訳)、最後から一つ前の章、遺書（英語ではThe Testamentと訳されています）からの引用です。

Kazuko.
I have no room for hope. Good-bye.
In the last analysis my death is a natural one--man cannot live exclusively for principles. I have one request to make of you, which embarrasses me very much. You remember the hemp kimono of Mother's which you altered so that I could wear it next summer? Please put it in my coffin. I wanted to wear it.
The night has dawned. I have made you suffer a long time.
Good-bye.

今日取り上げるのも駆動詞で、"make of" の意味と用法です。 "make of" で調べると次の説明しか見つかりません。

・Collins Dictionary: If you ask a person what they make of something, you want to know what their impression, opinion, or understanding of it is.: Well, what did you make of her
・Merriam-Webster: to have or form an opinion about (something or someone): What do you make of this message?
・Wiktionary: To form an opinion about (someone or something); to appraise (a person, idea or situation).: What do you make of the new guy?

小説での意味はこれではありませんね。単に何かをお願いしているだけなので。
そこで久しぶりにChatGPTに質問して見ました。

ChatGPT: In the sentence "I have one request to make of you," the phrase "to make of you" is indeed different from the expression "What do you make of something?" which you found in the dictionary. Let's break it down grammatically.

1. "Make of" in Context:
• "Make of" (asking for an opinion or impression): As you pointed out, this usage is about asking someone's opinion or understanding of something. For example, "What do you make of the situation?" Here, "make of" means "interpret" or "think of."
• "Make of" in the Sentence from The Setting Sun: In this case, "make of" is not being used to ask for an opinion or interpretation. Instead, it functions differently.
2. Grammatical Breakdown:
• "To make a request of someone": In the sentence "I have one request to make of you," the phrase "to make of you" should be understood as "to direct toward you" or "to ask of you."
• Subject + Verb + Object + Prepositional Phrase: Here’s how the sentence is structured:
o Subject: "I"
o Verb: "have"
o Object: "one request"
o Prepositional Phrase: "to make of you" (which modifies the verb "make")
In this structure, "of you" specifies who the request is directed toward. It implies that the speaker has a request to direct at "you."

3. Rephrasing:
• If you were to rephrase it for clarity, you might say: "I have one request to ask of you," or simply, "I have a request for you."

4. Meaning in Context:
• The speaker is embarrassed to ask, but is essentially saying, "I have a request that I want you to fulfill."
In summary, in the context of The Setting Sun, "to make of you" grammatically means "to ask of you" or "to request from you," which is different from the "make of" expression meaning "to interpret."

どうも私は駆動詞としての "make of" の意味にこだわり過ぎたのですね。単純に "ask of you" と同じ意味でした。　それにしても丁寧な説明が一瞬に戻ってくるとはAI (ChatGPT)の威力には感服です。