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A sentence from Kanji in Context:

人にはそれぞれ長短があって、それで世の中はうまくいくようにできているのです。

I get that it means something like everyone has individual strengths and weaknesses, and thus the world can go smoothly. But what does ようにできる mean here? Is it being used as the potential form of ようにする, i.e. the world can be made to go smoothly?

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    Here's some example sentences for reference: eow.alc.co.jp/…
    – Flaw ♦
    Commented Sep 17, 2013 at 15:55
  • I think できている is only possible when it's not being used as a potential form of する, because I don't think potential forms can take ～ている. (I'm not positive about when できている is permitted, though.)
    – user1478
    Commented Sep 17, 2013 at 16:03
  • I'm pretty sure potential forms can take ている Ex: この作文よく書けていますね。
    – Rodrigo Pará
    Commented Sep 17, 2013 at 18:55
  • @RodrigoPará Hmm, that's a good point. But I suppose in that case it's no longer being used as a potential form. I do see a question about it, which could probably use some elaboration...
    – user1478
    Commented Sep 17, 2013 at 19:22
  • @snailboat: I think the 〜ている form here is using the progressive form to convey a state (and is therefore consistent with the answer to the question you cite)
    – Tim
    Commented Sep 18, 2013 at 14:23

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From my intuition, ように binds stronger to the left, and できている means "accomplished". So ようにできる falls apart into these two.

人には People - それぞれ every one of them - 長短があって have strengths (and weaknesses) - それで therefore - 世の中は the world - うまくいく smooth-going - ように like such - できている become - therefore のです.

"Various people each have their strengths (and weaknesses), and this is what makes the world keep on turning."

The できている I put into "makes" here.

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  • If I had noticed this answer, I wouldn't have written mine. Upvoted.
    – Vitalie Ciubotaru
    Commented Sep 18, 2013 at 4:04
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うまくいくようにできている

means something like "[thus] manages to go smoothly".

But what does ようにできる mean here?

It would be more logical to view ように as connected with うまくいく, not with できている. うまくいくように is just "[in order] to go smoothly". できている means that the world actually manages to "go smoothly". できる would sound more like potential "the would can go smoothly" not specifying whether it actually does so.

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  • Oh, I just noticed another answer, by Jens Jensen. Mine pretty much reiterates the same idea.
    – Vitalie Ciubotaru
    Commented Sep 18, 2013 at 3:27

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