[Grammar] can i use 'hang on it'?

[wonja]

in a novel(White teeth by zadie smith),


Every little trifle, for some reason, does seem incalculably important today, and when you say of a thing that "nothing hangs on it" it sounds like blasphemy. There's never any knowing -how am i to put it?- which of our actions, which of idlenesses won't have things hanging on it forever.


in here, there are two 'hang on'. are these phrasal verb? if it is right, what's that meaning?(hold? depend on?..etc) and why did author use that? is that incorrect form? isn't that?


And i couldn't understand the word well. Please explain to me about that meaning.

Thank you.

 

[Tdol]

It's correct:

hang - Dictionary definition and pronunciation - Yahoo! Education (Scroll down to the intransitive definitions and look at definition 6).

 

[maxillarypun]

in a novel(White teeth by zadie smith),


Every little trifle, for some reason, does seem incalculably important today, and when you say of a thing that "nothing hangs on it" it sounds like blasphemy. There's never any knowing -how am i to put it?- which of our actions, which of idlenesses won't have things hanging on it forever.


in here, there are two 'hang on'. are these phrasal verb? if it is right, what's that meaning?(hold? depend on?..etc) and why did author use that? is that incorrect form? isn't that?

The phrase "nothing hangs on it" indicates that there is little importance attached to it. In the context of the sentence, "every little trifle..." "...does seem incalculably important..." shows that meaning. In the second sentence, "things hanging on it" take more the meaning of consequence for "which of our actions" rather than importance.

It seems the author is using the phrase to "color" the statements with ordinary speech like writing.

The use of the phrase is correct in this context.