grammar - Is を[noun]に, as in を条件に, a common construct?

I was a little confused by the following sentence because 条件 is a regular noun, but looking at examples I see that it means "on the condition of [object]": 財政危機におちいっているギリシャは、 緊縮を条件に、ヨーロッパのほかの国から支援を受けています

I'm wondering, was there a verb that just isn't said anymore?

And I'm trying to think of other example constructs like it, but haven't come up with anything. Is this a common construct?

Answer

The same construct can be used with other nouns (but not every noun):

• 緊縮を条件に支援を受ける to receive aid on the condition of austerity


• 結婚を前提に交際する to go out with a person seriously with the idea of getting married


• 利用者の意見を参考に使い勝手を改善する to improve usability taking the feedback from users into account


• 駅を中心にたくさんの商店が集まっている。 Centered around the station there are many stores. (This example is based on an example in “The meaning of and difference between ～を中心に and ～をめぐって” by cypher.)

In these examples, as istrasci wrote in a comment on the question, we could insert して after に. (I do not know if the version with して is the original form and the version without して is a contraction of it or not.) However, in the following similar-looking examples, this is not the case, so I am not sure if this captures the essence of the construct:

• 来月中旬を[目処]{めど}にこの仕事を終わらせます。 I will finish this work by about the middle of next month. (This example is based on an example in Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary.)


• オリンピックを最後に引退する to retire with the Olympic Games as the last event