Danger + Opportunity

[tmcg]

The Kanji SITE speaks for me regarding kanji compounds.

I get lost in the kanji dictionary. I thought I was bad with Webster's Third Unabridged and the Encyclopedia Britannica. Dip in for a second and two hours go by. One thing leads to another.

Some compounds have annoying cultural implications: "woman" and "child" makes another word for "woman." Some are sad: "dog" plus "die" means "die in vain" ("die a dog's death"). Some are intriguing: "hemp/flax" plus "be intoxicated" is "anaesthesia." (Reminds me of a 1950s Irish Gaelic tape I used. Trip to the dentist. "Will it hurt, Doctor?" "No, cocaine makes it painless." Those were the days.) Yet what a thrill to realize that with two kanji I know, "nose" and "water," I can write "nasal mucus." Mmm mmm good.

Comments

[fionagh.livejournal.com]

My favorite things to read in Japanese are the renga or haiku with the double entendres that can mean either cranes flying over the moon or hey you didn't thank me for the house warming present, or something like that. I love them. There are so many of them and a poet's worth was once esteemed by how quickly he could compose a pun poem like that or reply to another's pun poem with matching wit. I just love Japanese. It rawks my world.

[terrymcgarry.livejournal.com]

I forgot to reply to this comment that I thought it was hilarious. I gotta find some of those poems. That's too wonderful.