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Author Archives: Confanity
Round ’em up!
一網打尽 ichi.mou.da.jin Literally: one – net – hit – use up Alternately: Arresting an entire criminal organization at once. Catching all the bad guys in one net. Notes: This one seems to come from the Song Shi.
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged all the bad guys, arrest, gay club sound event, one net, 打尽, 一網
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Magic Monday – The pinnacle of anti-faerie tech
Dread Seal It is said that the creatures of the Twilight realm fear iron and will not touch it. This spell is the enchantment behind that belief, laid upon an iron seal of disturbing shape. The caster must weave the … Continue reading
An autumn all the more lovely for being free of raiders from the north
This isn’t a kotowaza in the normal sense of an adage or precept; it’s just an expression. But I’ve loved it since I learned it, and thought I’d take this opportunity to share. 天高く馬肥ゆる秋 (Ten takaku uma koyuru aki; “High-heavened, … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged autumn, 秋, Du Shenyan, 馬肥ゆる, fall, good weather, seasonal greetings, Xiongnu, 天高く
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There’s no sense crying over every mistake. You just keep on trying ’til you run out of cake.
試行錯誤 shi.kou.saku.go Literally: test – go / conduct – disordered – error Alternately: Trial and error. Solving a problem through repeated attempts. Notes: This seems to have been directly translated from the English “trial and error.”
Magic Monday – What would you do for a Klondike Bar?
Feast of the Corrupter This is a slow, insidious enchantment that was responsible for much distrust of the magically-skilled, before the rise of the Slakiv Empire and the Order of Magi. Yet the promise of functional immortality is considered so … Continue reading
Posted in Rules, Setting
Tagged Corrupter, feast, Magic Monday, meal, possession, The Five
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On canine tautologies
(In other news, water is wet.) 犬が西向きゃ尾は東 (Inu ga nishi mukya o wa higashi; “If a dog faces west, its tail points east.”) Definition: Self-evident. Blatantly matter-of-fact. Something is so obvious that it’s barely worth mentioning. Since a dog’s tail … Continue reading
What goes up, must come down.
A continuation. 盛者必衰 jou.sha.hi-.ssui Literally: prosper – person – inevitable – decline Alternately: All those who prosper will see their fortunes wane. Even those who attain worldly success and glory will eventually fall or fade away, due to the mutable … Continue reading
Magic Monday – Maker’s Mark?
Making-Song (Chant of the Shaper) Craftsmen and artisans may invoke the Shaper in times of need or inspiration, pushing their bodies far beyond normal limits at the risk of their sanity. In the common imagination this chant is most often … Continue reading
The gods help those who don’t bug them?
This one is dedicated to all those who just had to push the big red button. Incidentally, it’s somewhat antonymical to last week’s kotowaza. 触らぬ神に祟り無し (Sawaranu kami ni tatari nashi; “Untouched gods won’t curse you.”) Definition: If it ain’t broke, … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged curse, 神, 祟り, 触らぬ, Princess Mononoke, sleeping dogs, tatarigami
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“And all the heat in the universe / is gonna coooool doooown”
Doubly topical! This week we’re reading a section of the Tale of the Heike for class. 諸行無常 sho.gyou.mu.jou Literally: many / various – go – no – ordinary / always Alternately: Nothing lasts forever. All worldly things are transient. Sic transit … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged 無常, 諸行, Gion, Heike, impermanence, sic transit gloria mundi
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