Re: [Shaku] Suisen and Shakuhachi

From: Karl Signell (signell@cpcug.org)
Date: Mon Mar 22 2004 - 13:26:34 PST

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At 12:49 PM 3/22/2004 -0600, Deana Dearry wrote:
> I looked up the Japanese word for daffodil. Is there a Suisen/Sui Zen=20
> correlation?

Look at the kanji (Sino-Japanese characters) for daffodil. Sui =3D water,=
=20
Sen =3D sprite. Water-sprite, a poetic term. Some types of daffodils grow=
=20
in shallow water.

Look at the kanji for Sui Zen. Sui =3D blow, Zen =3D emptiness. Blowing=20
emptiness (without expression).

Suisen could also mean "flushing" or "perpendicular line," etc., depending=
=20
on the characters. Japanese has lots of homonyms. "T=F4ky=F4" is not the=
=20
reverse of "Ky=F4to." They have only one character in common, and the vowel=
=20
lengths differ. So besides different characters that have the same=20
pronunciation but different meanings, Japanese has syllables that might=20
sound the same to the Western ear but differ in vowel length.

Karl

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At 12:49 PM 3/22/2004 -0600, Deana Dearry wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=3Dcite class=3Dcite cite><font face=3D"arial" size=3D2>&nbs=
p;I
looked up the Japanese word for daffodil.&nbsp; Is there a Suisen/Sui Zen
correlation?</font></blockquote><br>
Look at the kanji (Sino-Japanese characters) for daffodil.&nbsp; Sui =3D
water, Sen =3D sprite.&nbsp; Water-sprite, a poetic term.&nbsp; Some types
of daffodils grow in shallow water.<br><br>
Look at the kanji for Sui Zen.&nbsp; Sui =3D blow, Zen =3D emptiness.&nbsp;
Blowing emptiness (without expression).<br><br>
Suisen could also mean &quot;flushing&quot; or &quot;perpendicular
line,&quot; etc., depending on the characters.&nbsp; Japanese has lots of
homonyms.&nbsp; &quot;T=F4ky=F4&quot; is not the reverse of
&quot;Ky=F4to.&quot;&nbsp; They have only one character in common, and the
vowel lengths differ.&nbsp; So besides different characters that have the
same pronunciation but different meanings, Japanese has syllables that
might sound the same to the Western ear but differ in vowel
length.<br><br>
Karl<br>
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