From robin@xxxxxxx.xxx.xxx Fri Jul 23 07:44:03 1999 X-Digest-Num: 194 Message-ID: <44114.194.1075.959273824@eGroups.com> Date: Fri, 23 Jul 1999 17:44:03 +0300 From: Robin Turner [trying to capture the terseness of the chinese, using a lot of . > don't know how many of these i'll do, but here's the first] {zo'u} has always confused me,but now I have my copy of the Book, I'll study it again! > > > pamo'o > .i le tadji poi selsku zo'u na vitno tadji > .i le cmene poi selsku zo'u na vitno cmene > .i tolcme zo'u munje krasi > .i cmene zo'u mamta ro da > .i toldji zo'u ganse leka toltai > .i djica zo'u ganse leka tarmi > .i leka toltai leka tarmi cu mintu > .iku'i frica cmene > .i leka mintu cu manku > .i manku ne'i leka manku > .i kalri leika manci Very nice - it's been almost two decades since I read any Chinese, so I can't really comment on the accuracy of the translation. Just a few stylistic points: > .i le cmene poi selsku zo'u na vitno cmene > I'd say {selcme} rather than {selsku} here. IIRC the original is "ming ke ming fei chang ming" which is usually translated as "the name which can be named" rather than "the name which names" - Chinese has a very cavalier attitude to the passive! > .i cmene zo'u mamta ro da > Again, I'd prefer {selcme}, with the sense of the thing named, or even {selka'ecme} - the nameable. Keep at it - I really like the style of this, and it seems close to my very fuzzy recollection of the Chinese. co'o mi'e robin.