2018 學語集 46 - 50

Original Script

::: 學語集 :::

46. 虎

虎者百獸之長名曰山君鉤爪鉅齒㗌人攫物見之者莫不恐畏也

• 名曰 N: be called/named

• 莫不 V: there is no one who does not V

47. 鳳

生於丹山之穴非梧桐不棲非琅玕不啄是爲羽蟲之長

• 非 N 不 V: if it is not N, does not V

48. 鶴

胎化者鶴也鳴于九皋聲聞于天仙人驂之道士馴之

49. 雞

朱氏翁之所化故人呼之爲朱朱夜捿于柾司晨而鳴其聲喈喈

• 所 V: place where V, that which V

50. 雁

雁者隨陽之鳥木落南翔氷解北徂彭蠡洞庭之間千百成群

• V 之 N: N that does V

Translation

Sentence 46: Jelena Gledić

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Tiger:

Tiger, the head of all beasts, [by] name is called lord of the mountain. Hooked claws and stong teeth, he bites into men and snatches things. Those who see him cannot be unafraid.

• Discussion Questions:

Sentence 47: Jelena Gledić

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Phoenix:

It is born in the cavern of the red mountain. [If it is] not a Paulownia [tree], it does not perch [on it]. [If it is] not langgan, it does not peck [it]. It is the head of the feathered critters.

• Discussion Questions:

+The often mentioned question of how to translate the name of this bird :) My reason for rendering it as phoenix is that I think the more commonly known animals of Chinese mythology (phoenix, dragon etc.) are widely known by these names.
+[Julian] I always get overexcited by the word 丹 and veer toward translating it as cinnabar—did you opt for red here to stay away from overemphasizing (the maybe anachronistic) Daoist terminology? Curious to know what people's views are on this!
+ and of course, I love "critters"...

Sentence 48: Jelena Gledić

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Crane:

Those [birds] that are viviparous are cranes. They cry in the deep waters, their voice is heard in heaven. Immortals harness them, Daoist scholars tame them.

• Discussion Questions:

Sentence 49: (Write your name)

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• Discussion Questions:

Sentence 50: (Write your name)

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• Discussion Questions:

This refers to the Danxue Mountain (丹穴山), literally red cavern mountain, which is mentioned as the birthplace of the phoenix in the Shan hai jing (山海经): “Five hundred li to the east, there is the mountain called Danxue … There is a bird there, its appearance resembles a chicken, it has five colors and patterns, and its name is phoenix.” (又东五百里，曰丹穴之山 …… 有鸟焉，其状如鸡，五采而文，名曰凤皇).

琅玕, this term is interpreted ambiguously in Chinese tradition as either a precious stone or a source of immortality. Its translation depends on the context, but often it can be interpreted as both, meaning something rare and valuable.