Do you know this saying?

Damicci

先輩

4 Nov 2003

2,479

52

• 16 Apr 2008

• #1

So I got an email from a guy on a Japanese car site. carview.co.jp

いきなり、メールすいませんm(__)m

そう言えば、聞きたかったんですけど、Damicciさんはあ Aアメリカ出身だから、英語で訳してほしいんですけどあ Aこの意味は訳せますか？


俺の名言なんですけど、


「古き物あれば、新しき物魅力あり。
新しき物あれば、古き物魅力あり。」


なんですが、英語では、何と言うか知りたかったので、 Damicciさんに、メールいたしました

Click to expand...

Basically he wants to know how do you say in English what is hilighted in red. But I am not familiar with this phrase. Any suggestions.

I know it means:
If you have something old, something new will be wanted.
If you have something new, something old is wanted.

But I can't think of any particular "Sayings" that relate to this in English.

TIA

 

D

diceke

Guest

• 16 Apr 2008

• #2

I think he just made it up. It's his original proverb.

古き物あれば、新しき物魅力あり

新しき物あれば、古き物魅力あり

って、俺自身の格言になっちまいそう

まあ、この意味は、古い物も新しい物も関係ないって意 味だよ。

http://minkara.carview.co.jp/userid/330786/blog/7613847/

Click to expand...

It kind of reminds me of this Chinese idiom though.

温故知新（古きをたずね、新しきを知る）: learning from the old, and deriving new ideas.

Hope this helps.

 

JimmySeal

Tubthumper

5 Mar 2006

1,516

78

• 17 Apr 2008

• #3

The closest thing I can think of is,
"The grass is always greener on the other side of the hill"
or perhaps,
"You always want what you don't have."

Neither really conveys the meaning of the original though. The other mention of this phrase is on a blog of someone who seems to like cars, so it would be appropriate for someone who's nostalgic for old classics and drooling over modern sports cars.

Searching for that phrase on Google only turns up 3 matches: this page, and two blog entries from someone named Ken. Maybe he, or someone else coined it recently, as diceke said.

 

Damicci

先輩

4 Nov 2003

2,479

52

• 17 Apr 2008

• Thread starter
• #4

Ken is actually the person who sent me this mail.

I am going to go with this is something he concocted and just wants to know a natural way of saying it in English.

Any Ideas? I know English is my native but still not so great with poetic sayings.

 

nice gaijin

Resident Realist

Moderator

Donor

Twenty-year veteran

8 Aug 2005

7,316

3,727

• 17 Apr 2008

• #5

When you have something old, you want/prefer to have something new.
When you have something new, you'd rather have something old.

Sorry, I can't think of a poetic way to express this

or maybe:
When you have something old, you'd rather have something new.
When you have something new, you'd rather have the old one back.

 

Damicci

先輩

4 Nov 2003

2,479

52

• 17 Apr 2008

• Thread starter
• #6

I think I'll go with a spin off of NG's suggestion.

If you have something old, you want something new,
If you have something new, you want something old