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Mythology Quotes

Vunde

Retired Panda
18 Mar 2005
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Hey

I'm an 18 year old student from Denmark.
I'm at the time being, in a project trying to enhance the style of my world.
This concerns a complete Japanisation of my room including a wall made of rice-paper and numerous lamps in Japanese old-school style.
I'm also trying to get a hold of a couple of ancient Japanese martial arts weapons.

My problem is though not of a certain material cause, more or less linguistic.
As for my fascination of Japanese lifestyle and discipline regarding honor and sofort, I was wondering if I could have some of these wise words from ancient time, translated into original japanese writing, for me to paint of my wall for example over my window.

As to these quotes I was wondering if I could get some from a Japanese citizen. I would be very grateful to those giving me an answer to my needs.
I would like the quotes in english and translated into Japanese so I know what I'm writing. :)

Vunde
 
Hi, Vunde, welcome to the forum. :hilarious:
I noticed this is your first post. There is an edit key on the bottom of your post window. Click on it, and you can edit or add things within 24 hours from the original post. I'm not a Japanese citizen, but stick around. We have them. Good luck ! :)
 
Yeah.. I noticed.. :p But yeah.. my very first post..

well.. not necessarily Japanese Citizen.. I might have miswritten that one. Anyone able to write kanji will be just fine.. :p

Now that I in the waiting time have been reading the introduction to an online "Teach yourself Japanese"-guide.

Awesome language.. :D Much easier than the languages I know now which at the moment expands to: danish, english, german and to some extent spanish.. besides that I can understand norwegian and swedish.. :p
And I'm not even majoring in languages.. :p Chemistry and Mathematics is my mayors.. :p *showing off-sounds* :p
 
Well, I think it's originally Chinese, but 千里の道も一歩から (senri no michi mo ippo kara) is the Japanese way of saying "even a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." The Japanese version is a lot more concise, isn't it? :D
 
Hey

Thanks for the quote Glenn.. That one is definitely going up on my wall.. :D

About Wikipedia I'm not that much in to that site. Because anyone can come and edit it, without having any credibility.
That's just my point of view, but just keep 'em coming.. :D
 
Vunde said:
About Wikipedia I'm not that much in to that site. Because anyone can come and edit it, without having any credibility.
Ture that it's open to anyone, but quite a few excellent articles are to be found there; wikipedia is well known for its policy of being neutral and objective.

Here's some that might interest you; either corresponding to an English expression or intuitvely understood ideas.

1. あまり物には福がある (Amarimono ni wa fuku ga aru) -- (lit. fortunes exist among leftovers) -- (loosely "One man's trash is another man's treasure" or "There is treasure in what might be considered rubbish.")

2. 長者にニ代なし (Choja-ni nidai nashi) -- (lit. There is no second generation in the millionare) -- (loosely "Wealth shall not last in the next generation".)

3. 知恵者一人馬鹿万人 (Chiesha hitori baka mannin) -- (lit. "For each wise man, ten thousand idiots".)

4. 泥中の蓮 (Deichuu no hachisu) -- (lit. Beautiful lotus flowers in the mud.) -- (loosely "There is hope in every bad situation" or "A corrupt environment not necessarily makes a man corrupt".)

5. One about the fish 鯛 「チョウ、たい」 - sea bream; red snapper (Thank you Glenn!)
海老で鯛を釣る (Ebi de tai wo tsuru) -- (lit. Fishing a sea bream by shrimp) -- (loosely "To lure the game with a small bait" or "Men will lose their fortune on small things".)

6. 覆水盆にかえらず (Fukusui bon ni kaerazu) -- (lit. Spilled water from a cup will never return to the tray) -- (loosely "No use crying over spilt mik" or "It can't be helped".)

7. 風前のともし火 (Fuuzen no tomoshibi) -- (lit. A candle blown by a strong gust of wind) -- (loosely "A situation facing great danger or indomitable challenge".)

8. 下衆の後知恵 (Gesu no atojie) -- (lit. A lowly always think of right way after it's done) -- (loosely "The fool's wisdom that came too late".)

9. 義を見てせざるは勇無きなり (Gi wo mite sezaru ha yuu naki nari) -- (lit. To see a just cause and not to act is lacking in bravery) --this one's obvious.

10. 八方塞がり (Happou fusagari) -- (lit. Eight directions are blocked) -- (loosely "No escape".)

11. 盲蛇に怖じず (Mekura hebi ni ojizu) -- (lit. A blind snake is not scary) from 世話尽

12. 日暮れて道遠し (Higurete michi tooshi) -- (lit. It's a long way after dark) from 史記 -- (loosely "Travel after dark is a long walk".)

13. 人の振り見て我が振りなおせ (Hito no furimite wagafuri naose) -- Instead of accusing others of bad manners, learn from it and behave yourself. (lit. Correct your own behavior by looking at others')

14. 冷や飯を食わせる (Hiyameshi wo kuwaseru) -- (lit. Letting him eat cold meal) -- (loosely "To treat someone coldly/harshly/with discrimination")

15. 言いたい事は明日言え (Iitai koto ha ashita ie) -- (lit. Say it tomorrow if you have something to say) -- (loosely "Let's call it a day, and talk about it later".)

16. 入り鉄砲に出女 (Iri deppou ni deonna) -- (lit. guns enter and women leave)
-- ?

17. 医者の不養生 (Isha no fuyoujou) -- (lit. A doctor's carelessness about his/her own health)

18. 石の上にも三年 (Ishi no ue nimo sannen) -- (lit. Sitting on a stone for three years)

19. 一石二鳥 (Isseki nicho) -- (lit. two birds with one stone)

20. 言わぬが花 (Iwanu ga hana) -- (lit. not speaking is a flower) When kept secret, people tend to imagine it is a very good thing -- (loosely "silence is gold".)

21. 地獄耳 (Jigoku mimi) -- (lit. Hell ear) Ability to catch rumor, gossip, or anything of his/her benefit, or a person who has that ability -- (loosely " a good ear")

22. 壁に耳あり、障子に目あり (Kabe ni mimi ari, shoji ni me ari) -- (lit. the walls have ears, the doors have eyes)

23. 飼い犬に手をかまれる (Kaiinu ni te wo kamareru) -- (lit. A dog biting the feeding hand.)

24. 金持ち喧嘩せず (Kanemochi kenka sezu) -- (lit. The rich don't fight)

25. 河童の川流れ (Kappa no kawa nagare) -- Even professionals fail sometimes

26. 風の中で育った木は根が強い (Kaze no naka de sodatta ki ha ne ga tsuyoi) -- (lit. The roots of a tree that grew up in the wind are strong) --(loosely "Adversity breeds character".)

27. 風と女は閉じ込められない (Kaze to onna ha tojikome rarenai) -- (lit. You can't lock in wind or woman) -- (loosely "Rumors and women are unruly".)

28. 聞くは一時の恥 聞かぬは一生の恥 (Kiku ha ittoki no haji kikanu ha issh・no haji) -- (lit. Shame when you ask is less than when you didn't)

29. 恋に師匠無し (Koi ni shishou nashi) -- (lit. There is no teacher for love) -- (loosely "Love cannot be taught".)

30. 紺屋の白袴 (Konnya no shiro bakama) -- (lit. A white kimono of a dyeing house) -- (loosely "Something unlikely or contradictory")

31. 食うだけなら犬でも食う (Kuu dakenara inu demo kuu) -- (lit. Even dogs eat)

32. まかぬ種は生えぬ (Makanu tane ha haenu) -- (lit. It doesn't bud if you don't seed) -- (loosely "There's a reason to it: you".)

33. 待てば海路の日和有り (Mateba kairo no hiyori ari) -- (lit. Wait and sunny sea weather will be there)

34. 明鏡も裏を照らさず (Meikyou mo ura wo terasazu) -- (lit. Even a clear mirror shows not its back) -- (loosely "Some things are better kept secret".)

35. 名物に美味いものなし (Meibutsu ni umaimono nashi) -- (lit. No famous food is delicious) -- (loosely "Good taste lies in small serving" or "Hearsay often proves inaccurate".)

36. 明鏡止水 (Meikyou shisui) -- (lit. A clear mirror, still water) from 荘子

37. 餅は餅屋 (Mochi ha mochiya) -- (lit. Mochi is mochi store) --(loosely "Leave it to the pros".)

38. ミイラとりがミイラになる (Miiratori ga miira ni naru) -- (lit. A mummy hunter becomes a mummy)

39. 水の泡となる (Mizuno awato naru) -- (lit. it becomes a bubble of water) -- (loosely "A failed attempt".)

40. 物は試し (Monowa tameshi) -- (lit. things are to be tried) -- (loosely "Just do it !")

41. 求めよさらば与えられん (Motomeyo sareba ataeraren) -- (lit. Ask, and it shall be given you)

42. 七転び八起き (Nanakorobi yaoki) -- (lit. You roll seven times and wake up eight times) -- (loosely "Nothing beats persistence".)

43. 猫を被る (Neko wo kaburu) -- (lit. You wear a cat) -- (loosely "Keep cool as a cat".)

44. 女心と秋の空 (Onnagokoro to aki no sora) -- (lit. The heart of a woman in fall sky) -- (loosely "Things aren't predictable".)

45. 押してもだめなら引いてみな (Oshitemo dame nara hiite mina) -- (lit. Pull if it does not work then you push) -- (loosely "If all fails try differently".)

46.
 
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Wooow.. That was quite a bunch, that ought to make my walls well-written.. :p

But I think I have chosen a couple of good ones.. :p But thanks.. I'm surprised over having that many now.. :D

About Wikipedia, it is true that you can find good articles in there, but as a source to some subject or as a source to an argumentation without secondary, it is not worth much. And as for that being my most common use of lexicons etc. that is why I don't use that site. I tend to use Gale SRC Gold instead. :)

Vunde
 
Well, there were more, but my PC froze up; kanji overload I guess. :D
But unless you plan to keep the same wall paper forever, it's handy to keep a backup of phrases. How are you going to post up the characters; calligraphy or printing or handwriting ?
 
ohh.. Yeah.. Kanji Overload it must be..

Actually it's not wallpaper at the top, but instead it's something called.. Glass"tissue", but not in the anatomic way. It is somewhat a kind of wallpaper you put on the wall, but which doesn't take humidity all that much, and therefore keeps the walls dryer instead. Denmark is a country with high humidity, because it is a long way north. In the northen part of Europe it is -
In Scandinavia.

But I will copy the kanji onto a large piece of cardboard in which I will carve them out and with a pencil draw the lines. Afterwards I will use a brush to colour them making it a brushy finish.
So I must say, in hand.. Or somewhat all three styles.. I could also light them up on the wall, with a projector and draw from the image.

Vunde
 
It doesn't sound like a small wallpapering project there. With copying the characters enlarged, cutting and pasting with possible lighting; interior rehaul I sould say. So I presume you're good with your hands, and lighting. Well keep me posted on your project ! 👍
 
Heh.. I will.. And when I'm through with the project I will take pictures and maybe post 'em here. :)
But well.. It's not a small project and also includes building a small wall around my bed with sliding doors and a lot of other interesting stuff. But hey.. I was born with my hands... :p Why not be good with 'em.. :p
 
Vunde said:
also includes building a small wall around my bed with sliding doors and a lot of other interesting stuff. But hey.. I was born with my hands... :p Why not be good with 'em.. :p
Hey, DIY man ! It IS a rather HUMONGOUS project, must cost you a fortune just to get the material and tools. But you're quite right about using the hands. I love to use my hands to fix and build things. I wish I could do more. Would you be interested in the aptitude poll in the forum ?
 
The paint is not all that expensive, the copying is free because I can get my dad to do this, or use my copycard at my school.
Regarding the wall, it is to be a very simple project. I have gotten me five rolls of paper from IKEA.. :p Which is a perfect place to find these kinds of things.

As to the wall's primary structure, I'm considering doing it in a very logical way, using engineerically and physically terms to make it as strong as possible using small semi-bright pieces of wood. Either bright or very dark. Allthoguh I think it's gonna be the bright because the walls in my room is allready somewhat in bright colours.

I actually fixed a broken Playstation a couple of days ago, so I like this too. Electronics engineering, as well as mathematical issues interests me. I also study chemistry intensively and this also interests me.

But I have answered the aptitude poll, as good as I could.. :p :)

Vunde
 
Great pics.. But my room is not that large and only about 5x4 meters..
And my interiors doesn't make it a lot larger.

Large bed, a closet, two desks (one for computer, one for homework), small cosy desk, guitar etc. It easily takes up a lot of space, not building an easy base for the spartan japanese style.

Vunde
 
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