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Learn Chinese/Japanese with Sensei: 自由自在
133 sats \ 4 comments \ @cryotosensei 27 Dec 2024 ideasfromtheedge
zaps forwarded to @didiplaywell (21%)
Previously, I wrote about 自由人.
When you understand that 自由 equates to freedom, you will be able to access the beauty of this high-frequency, high-utility idiom: 自由自在. I spotted this idiom pretty often during my stay in Japan. This was seen on the cover of a revision book aimed at junior high school students:
The characters are identical in Chinese and Japanese, so you just need to remember the respective pronunciation for each.
Chinese reading: zì yóu zì zài Japanese reading: jiyū jizai
So how is this idiom related to the concept of freedom? Well, it means that you are carefree and not bound by restrictions.
In the context of the revision book, using 自由自在 means that you can master the subject in a relaxed and leisurely manner.
Of course, you can say that you are stacking sats in a ziyou zizai manner!
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24 sats \ 2 replies \ @flat24 27 Dec 2024
Chinese and Japanese are the most complicated languages, in my opinion. I was recently watching a documentary about China, and at one point they were talking about words and their phonetics and I was surprised to find that there is a word "Ma" that, depending on the intonation, means something different ehem. Maa Ma Maaa Maaaaa as something similar to what I tried to represent with my example. That really blew my mind 🤯
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25 sats \ 1 reply \ @cryotosensei OP 27 Dec 2024
Actually Chinese only has four tones. I think other tonal languages like Thai and Vietnamese have more tones. Yup, it boggles my mind too haha
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @flat24 27 Dec 2024
Actually Chinese only has four tones. I think other tonal languages like Thai and Vietnamese have more tones.
Thank you very much for this interesting information, I didn't know it!
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11 sats \ 0 replies \ @didiplaywell fwd 27 Dec 2024
I love that every idiom can be decoded only by considering the complete combination tree. I love that so many of this idioms are constructed as pairs and pairs of pairs, and architecture that's even algebraically sound (literally, it's the reason computers architectures use octal).
I like how comprehensive the expression is while being so succinct, in regard to what's ideal to be able to learn something:
自由 -> free mind
自在 -> free existence
So it considers you can devote into the task if you can devote both your thoughts and your time. So it acknowledges that you can think of it but might not have the time, and vice-versa. A lot of care on such a simple expression!! Love it
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