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Same words for ’soul’ and ’breath’ | ||
Tags: Vocabulary learning | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Philological Room |  | |
| Kyle Groupie United States Joined 7078 days ago 49 posts - 49 votes | Message 9 of 24 19 July 2005 at 12:24am | IP Logged | ||
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In, Japanese a character pronounded "KI" is used in the words:
"kikotsu" (spirit, soul) "kisoku" (breath, breathing) "genki" (health, vigor, good spirits) I looked up the exact meaning of the character, and its definition was 'soul,' 'spirit,' 'air,' 'essence,' or 'energy.' I wonder if the equivalent character in Chinese, (I think its pronounced 'qi5') has a similar meaning. Edited by Kyle on 19 July 2005 at 12:29am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Lugubert Heptaglot Senior Member Sweden Joined 6870 days ago 186 posts - 235 votes  Speaks: Swedish*, Danish, Norwegian, EnglishC2, German, Dutch, French Studies: Mandarin, Hindi | Message 10 of 24 05 February 2006 at 2:01pm | IP Logged | ||
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Chinese qi4 is gas, air, breadth,smell, get angry, and more. No soul. Edited by Lugubert on 05 February 2006 at 2:04pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| victor Tetraglot Moderator United States Joined 7321 days ago 1098 posts - 1056 votes 6 sounds Speaks: Cantonese*, English, FrenchC1, Mandarin Studies: Spanish Personal Language Map | Message 11 of 24 05 February 2006 at 2:22pm | IP Logged | ||
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But what about ling2 qi4?
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| Marin Triglot Groupie Croatia Joined 7062 days ago 50 posts - 51 votes Speaks: Croatian*, English, Italian Studies: German, Russian, Persian | Message 12 of 24 05 February 2006 at 4:41pm | IP Logged | ||
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Croatian soul is duša and breath is dah, so they're not the same.
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 jeff_lindqvist Diglot Moderator SwedenRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6912 days ago 4250 posts - 5711 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English Studies: German, Spanish, Russian, Dutch, Mandarin, Esperanto, Irish, French Personal Language Map | Message 13 of 24 05 February 2006 at 4:57pm | IP Logged | ||
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From Learn Cantonese!:
hei3 xi4 qi4 [1] [n] air; gas; steam; vapor [2] spirit; morale [3] breath [4] influence [5] smells; odors [6] [v] be angry; be indignant; rage; anger [7] bearing; manner [8] [v] provoke; goad; make angry; annoy [9] weather Similar enough? Edited by jeff_lindqvist on 05 February 2006 at 4:58pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| fanatic Octoglot Senior Member Australia speedmathematics.com Joined 7149 days ago 1152 posts - 1818 votes Speaks: English*, German, French, Afrikaans, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Dutch Studies: Swedish, Norwegian, Polish, Modern Hebrew, Malay, Mandarin, Esperanto | Message 14 of 24 06 February 2006 at 6:09am | IP Logged | ||
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In Hebrew, Ruakh means both spirit and wind.
I wonder if the use of the same word has more to do with religious belief than anything else. You do get spirit in English and esprit in French meaning both spirit (as in ghost) and morale. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Lugubert Heptaglot Senior Member Sweden Joined 6870 days ago 186 posts - 235 votes Speaks: Swedish*, Danish, Norwegian, EnglishC2, German, Dutch, French Studies: Mandarin, Hindi | Message 15 of 24 06 February 2006 at 10:26am | IP Logged | ||
I liked that one. I should have thought of it myself. There was almost a debate in Swedish press when the new Bible translation, Bibel 2000, was made public. One of the most controversial items was that the hovering ruach elohim Guds ande 'the spirit of God' in Gen. 1, who had been there all the time was replaced by en Gudsvind 'a wind of God'. [derail]Some translators insist that the expression means 'a strong wind', leading me to suggest the rendering Och Gud vad det blĺste 'Oh God, the way the wind was blowing'.[/derail] 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| wetnose Groupie United States Joined 6981 days ago 90 posts - 98 votes Studies: Mandarin, English* Studies: Japanese | Message 16 of 24 06 February 2006 at 1:13pm | IP Logged | ||
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for chinese qi4 is breath, air, but also used for that mystical internal energy stuff. not exactly soul, i don't think, but close enough.
spirit, too, but not like "a spirit" (noun), more like "the spirit of" (adverb) Edited by wetnose on 06 February 2006 at 1:14pm 1 person has voted this message useful |
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