|
|
Post by maredudd on Jun 25, 2009 11:45:23 GMT -5
I will be fighting in a (SCA) tournament in August. I would like to put the Japanese characters for "Guess what day it is" on my banner.
(There is a motivational statement: "I can only beat you one day in a hundred; guess what day it is")
Can anyone help with:
a). the kanji for this, or a reasonable approximation thereof;
b). a phonetic guide to saying the Japanese words, so that I can use them as a battle cry.
|
|
|
|
Post by Yamanouchi Eidou on Jun 25, 2009 12:08:16 GMT -5
Hyakunichi no ichinichi ni makaseru ze. Kyou wa nannichi darou?
First stab.
Explanation
Hyakunichi ni Ichinichi:
1 tenth: jubun no ichi (Lit: 1 of ten parts) I thought a similar grammar structure might be viable.
It might be possible to shorten it to "Hyakunichi no ichi" but I'm not sure.
Makaseru: From the verb Makasu; "to defeat" or rather "To cause to lose". The -eru on the end implies an ability to do. It's very important to get the right knaji for this as another "Makaseru" means "to entrust". If you really need to direct it at another person, I suppose you could say "Sesshya wo makaseru ze" but that seems stilted to me.
darou: A casual version of deshou.
Also, if I were being particularly crude, I'd probably switch out darou for jyarou.
|
|
|
|
Post by takadainotora on Jun 25, 2009 12:45:11 GMT -5
I might change the first part to the following:
"Hyakunichi no naka de, ichinich ni...." which is more along the lines of "among a hundred days, one day (is the time)when..."
|
|
|
|
Post by Yamanouchi Eidou on Jun 25, 2009 16:15:03 GMT -5
It seems to me that that might be a little long winded and stilted. Maybe I'm wrong though. The "naka" seems unnecessary.
On further reflection, I would in fact change to "Hyakunichi no hitotsu ni" which I feel sounds more fluid. The implication here (If we start looking into more literal translations) is "Of one hundred days, on one of them..."
Also, wouldn't we find "no naka ni" rather than "de"?
|
|
Saionji Shonagon
New Member
One dreamed of becoming somebody. Another remained awake and became. (Found in a fortune cookie.)
Posts: 7,240
|
Post by Saionji Shonagon on Jun 25, 2009 17:38:49 GMT -5
"Aren't you a little long, hard to pronounce and incomprehensible for a battle cry?" ;-D Think about it. Most of the classics are pretty simple. "God wills it." "For Harry, England and St. George." "Remember the Alamo." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_cry has some more. Short, sweet and pronounceable by you at full volume is the ticket. She who is very proud of her progress at taiko kiai... |
|
|
|
Post by Yamanouchi Eidou on Jun 25, 2009 23:09:54 GMT -5
I suppose you're right for when a person is charging down the battlefield to their opponent. However, as it is for a banner, I can see the appeal of trash talk. In rapier fighting we often do the same thing to taunt our opponents.
As battlecries go though, Some friends of mine once decided to use the Latin "Ne in Vultu!" as an Estrella battlecry. You could tell the people on the other team who knew Latin because they stopped short as they said to themselves "Not in the Face?"
|
|
|
|
Post by maredudd on Jun 26, 2009 4:51:08 GMT -5
I guess I wasn't clear enough  The part I actually want to use is the "Guess what day it is" Knowing the whole thing is ideal (but not strictly necessary). How much goes on the banner depends on what the kanji are. Many thanks to all who have contributed so far. |
|
|
|
Post by Yamanouchi Eidou on Jun 26, 2009 10:38:14 GMT -5
To be fair, I bet you'd have better luck with putting "1 day in a hundred" on the banner. It feels more Japanese. It would be very zen.
|
|
|
|
Post by solveig on Jun 26, 2009 16:21:03 GMT -5
Noble Cousins!
Greetings from Solveig! Although the theme doesn't necessarily sound all that Japanese to me, how about 百日の一 Hyakunichi no ichi?
|
|
AJBryant
New Member
甲冑師 katchuu-shi
Posts: 1,972
|
Post by AJBryant on Jun 26, 2009 16:36:19 GMT -5
I really think that would have to be 百日の一日 to be clear.
|
|
|
|
Post by solveig on Jun 26, 2009 22:34:03 GMT -5
Baron Edward!
Greetings from Solveig! You know better than to expect super-duper clarity in Japanese expression. For example, Momotarou conventionally bears a banner reading 日本一桃太郎
If anything, Japanese banners and what naught tend toward compact expression. For that matter, just how many 第一回 can a country support?
|
|
AJBryant
New Member
甲冑師 katchuu-shi
Posts: 1,972
|
Post by AJBryant on Jun 26, 2009 23:43:56 GMT -5
Yes, but XYZ-ichi is a standard phrase in Japanese. And it does not the carry the same meaning as "one day in a hundred."
|
|
|
|
Post by Yamanouchi Eidou on Jun 27, 2009 10:42:52 GMT -5
Yay! my base grammar theme was right! I knew I spent all that time talking with old japanese men for something.
|
|
|
|
Post by solveig on Jun 27, 2009 20:15:00 GMT -5
Baron Edward! Greetings from Solveig! Yes, but XYZ-ichi is a standard phrase in Japanese. And it does not the carry the same meaning as "one day in a hundred." Part of the whole problem is that "One in a Million" or "One Day in a Hundered" or whatever are more characteristic of English in the first place. |
|
AJBryant
New Member
甲冑師 katchuu-shi
Posts: 1,972
|
Post by AJBryant on Jun 27, 2009 23:00:05 GMT -5
Baron Edward! Part of the whole problem is that "One in a Million" or "One Day in a Hundered" or whatever are more characteristic of English in the first place. True that.  Even Laozi's famous axiom, "A journey of a thousand li begins with one step" is... well, a convenient mistranslation. That "one step" isn't a counted step in Chinese, it's the Japanese "ashimoto". A more literal and accurate trans would be "A journey of a thousand li begins at your feet (*implying* stepping off, but not counting a single first step)". That said, I expect 百日之一日 would be perfectly understandable, if eccentric. |
|
