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Need help with translation...

S.Haugtredet
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S.Haugtredet Apprentice

S.Haugtredet

Posted
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Posted

Actually i don`t know the background for the phrase, i`m just trying to get it translated for a frind of mine wich hasn`t told me much about it...just that he would like the meaning/transelation of it. I don`t think it`s sword related tho.

Would be great if you could roughly translate it Nobody.

 

Have a nice day :-)

Nobody Grand Master

Nobody

Posted
Posted

Although the phrase consists of kanji, the phrase is not Japanese language or at least modern Japanese. It might be a part of Chinese classics or Japanese classics using Chinese style. Anyway I am unsure about the meaning.

 

Yesterday, I guess the meaning as below. But now, I think it is not the right answer. I really do not know the correct answer.

“While making peace, prepare for the war.â€

 

Are there any persons who have an education of Chinese?......maybe, Guido, Milt??

sencho Mentor

sencho

Posted
Posted

Strangley similar to the following:

 

“Si vis pacem, para bellumâ€

 

from (Roman General) Flavius Vegetius Renatus circa 375 AD

 

Translated; “If you want peace, prepare for war."

 

This is a Roman dictum which theorises that a build up of an offensive can be purely defensive.

 

Cheers

John A Stuart

John A Stuart

Posted
Posted

Hi Nigel, That is latin for you. It depends on who is translating and the context. I am playing with the possible ways to interpret what a Roman general would really say with what a scholar/priest would interpret him as saying. Like "To see the power of peace, prepare for war", or " If only the strength of peace is to prepare for war". It is a more literal way of looking at it. I'm sure a general would be more to the point but the other ways of interpretation are less literal but more literary. John

sencho Mentor

sencho

Posted
Posted

Hey shipmate,

 

well you are way out of my league with that... however I do agree with you about the "bite" of the phrase. thanks for putting that explanation up there.

 

Cheers

Gaijin Contributor

Gaijin

Posted
Posted

Sencho san arigato :D , translation was done by my wife also (i am bad with kanji) , that is why i had doubts :lol: but since it is confirmed i feel safe now.

Thank you.

Nobody Grand Master

Nobody

Posted
Posted
Sorry for highjacking the thread, could you guys verify if i got this right ?

Hi,

石見 is an old place name and it reads "Iwami", not "Ishimi".

Bungo Veteran

Bungo

Posted
Posted

ok boys, want a challenge ?

 

translate this !!

 

By the way, there's kanji written all over the saya, including the mune side !!

 

supposedly an old classical Chinese poem about loyalty and such.

p.s. the katana is massice and longer than the usual, O-suriage, koto.

One side of the saya attributed this to Bizen Osafune Kiyomitsu, but most likely Bungo.

 

milt THE ronin

post-18-14196734729453_thumb.jpg

post-18-14196734730302_thumb.jpg

Gaijin Contributor

Gaijin

Posted
Posted

Originally i had it translated as Nobuyori , but after 1 hour with dictionary my "translator" forced me to change it to Nobunao, now it's a delema...Nobuyori vs Nobunao :dunno:

kusunokimasahige Grand Master

kusunokimasahige

Posted
Posted

As Roman Buff and Re-enactor of Imperial Rome i must agree with the VEGETIvS explanation!!

 

Nice to see that also Ancient Rome has left something in the eastern hemisphere!! ;)

 

btw......

 

at http://www.romanarmy.com 's forum we have a long, ongoing (anachronistic) thread about what would happen if a Roman Legion would meet a Samurai army........ (without the use of Teppo!!)

 

Pesonally I am still convinced the Samurai would win...

 

KM

Guido Grand Master

Guido

Posted
Posted

I haven't spoken Chinese for almost six years, and was never really fluent in it anyhow, so please take my comments with a grain of salt:

 

The Kanji in the first post look somehow off to me, and don't seem to be proper Chinese - or it's Japanese cousin Kambun. I would imagine that "if you want peace, prepare for war" should look more like 和平為戦争備.

 

BTW, there's an old Japanese proverb that has pretty much the same meaning: 治に居て、乱を忘れず - chi ni ite, ran o wasurezu.

 

FWIW

Guido Grand Master

Guido

Posted
Posted
Guido, would you think classical Japanese is very much more difficult than modern Japanese?

The only classical Japanese I was ever exposed to is in it's written form, mostly Kambun - and to give a short answer: yes, it's a royal pain in the ... uhm ... neck!

 

Take my signature, for example:

 

The "Kun-yomi" is

書を検（しら）べるに、燭（ともしび）を短く焼き、剣を看（み）るに、杯（さかずき）を長く引く。

The "On-yomi" reads

書を検（けん）するに、燭（しょく）を短く焼き、剣を看（かん）するに、杯（はい）を長く引く。

 

And to be honest: a good friend of mine who's educated in Kambun figured this one out, my original transcription was somehow different .. :oops:

This thread is quite old. Please consider starting a new thread rather than reviving this one, unless your post is really relevant and adds to the topic..

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