I have a student whose given name is Zǐhàn 子菡. The first character means "child; son; offspring; seed; small thing", plus lots of other things, for which see here. The second character is much more problematic, since it doesn't mean anything by itself, but only in combination, as in the disyllabic word hàndàn 菡萏 (literary […]
Prefatory note: In this post, I take the noun "vaccine" as the basic word under discussion, but also consider other cognate terms ("vaccinate", "vaccination"). Here's a standard dictionary entry for "vaccine": n. 1. any preparation of weakened or killed bacteria or viruses introduced into the body to prevent a disease by stimulating antibodies against it.2. […]
Tim Leonard just came across this article from five years ago that hypothesizes a common origin for the names of the Red Sea, Black Sea, and (in Turkish) White Sea and Blue Sea: "It Works for the Turks: A Colour for Each Direction"Frank Jacobs, Big Think (3/6/16) Peter Golden has often talked to me about […]
Under "Frontiers of recycling", Brian Leiter tweeted this charming sign: Frontiers of recycling: pic.twitter.com/YvnzD106r4 — Brian Leiter (@BrianLeiter) April 26, 2021
I've often heard of important discoveries at Tel Lachish, and I have a special interest in the origins of the alphabet, which I consider one of the most important inventions in the history of humankind. So when I saw the title of this article, I perked up instantaneously. "Archaeologists Think They’ve Found Missing Link in […]
An anonymous collector recently sent me photographs of a handscroll featuring eight manifestations of Guanyin (Skt. Avalokiteśvara), the Bodhisattva of Compassion painted on silk, circa 1940s. A striking feature of this handscroll is that each painting of one of the manifestations is accompanied by a vertical Manchu inscription on the upper right side. The Manchu writing looks genuine, but it has some characteristics that […]
[This is a guest post by Nathan Hopson] I never thought this day would come. From convenience stores to high-end luxury retailers, the daily soundscape of Japan is punctuated by millions upon millions of calls of “Irassshaimase!” It’s a greeting so pervasive that it becomes one of the most searing impressions of the country for […]
A gēnpìchóng 跟屁虫 (lit., "follow-fart-bug / worm") is somebody who tags along after someone else so as to smell his farts, i.e., someone who follows another person all the time, a copycat, a shadow, a flatterer, sycophant, boot / ass licker, kiss-ass, yes man. And here's a cute little tutorial about how to be a […]
This morning, by chance, I learned about the great urban center of Caral in Peru, 120 miles north of Lima. It was occupied between ca. 26th century BC and 20th century BC and had more than 3,000 inhabitants. It was said to be the oldest urban center in the Americas and the largest for the […]
Recently published in the Wall Street Journal: "Tokyo’s Anti-Olympic Movement Ask: Why Haven’t the Games Been Canceled? The Japanese public remains opposed to the Tokyo Olympics as coronavirus cases surge across the country", by Alastair Gale, WSJ, April 14, 2021