Wonderful Winding Words: Touring in Four Languages (Chinese, English, French, German)

By François Pialat

WONDERFUL WINDING WORDS
Touring in four languages
(Chinese, English, French, German)

From Franois PIALAT




Welcome to this phrase-book in 4 languages (Chinese, English, French and German) which let us discovers fluent words and expressions from our daily life. We are at the crossing of Asian and European civilisations which intermingle with each others. Each civilisation shows its spirit according to its experience. A flow of ideas carries away the reader, awaking his perception. Funny, baffling, picturesque, echoingA colour, a fragrance, a scent beyond the words gives them their own sensibility.

The hundred words chosen by the writer during his peregrinations and recollections are enriching our knowledge on our own vocabulary and the one of our neighbours from here and abroad. We discover an unusual Anglo-Saxon world and the Far East is bringing its exotic touch. Each word may have a special resonance in the imaginary or in the reality.

Short, a clever book to learn while amusing oneself, confirming the maxim: Truth in the Pyrenees, mistake beyond.

After having studied in Bournemouth, England, Tbingen and Bochum, Germany, the French author discovers ethnology with the hill tribes of the Golden Triangle, Thailand. His passion for Asia leads him to study Asian languages and civilisations.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Aug 23, 2011
• ISBN: 9781456789237

François Pialat

After having studied in Bournemouth, England, Tübingen and Bochum, Germany, the French author discovers ethnology with the hill tribes of the Golden Triangle, Thailand. His passion for Asia leads him to study Asian languages and civilisations.

Book preview

1

Lead

Lead is a very dense grey bluish metal called le plomb in French or, das Blei in German. For the alchemists it becomes Saturn from the name of a God—Jupiter’s father—and of a planet.

To lack ballast, i.e. to be scattered-brained, thoughtless, is translated in French by n’avoir pas de plomb dans la tête, (wfw: to have no lead in the head) being matter-of-fact, this really means the contrary of being a cool hand!

The fuse of an electric counter is translated in French by plomb.

2

Thunder

Jupiter, Saturn’s son (see lead*) was the God of thunder in the Roman mythology. His counterpart in Scandinavia was named Thor.

We speak of a fuse of applause, or better a round, a salve of applause; but I would still prefer a thunder of applause. In the same way, in French it is un tonnerre d’applaudissements.

In German, der Donner means thunder, but when we need to applause, it becomes a storm! with der Sturm des Beifalls.

3

Chinese

We often call to mind some monkey’ tricks when speaking of unnecessary or crank intricacies, where the French says chinoiseries, a term which even the Chinese ignore, who are called in French slang chinetongs! Here, we remain in the metal field: after lead*, we come to bronze*. Indeed qintong refers to bronze in Chinese. But let’s come back to our monkey’ tricks which English people attribute to monkeys rather than to Chinese. With the German language, we go back to China, since they are speaking of die Zopfigkeit, we would say a kind of hair in plaits or pigtail! in the Chinese fashion. Chinese had their skull shaved except a long hair-plait which they let grow in the very middle of the skull to be taken away to paradise. To follow these windings, we need to be as quick-moving as a monkey, isn’t?

4

Monkey

This mammal primate has given us several expressions, as the one, we just encountered, or the French proverbial phrase: on n’apprend pas à un vieux singe à faire la grimace. (We don’t learn to an old ape, how to pull a face); In English it becomes a dog: you cannot teach old dogs new tricks. But all things considered, we could ask to be paid in monkey’s money, F.: payer en monnaie de singe, i.e. be rewarded in mumbling and grimace—as here—English people also say to let s.o. whistle for his money. As far as I am concerned, I would like to be paid this way. Yes! When you know that a monkey in Shakespeare’s country is slang for £ 500, or USD 500 in America. All this, you will tell me, is really a puzzle. Beware your language, since a monkey puzzle is anything but the common name of the araucaria, this Chilean pine growing in the Arauco district! which French have called arbre aux singes (monkeys’ tree) and botanists monkey’s despair since the prickled branches puzzle even our despaired monkeys to climb.

If you take sg to heart*, you may always take a small monkey to get slightly tipsy ; since the Germans say this when they drink too much, veil their face : einen kleinen Affen haben (word for word : to have a small monkey) or don’t buy any, since sich einen Affen kaufen means to get drunk (wfw to buy oneself a monkey!). The monkey is also known as a god within the Indian folk, under the name of Hanuman 1. It’s him who allowed the introduction of Buddhism into China, where the restless adventures of the Pilgrim Monkey 2 are often mentioned.

5

Bronze

This copper-tin alloy also known in literature under the name airain in French (brass) showed us how China was proud of it. (See Chinese*). Was she not in the heart of the Bronze Age? F. au coeur du bronze. Not to be mistaken with F. cœur de bronze, this vital hard and insensitive organ: a heart of steel! which the Frenc h translate by a heart of iron (F. un coeur de fer). We should know if it is of steel, bronze or iron? In the doubt, we may always say that the person having such an organ is a man of iron, F. un homme de fer, i.e. un coeur de fer (an heart of iron).

In German, bronze is called das Erz (ore) and not das Herz (heart*). French friends, learn how to breathe this sound at the risk of not being understood! However, Germans are closer to nature than French people since they claim to have a stone-heart, ein Felsenherz, instead of a steel-heart! In this way we may have too many irons in the fire, which French equivalent is tomber les quatre fers en l’air (wfw: to fall the four irons in the open), meaning to go sprawling or to fall backwards. The other French meaning would be avoir trop de marrons au feu (to have too many chestnuts in the fire) which indeed means rather to try to do two things at once or F. courir deux lièvres à la fois (to run after two hares* at a time).

If we stay with the animals, we ought to think to pig-iron, the crude iron from smelting-furnace, F. fonte en saumon (smelting in salmon) or gueuse. Is there really a difference between pig and salmon? Not that much, since they are both pink.

6

Hare

But what is becoming out of our hare in all that? In German der Hase, you know: the doe-hare or doe-rabbit-warren, commonly doe-rabbit, F. la hase, closer to German than English. You ought to buy a pig in a poke, do a blind bargain. F. acheter le lièvre dans le sac (to buy the hare in the bag) or acheter chat en poche (to buy the cat in a pocket) The French hare becomes a pig in English and also a cat in German language, since they say man muβ keine Katze im Sack kaufen. We really ought to know if it is a pig, a cat or a hare. After all, don’t Chinese name the mountain-cat as being a rabbit? Their common word Ch. shanmao refers indeed to a tiger-cat.

7

Cat

From hare to cat, it’s only a jump—as well as between France and Germany. When could we then call a spade a spade, F. appeler un chat un chat (to call a cat a cat), G. das Kind bei rechten Namen nennen, (to call the child by his right name) i.e. to call things by their proper names. That’s what Frenchmen do when they speak to each other in lovely terms saying: mon chat (my cat), mon petit chat (my kitten), or even ma chatte (my she-cat), Countercheck quarrelsome shall we say in using the phrase tit for tat, F. A bon chat, bon rat (For a good cat, a good rat), G. Wurst wider Wurst, (chitterings against chitterings or rather sucker against sucker, short "give and take".

We understand that Englishmen with their tit for tat are rather for F. coup pour coup (stroke for stroke) in this sentence. But when they have got a frog in their throat they first think to us, French frog*-eaters; we stay with our pet, the cat, in saying avoir un chat dans la gorge (to have a cat in one’s throat). Notwithstanding they would like to eat some Frenchies for lack of frogs! And, we shall silence them!

8

Frog

However the Germans also say er hat einen Frosch im Halse as they speak of s.o. who suffers from hoarseness or from temporary loss of voice.

But we should not put on an affected air! In G. Sei kein Frosch! (wfw: don’t be a frog). Either the frog is in the throat or in the plate… to be eaten! It’s the cashier who made off with the cash, F. a mangé la grenouille (has eaten the frog), G. mit der Kasse durch-brennen (to burn the cash-box through).

The English word frog means grenouille in French; they call us froggies because the back legs of the edible frog form a delicacy in French cuisine. But they also name the frog: Dutch nightingale, probably because the croak of frogs is similar to the hellish burden of this bird’s song. In Chinese, frog is pronounced wa; farmers often call it tian-ji (celestial cock) meaning also partridge, because they thought that the frog’s semen was falling from heaven. Until the Middle-Ages they believed that the frog could change into a quail. This is a moon creature as the toad.

In Taiwan, the word green frog is forbidden subject for the woman race because this creature is supposed to look like the body of a young girl. In France too, since we evidently use this word. And the German to be found of Froschschenken, frog’s thighs! or legs… the human ones not the batrachian’s !

9

Rat

The Egyptians and Phrygians deified rats. In Egypt, it symbolised utter destruction and also wise judgment. Indeed rats were always choosing the best piece of bread. We are far from the English people who believe the contrary when they use the word rats! to indicate nonsense ! or an exclamation of annoyance.

In love term we use mon petit rat (my little rat) as chat (cat*); the Germans prefer it to cat for this kind of relationship, mein Mäuschen! remains by far more sentimental than darling.

The rat, Ch. shu, is also the first Chinese zodiacal sign, and is connected to money. Like in our French phrase c’est un rat (it’s a rat), he is a niggard, G. der Geizhals (thirsty throat! Funny how the Germans keep the word throat like for the frog*!).

In England also they were hunting the rat, to take a rat by the tail meant to cut a traveller’s purse. In the French tube there exists a bonus for rat’s tail given to workers and sewer-men that clean the capital’s undergrounds. They show the tail as proof of their capture.

F. être fait comme un rat (to be made like a rat) meaning to be caught out, to be trapped, might come from this.

But there exist several kinds of rats, the most known are the young ballet-girls, les Petits Rats (the Little Rats) de l’Opéra (the t must have fallen in the oubliettes?—Opérat—); The French people consider also les rats de bibliothèque (librarian rats), the regular attenders of librairies, G. der Bücherwurm (the book-worm), as its name indicates it’s a worm devouring books; we also have les rats d’église (church rats), the devout attenders at church services. Hullo! Again a relationship in French with our dear batrachians, since we also speak of grenouilles de bénitier! (holy-water basin frogs) to name bigoted churchwomen. Every one is sex and its representation, isn’t?

As in French les rats quittent le navire quand il fait eau (rats are leaving the vessel when water comes in), G. die Ratten verlassen das sinkende Schiff, I believe, we ought to leave before it’s too late. Let’s go at senator’s small pace like the… tortoise in French.

10

Tortoise

We have to mention the worldly known La Fontaine’s fable Le lièvre et la tortue (The hare* and the tortoise) in which the tortoise pictures slowness and determination: slowly but surely. We have drawn expressions from it: marcher d’un pas de tortue (to walk at tortoise’s pace), avancer comme une tortue (to progress like a tortoise), where English people prefer the snail: to go at a snail’s pace indicating a very slow movement.

By the way: nail means clou in French, but un clou de girofle is translated by one word only: clove; whereas snail-clover is a plant like lucerne with spiral pods, hence snails, which is far from gillyflower.

The Germans are following the English people with: wie eine Schnecke gehen (to go like a snail) or der Schneckengang (snail’s pace).

For the Chinese, this reptile, called gui, is picturing sky and earth. In fact the top of the shell is compared to the vault of heaven and the rounded flat bottom to the disc of the earth. It pictures long life and is an immortal creature, the heroin of many fairy tales. Besides the word guitou (tortoise’s head) indicates the penis head. This picture is rather seducing, isn’t? Exactly like the tortoise showing its head in and out.

In the Indian myth, our tortoise Chukwa, is always saddle with blame since it supports the elephant * Maha-pudma who himself carries the world. By the way, the Swahili word chukwa means to carry. Short, the tortoise embodies the female principle, the elephant the male one, and both are life symbols.

After all, how do we say tortoise in German? Die Schildkröte (the toad with a shell)! Yes, a toad, and I know a lot who would like to fill their pocket with it, since the German slang expression ein paar Kröten in der Tasche (some toads in the pocket) indicates dough!

11

Elephant

This pachyderm also indicates with its heavy and imposing mass a certain way of going. We also call elephant, a very dick and fat person having a heavily walk. It’s certainly the most interesting animal of our civilisation. We immediately think to Africa, Asia and to ivory, G. das Elfenbein.

In Africa, it is Ivory Coast, F. la Côte d’Ivoire, G. die Elfenbeinküste.

In Asia, we have already met Maha-pudma in India, but other countries, China, Thailand—previously Siam, Laos also worshipped this animal.

In Chinese, the word xiàng means both elephant and to look like. This is the symbol of strength and cunning as for the lion, the leopard and the tiger. But moreover it is a sign of good omen often shaped by a child holding a sceptre in his hand, on elephant’s back. Besides the picture symbols qi xiàng (to mount onto elephant’s back) and ji xiang (joy, good omen) are phonetically very close. At chess the bishop is called elephant.

Laos, said to be the Country of Million Elephants (the lân-xang Kingdom), gives also a very important place to the elephant. We have already heard from its worshiping which the Thais have in the white elephant.

Only the English people do consider the white elephant as a rather burdensome and annoying property because they refer to the story of a King of Siam who offered a white elephant to courtiers whose popularity they wanted to acquire. But the title of King of the White Elephant remains in the Ava Kingdom (presently Myanmar and former Burma), as well as in Thailand, the climax of power. Few are the persons decorated with the famous white elephant’s medal.

As far as the Americans are concerned, when they see the elephant, they express that they have seen all there is to see! You will tell me that they make mountains out of molehills, F. en faire une montagne (to make a mountain out of it), when the German says he is making an elephant from a fly, aus der Mücke ein Elefanten machen! We could also say in French faire d’un oeuf un boeuf (to make a bull * out of an egg).

The French expression un éléphant dans un magasin de porcelaine or G. er betrug sich wie ein Elefant im Porzellanladen (he behaves himself like an elephant in a china store) is changed in English with a bull in a china shop! when speaking of a dullard intervening in a ticklish situation. To remember all these expressions, we need of course a big memory, F. avoir une mémoire d’éléphant (to have an elephant memory), without being vindictive, since it is one of the meanings of this phrase…

12

Bull

The French people say: qui vole un oeuf, vole un boeuf (wfw: who steals an egg will steal a bull). This ruminant mammal is also a sign of majesty and power, F. il est fort comme un boeuf (wfw: he is strong like a bull), such as a beast of burden, hence F. c’est un boeuf au travail (wfw: he is a bull at work) for the usual English expression: he’s a glutton for work, G. er ist ein echtes Arbeitspferd (wfw: he’s a true working horse*). Here our ox or bull has been changed into a horse! When English people speak of ox-bow, they indeed wish to name the horseshoe bend in a river, i.e. the dead arm of a river.

We clearly understand that they also hesitate between the bull and the horse… However in speaking of ox they refer to the Norman Conquest when the Saxon herdsmen used the word ox for their beast, when the Normans had the cooked meat name with the appropriate French name: boeuf, i.e. beef for it.

We couldn’t cite the ox, or the bull, without a glimpse at Egypt. The Egyptians worshipped Apis, the sacred bull, wearing sometimes the solar disc between its horns when he was compared to Re—the sun-god—.

In China the common name for ox is niu, it is the animal that draws the cart, the beast of burden. Still to-day a lot of Chinese don’t eat beef because they think it is not keen to kill and eat a creature serving man during harvest. This taboo seems to go back to the beginning of Buddhism banishing meat, especially beef meat. With the ox, we have to name the buffalo, this spring and plough symbol.

Do you know that the oldest coin of Greece bore the impress of an ox? It was the money used for bribery, a kind of F. pot-de-vin (wwf: pot of wine), i.e. hush-money, for which we ought to keep a stubborn silence. Hence the other expression used both in English and in French: to have an ox on one’s tongue, F. mettre un boeuf sur la langue. The German says shortly halt Rand! i.e. shut up !

Finally we have F. l’oeil-de-boeuf, bull’s eye and not ox-eye; the former indicating a thick disc of glass or a small circular window, the latter a great daisy! But it’s also the centre of target, to make a bull’s eye or to score a bull means a successful coup F. faire mouche (wfw: to make fly) or to hit the centre of the target, F. mettre dans le mille (wfw: to put in the thousand). I beg your pardon if I jump thus from coq-à-l’âne (wfw: from cock to donkey*) meaning skipping from one subject to another, which English people qualify of Irish-bull? And then, they have to be marked off from us by using different words, don’t you think so? We have seen that our elephant* was walking in a china shop, they, they want absolutely that it be a bull, with a bull in a china shop! Notice, the French language remains a very rich one since we may answer them it is like un taureau en rupture d’étable (wfw: a bull in