Comments on: Kanji Blog Post #4 http://www.evekushner.com/writing/kanji-blog-post-4/ Profiles and Other Writing from Eve Kushner Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:34:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: carolyn http://www.evekushner.com/writing/kanji-blog-post-4/comment-page-1/#comment-7970 carolyn Sat, 10 Apr 2010 23:46:34 +0000 http://www.evekushner.com/writing/?p=117#comment-7970 Thank you Eve, I've had a good laugh at the 5th definition! I didn't know that one either... but I can imagine the insect imagery. Thank you Eve,
I’ve had a good laugh at the 5th definition!
I didn’t know that one either… but I can imagine the insect imagery.

]]> By: Eve Kushner http://www.evekushner.com/writing/kanji-blog-post-4/comment-page-1/#comment-7964 Eve Kushner Fri, 09 Apr 2010 18:56:57 +0000 http://www.evekushner.com/writing/?p=117#comment-7964 Hi, Carolyn. Thanks for the comment! Yes, I should have said (per Breen) that "cockroach" is an obscure definition of 油虫. I love his 5th definition of it: "visitor to a red-light district who's only there to look"! :-) I didn't know anything about aphids, so thanks for the info.! Hi, Carolyn.

Thanks for the comment! Yes, I should have said (per Breen) that “cockroach” is an obscure definition of 油虫. I love his 5th definition of it: “visitor to a red-light district who’s only there to look”! :-)

I didn’t know anything about aphids, so thanks for the info.!

]]> By: carolyn http://www.evekushner.com/writing/kanji-blog-post-4/comment-page-1/#comment-7945 carolyn Thu, 08 Apr 2010 07:09:04 +0000 http://www.evekushner.com/writing/?p=117#comment-7945 Hi Eve, I've only ever heard of あぶらむし (aburamushi) as aphids, even though it is listed as cockroach in the dictionary. Aphids makes a lot of senseas "oil+insects" because that's literally what they do... Usually cockroaches are called ごきぶり (gokiburi.) Your posts are so interesting! Carolyn Hi Eve,
I’ve only ever heard of あぶらむし (aburamushi) as aphids, even though it is listed as cockroach in the dictionary. Aphids makes a lot of senseas “oil+insects” because that’s literally what they do…
Usually cockroaches are called ごきぶり (gokiburi.)
Your posts are so interesting!
Carolyn

]]> By: Eve Kushner http://www.evekushner.com/writing/kanji-blog-post-4/comment-page-1/#comment-366 Eve Kushner Mon, 09 Jul 2007 21:24:17 +0000 http://www.evekushner.com/writing/?p=117#comment-366 "I don’t know a lot about bugs": Hmm. I Googled "Ebet Dudley" to see who it is that has left such interesting messages on my blog, and I found that Ebet Dudley illustrated a book on insects, of all things! Could there be two Ebet Dudleys in the world? “I don’t know a lot about bugs”: Hmm. I Googled “Ebet Dudley” to see who it is that has left such interesting messages on my blog, and I found that Ebet Dudley illustrated a book on insects, of all things! Could there be two Ebet Dudleys in the world?

]]> By: ebet dudley http://www.evekushner.com/writing/kanji-blog-post-4/comment-page-1/#comment-363 ebet dudley Mon, 09 Jul 2007 13:03:43 +0000 http://www.evekushner.com/writing/?p=117#comment-363 I don't know a lot about bugs, but I do recall a notation in Sei Shonagon's Pillow Book in which she writes in her list of sad things, something about a basket worm who cries "Milk" all the time. (Do not go there without arming yourself with Ivan Morris' edition, which makes everything sensible.) I don’t know a lot about bugs, but I do recall a notation in Sei Shonagon’s Pillow Book in which she writes in her list of sad things, something about a basket worm who cries “Milk” all the time. (Do not go there without arming yourself with Ivan Morris’ edition, which makes everything sensible.)

]]> By: Hiroshi Mori http://www.evekushner.com/writing/kanji-blog-post-4/comment-page-1/#comment-308 Hiroshi Mori Sat, 12 May 2007 06:53:23 +0000 http://www.evekushner.com/writing/?p=117#comment-308 It is hard to disagree with a dictionary but here is my personal interpretation. While Dr. Halpern says the 虫 suffix indicates a negative quality in a person, 虫, when used figuratively, means a person doing something excessively without tiring; 泣き虫 meaning a person crying too much and 弱虫 meaning a person too weak. Although doing anything too much would be a negative quality, in the cases of 本の虫 (bookworm) or 仕事の虫 (workworm? or workaholic), there is a feeling of admiration for devotion or studiousness mixed with ridicule. I don't know how many people will agree with me. It is hard to disagree with a dictionary but here is my personal interpretation. While Dr. Halpern says the 虫 suffix indicates a negative quality in a person, 虫, when used figuratively, means a person doing something excessively without tiring; 泣き虫 meaning a person crying too much and 弱虫 meaning a person too weak. Although doing anything too much would be a negative quality, in the cases of 本の虫 (bookworm) or 仕事の虫 (workworm? or workaholic), there is a feeling of admiration for devotion or studiousness mixed with ridicule. I don’t know how many people will agree with me.

]]> By: Eve Kushner http://www.evekushner.com/writing/kanji-blog-post-4/comment-page-1/#comment-306 Eve Kushner Fri, 11 May 2007 21:03:47 +0000 http://www.evekushner.com/writing/?p=117#comment-306 Although I became very familiar with the 虫 kanji as I wrote this post, I managed to make a mistake with the on-yomi in one place (a mistake that a sharp reader spotted and that I've since fixed). And now it occurs to me that the on-yomi CHŪ is actually simple to remember. An insect such as a moth "chews" on things and leaves holes in clothing. Although I became very familiar with the 虫 kanji as I wrote this post, I managed to make a mistake with the on-yomi in one place (a mistake that a sharp reader spotted and that I’ve since fixed). And now it occurs to me that the on-yomi CHŪ is actually simple to remember. An insect such as a moth “chews” on things and leaves holes in clothing.

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