Angela emails:
"Tian, My sister has found this mouse pad on sale on Futureshop.ca. My understanding is that 和平 means 'peace'. But 平 alone means 'even' level; flat'! Cheers, Angela"
Even though 平 is commonly translated as "peace", but technically it only means "flat" or "balanced".
The phrase for "peace" is 和平; and sometimes in Japanese, 平和.
平 = flat; level; equal; to make the same score; to tie; to draw; calm; peaceful
平 【ひら】 (n) the broad; the flat; palm; ED
Well, it is flat...
ReplyDeleteI believe 平和 also means 'peace' in Vietnamese (binh hoa).
ReplyDeleteMy doormat has that character. How do you write "and square" in Chinese? ; )
ReplyDelete方 = a square, rectangle; a region; local
ReplyDeleteKuan yin:
ReplyDeleteI can think of three words for "and" -- 和, 與, and 又 (depending on the usage, 又 can mean "also" or "again).
It's probably not the best idea to use 和 for "and" in this case, since it is the same 和 in 和平.
So, I think 平又方 probably works, though 又方又平 works better, IMO.
It could be a Japanese family name, "Taira", which means, well, flat.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's the perfect mouse pad for the person who cheered for the Taira over the Minamoto a thousand years ago.
ReplyDeleteIn Japanese 平和 is peace in general; 和平 is usually used in the geopolitical sense, as in "peace talks" or "reconciliation."
Glenn, what's wrong with simply 平方?
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure that 平方 is the mathematical term for "square", as in the square of 5 is 35.
ReplyDeleteIts off topic, but i just have to do it.
ReplyDeletesquare of 5 is 25, lol
Yeah, the square of 5 is 25, not 35. ^_-
ReplyDeleteSo 平方 by itself definitely does not work for "flat and square," as it can mean "square" or "to the power of" -- 二至三平方 means 2 to the 3rd power, and so on.
Even if it doesn't mean "to the power of," however, it would not work well without the presence of a conjunction.
Don't forget, "ping" also means "cheap".
ReplyDeleteSure, "ping" means flat, "ping" means cheap. But wouldn't "ping" used by itself as a decorative element be taken as 'calm' or 'peaceful' in a Chinese context?
ReplyDeleteIf the buyer is a Japanese history buff it's also the name of the Taira clan. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taira)
ReplyDelete