Monday, July 17, 2006

House M.D. - Nonconformity

Andy from Texas Tech sent in this screen capture from episode 19 of Fox’s drama series, House (or is it “House M.D.”?).


video: windows media 3.95 MB or mirror

Dr. Roger Spain (First Applicant): Wow, I thought you'd be the last person to have a problem with nonconformity.

Dr. Gregory House: Nonconformity; right... I can't remember the last time saw a twenty something kid with a tattoo of an Asian letter on his wrist. You are one wicked free thinker! You want to be a rebel; stop being cool. Wear a pocket protector like he does, and get a hair cut. Like the Asian kids that don't leave the library for a twenty hours stretch. They're the ones that don't care what you think.

Dr. Gregory House: Sayonara

Many places including tattoo shops advertise 和 as "harmony, peace; peaceful, calm". In modern day Chinese, it only means is frequently used to represent "with" or "and".


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12 comments:

  1. AnonymousJuly 17, 2006 at 6:55 PM

    The title of the show was originally "House M.D." but they officially shortened it to simply "House".

    I saw this episode and laughed laughed laughed ;)

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  2. ShellJuly 17, 2006 at 9:50 PM

    Haha. And. Enlightening words. And.

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  3. BethJuly 17, 2006 at 11:08 PM

    So what does the kid's tattoo mean?

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  4. DurfJuly 17, 2006 at 11:41 PM

    In Japanese that character means just what the tattoo shops advertise it to be. And the character in that image doesn't look half bad, for once. :-)

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  5. asmodaiJuly 18, 2006 at 3:46 AM

    In Japanese it can also mean sum or as a na-adjective as poorly built. :)

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  6. SlyEchoJuly 18, 2006 at 4:54 AM

    Now, if I wanted to be non-conforming, I would have used 咊 instead of 和.

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  7. Triple LeiJuly 18, 2006 at 10:39 AM

    Yes, people, 和　is used in Japanese to mean "harmony." It's only the social glue that holds Japan together...

    What I'd like to know is if that little hook on the third stroke was really necessary.

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  8. SupComTabzJuly 18, 2006 at 4:10 PM

    That's a great quote from House...

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  9. AnonymousJuly 18, 2006 at 5:53 PM

    In answer to Triple Lei's question, the little hook is optional:

    http://www.geocities.jp/ki07ji/kanjiichiran-ma.html#wa

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  10. Triple LeiJuly 19, 2006 at 12:27 AM

    Thanks for the link, anonymous! I always thought those subtle differences were actual concrete differences between 漢字　in Japan and China.

    (at least that's the impression I got from looking at computer fonts!)

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  11. rachaelJuly 23, 2006 at 3:47 AM

    i laughed a stack when i saw that episode too.

    thought he adds something like "but it may have to do with parental pressure" at the end...

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  12. Al JensenApril 21, 2008 at 11:07 AM

    和 almost always means "and" or "with" in modern Chinese...

    Although, the first thing I thought of when I saw this was 雍和宮.

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