Quick mandarin translation from Claymore

[phyrex]

Hey guys,

me and my girlfriend (who is a native speaker, no less) are having trouble with a line from the manga Claymore/大剑.

The lines goes "若它 [the demon] 能抑制不尽的妖气生活， 找出它也不容易"

We can't quite figure out what the 生活is doing in there, and how it relates to the 妖气. I'm also not too clear on the 不尽。

I'd be very thankful for any pointers (and even more for more far-reaching explanations and translations ;) )!

Thanks a lot!

[leeyah]

I love Chinese mythology, so I'll give it a go ;)

In Chinese mythology demons 妖鬼 are considered very much' alive', genuine living beings of flesh and blood but of a wicked nature (妖气), capable of infiltrating among humans and living completely as human beings, so it's very hard to recognize them. There are many classical stories on this. So that may connect with 妖气生活 'wicked nature+existence'.

I don't know what the context is, but here's a possibility: If it (the creature, demon) could somehow restrain his wicked nature he wouldn't be so easy to recognize (by humans). In other words it means to say the demon is so endlessly 无尽的 evil, so as to be incapable of concealing his wicked nature even living among humans, so he is easily spotted as a demon.

不尽的 endless

妖气 evil force, evil Qi (IS of course 不尽的 endless) & I learned the word from Lin Junjie's song 第二天堂

抑制 restrain, keep in check

找出 is when you try to unmask, expose, uncover something hidden, in this case the creature's 妖气

[phyrex]

Leeyah, you're great, thanks a lot

That already helps me (especially seeing 生活 not as 'life' but as 'existence' sounds reasonable to me), but there are still some things that don't quite make sense:

"找出它也不容易" I think refers to the demon, so: "it'll be hard to identify (the demon)".

So, given the context, the whole thing *should* mean something to the effect of "If the demon can restrain its evil aura, it will be hard to identify it". (it has taken the form of a local villager, and now a '大剑‘ has come to find and kill it. It's the 大剑 speaking)

But if that is so, then I still don't quite see why there is the 不尽/endless in there. If it's endless, how could it be restrained?

Thoughts on that?

[semantic nuance]

若它 [the demon] 能抑制不尽的妖气生活， 找出它也不容易

I don't know about this manga. However, from its context, 生活 here could function as a verb, meaning 'to live' in a way full of 妖氣. 生活 here could be an abbreviation of 生活著. Or you may read it as 存活 (to survive). Here's my take on it: If the demon can survive / live without people knowing its full evil spirit, it is not so easy to find it out / to recognize it.

[leeyah]

But if that is so, then I still don't quite see why there is the 不尽/endless in there. If it's endless, how could it be restrained?

Thoughts on that?

Originally Posted by semantic nuance:

demon can survive / live without people knowing its full evil spirit

Right, if you change 不尽 I translated as 'endless' to mean 'infinite' in the sense of 'immense' 'absolute' it's the closest in meaning to 'full', a much better word in the context, as translated by Semantic nuance

[BrandeX]

I love Chinese mythology, so I'll give it a go ;)

It is a modern written, pseudo dark ages style fiction Japanese comic book

If you are stuck on a certain part, go here and find the matching chapter, and you can read it in English:

http://www.onemanga.com/Claymore/

It's a good anime too btw, although some of the story was changed from the manga.

[phyrex]

leeyah, semantic nuance, thank you so much for your help!

I think that more or less solves all the questions The rest of uncertainty will hopefully go away after I know Chinese ;)

I love Chinese mythology, so I'll give it a go ;)

It is a modern written, pseudo dark ages style fiction Japanese comic book

Hehe, fair enough, but I'd guess that Japan and China share a lot of culture, especially in regard to its demons and ghosts, so with some flexibility of mind you could make a cultural case for reading that manga ;)

If you are stuck on a certain part, go here and find the matching chapter, and you can read it in English:

http://www.onemanga.com/Claymore/

Awesome!!!! Thanks, man, that really helps

The translation is not a translation, but rather an interpretation, but I still see it helping a lot in the future

I suppose you guys are interested in what the English version says too:

"If it's experienced and can control the release of its powers, then it's going to be more difficult to find"

:-)

It's a good anime too btw, although some of the story was changed from the manga.

I guess there's not Chinese version of that anyway, so it's not of too much interest to me. But thanks But now, that you made the mistake of outing yourself as somebody who knows something about that stuff: Do you have any recommendation on what else is good (if one likes Claymore) [and which I can actually get in Chinese, if possible ;) -- if you don't know about that, tell me anyway, and I'll see what I can find]

Thanks guys, you're great

[BrandeX]

The translation is not a translation, but rather an interpretation

Technically so is the Chinese, as it is oringinally Japanese

As for a suggestions I am not too certain what you can get here, I watch anime more than read manga myself, and I can not read Chinese. You can find a lot of anime however with Chinese subtitles on the internet, for example www.verycd.com

[phyrex]

The translation is not a translation, but rather an interpretation

Technically so is the Chinese, as it is oringinally Japanese

Haha, that is probably true But if they were both close translations of the original (and not interpretations), as many books are, it would be easier to use them for 'serious study' ;)

Ah well, one can wish

[leeyah]

I love Chinese mythology, so I'll give it a go ;)

It is a modern written, pseudo dark ages style fiction Japanese comic book

Technically so is the Chinese, as it is oringinally Japanese

Manga may be one of the great Japanese contributions to the world & China, but almost everything else traditionally called "Japanese" IS what came TO Japan FROM culturally superior China.

This includes the writing (both Japanese scripts developed from hanzi), not to mention the import of essential vocabulary over the centuries, and the fact that Japanese names are written in hanzi (although there's a growing tendency to replace these with katakana, where possible)

[phyrex]

Manga may be one of the great Japanese contributions to the world & China

Meh, I wish. I'm having the hardest time here finding something good.

China is restricting the import of foreign comics and stuff, so the selection here is very meager :-( Not to mention that a couple of apparently very good ones are banned.

I should learn traditional characters, then I could read the ones imported from Taiwan

[HashiriKata]

Manga may be one of the great Japanese contributions to the world & China, but almost everything else traditionally called "Japanese" IS what came TO Japan FROM culturally superior China.

This includes the writing (both Japanese scripts developed from hanzi), not to mention the import of essential vocabulary over the centuries, and the fact that Japanese names are written in hanzi (although there's a growing tendency to replace these with katakana, where possible)

What relevance does this kind of obsequious display have to the thread or any of the foregoing posts?

[phyrex]

What relevance does this kind of obsequious display have to the thread or any of the foregoing posts?

I think you're interpreting some ill will into this which leeyah didn't intent.

What she wrote is most likely connected to my

Hehe, fair enough, but I'd guess that Japan and China share a lot of culture, especially in regard to its demons and ghosts, so with some flexibility of mind you could make a cultural case for reading that manga ;)

So calm down, everybody here is nice to each other and China and Japan ;)

[HashiriKata]

I think you're interpreting some ill will into this which leeyah didn't intent.

So you seem to know what her intention was. Good for you there! Good for you too, that you see the apppropriateness of her post to yours!

So calm down, everybody here is nice to each other and China and Japan ;)

And no need for you to push it in this direction. My post has not much to do with either Japan or China but more to do with the inappropriate nature of leeyah's post, and she needs to know. Or perhaps, I was wrong and her post was indeed intended to incite racial hatred?

[imron]

Yeah and beside, we all know everything came from Korea anyway

[phyrex]

HashiriKata, I don't see how her(?) post is inappropriate. There is at least one explanation that makes it a perfectly fine and appropriate post, and seeing that she has been very nice and helpful before I don't see why you insist on assuming it must be meant somehow inappropriately!

The only thing inappropriate in this thread so far is you coming in, throwing a $20 word of which I'm still not even sure how it fits into your sentence, and being rude to leeyah and me.

[imron]

I think it was the comment about China being culturally superior. Many people consider expressions of one culture being superior to another as offensive. For example, going the other way, it would be offensive to suggest that China was culturally inferior to the west due to the fact that it has adopted so many western inventions.

[phyrex]

I think it was the comment about China being culturally superior. Many people consider expressions of one culture being superior to another as offensive. For example, going the other way, it would be offensive to suggest that China was culturally inferior to the west due to the fact that it has adopted so many western inventions.

Sure it was, but seeing the context I think every interpretation but that of a harmless jest would be quite far-fetched. I hate it when people use 'political correctnes' to bludgeon a discussion to death, and, like our friend HashiriKata, not even refrain from insulting everybody else that doesn't share their 'no humor is ever allowed when nationality, skin color, culture is involved' stance :-/

[HashiriKata]

and being rude to leeyah and me.

The reason I objected to Leeyah's post has been clearly stated but could you tell me where in any of my posts up to this point I was being rude to you? So you see, how you see problems which are not there and how you have made out my response to leeyah to look as if there had been a great fight going on between nations and told me to calm down. It's not that way, phyrex, and it's you who need to calm down and let the matter drop. So, would you please shut up and I,also, say no more on this?

[phyrex]

So, would you please shut up and I,also, say no more on this?

I'd like that.