Bonsai vs. Banzai
Recently I received an email from one person asking translation for "bonsai". Out of curiosity, I replied to him asking why does he wanted "miniature plant(s)", or perhaps he has confused it with the infamous slogan shouted by Japanese soldiers before committing suicide missions, "banzai"?
Well now you know ("and knowing is half of the battle." - G. I. Joe):
Bonsai (盆栽, "tray gardening", in Japanese) is the art of growing trees and plants, kept small by being grown in a pot and by the use of skilled pruning, formed to create an aesthetic shape and the illusion of age. The Chinese art of penjing is very similar to and is the precursor of the Japanese art of bonsai. (more)
The phrase (live for) ten thousand years (Traditional Chinese: 萬歲; Simplified Chinese: 万岁; pinyin: wànsùi) in Chinese, banzai (万歳) in Japanese, and manse (만세; 萬世) in Korean was used to bless emperors in East Asia. It is usually translated into English as "Long live!" although it has historical connotations that are not present in the English phrase. (more)
posted by tian at
5:45 PM
11 Comments:
It's my understanding that 'bonzai' as a battle cry (as opposed to an imperial salutary) meant something along the lines of "I would trade the next ten thousand years for this moment!" Meaning the honor of what you're about to attempt would more than worth the value of living living for ten millennia.
First of all, neither are "bonzai." It's "bonsai" versus "banzai." Banzai is 万歳, and the characters mean "ten thousand" and "year," so a literal translation would be "ten thousand years." The implication is that you're wishing whoever you're saying this to a long life.
regarding the first comment: Banzaiwas used as a battle cry, but it is also used when cheering another person. In that sense it is wishing them a long life: though I doubt everyone stops to think about what they are saying when they do so. It's become just like "hurrah" or "hip, hip, hurray" - a set phrase used in a certain situation.
"It's become just like "hurrah" or "hip, hip, hurray" - a set phrase used in a certain situation."
Kind of like "charge!" which once meant a mounted charge but is now used at sporting events. The notion that sports are related to war has been around for quite some time and apparently not just in the West.
Well, yes, it could be like a charge and is used in that way still. But what I was thinking of is more like the old "for he's a jolly good fellow," thing in Enligsh. Banzai may be shouted by a group of people to a co-worker who was promoted or to their boss or whatnot. They aren't telling him to charge. They're just congratulating him and wishing him good luck in the future. I think.
its all of the above, LOL
See, I would TOTALLY get a tattoo that says "Bonsai", but only if I can get a small tree tattooed above it.
This reminds me when I got a Bonsai tree a few years ago and my girlfriend mentioned it to her Japanese co-worker. He had no idea what she was talking about till she started explaining. Her pronunciation made him think it was Bonzai.
n! - you're right and wrong. It is both. In fact, the battle cry comes from the salutary - the scream of "banzai" as a war cry could be considered analagous to screaming "For king and country!" or "Long live the king!" before charging into battle.
Jake - READ PLEASE. It's not BONZAI it's BANZAI. FFS.
Reminds me of some horrible ads in Australia for ringtones and wallpapers for your mobile. The ad was trying to imitate the style of fast/loud Japanese ads but was pretty lame. Anyway the two idiots featured were shouting "Bonsai!!". Not quite what they meant I'm sure ;-)
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