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posted by dennisn on November 25th, 2008 at 8:03PM
By the way, how did you figure the phrase meant "the right man at the right time"? I don't get it.
And why did your boss ask you, instead of google?
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posted by Vina on November 25th, 2008 at 9:07PM
By Wiki. It was written in Chinese, though. Also, by Robert Kennedy's speech. He brought this proverb up, and ever since, journalists have been using this proverb in their articles.
My boss wanted a deeper meaning to it. Simply saying the proverb is a curse to wish someone a terrible time is too superficial. Chinese proverbs are very abstract, it is never expressed in any direct format, and it is hardly sarcastic. English translations to Chinese literature is always distorted in some kind of way. Not that they mean to, but Chinese literature is complicated.
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posted by dennisn on November 25th, 2008 at 10:26PM
I still don't get it. In Bob Kennedy's speech, http://en.wikipedia.org/w...firmation_speech, he also claims it's a simple curse, though he mentions the brighter interpretation of "interesting" as well.
I think you're looking too deeply into it. Are you fluent in mandarin/cantonese, by the way? |
posted by Vina on November 26th, 2008 at 6:53PM
Cantonese.
The point of Chinese literature is to think deeply.
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