"May you live in interesting times..." -Chinese curse?

[Lancer]

Ages ago someone told me that saying was a Chinese curse.

Figures too, as when you look at the past times that we discuss here, interesting times, are those of conflict mostly, difficult time in which to enjoy one's life.

Happily, I think we live in fairly boring times. Sure, there's the ongoing struggle to establish a stable democracy in Iraq, but most are unaffected by it. Maybe a bit in the wallet, but that's it. No 'great powers' are struggleing in the mud for a continent, feeding millions into a meat grinder. No tank armies are spreading dictatorship across europe. Great fleets aren't blasting away with broadsides in the channel or bombing each other in the pacific.

I guess we have nukes to thank for these boring times, right?

So, where's it going to get interesting again?

[Dauphin]

I understand that that curse is about as Chinese as fortune cookies.

[Lancer]

Really? I thought maybe it was something Confusious (sp) came up with.

[Spiffor]

IIRC, someone started a thread precisely about it (wasn't it you), and it was said that it's a myth, that Kennedy made popular

[mindseye]

There is a similar controversy over the Chinese word (wei(1)ji(1)), with some westerners claiming it combines the attributes of "crisis" and "opportunity".

In this case at least there are some grounds for this interpretation, although native speakers are more likely to render weiji as something more like "crisis point".

[mindseye]

By the way, Lancer, are you aware that few in China have ever seen or heard of a "fortune cookie"?

[Patroklos]

I think it is Roman actually, from Livy.

[Flip McWho]

I know Terry Pratchet uses it in a book of his.

[Frankychan]

fortune cookies were a marketing scheme.

[Lancer]

Well, here's to living in boring times.

"By the way, Lancer, are you aware that few in China have ever seen or heard of a "fortune cookie"? "


So what's for desert in Peking?

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Flip McWho
I know Terry Pratchet uses it in a book of his.

Interesting Times is the title of one of the Discworld books.

[chequita guevara]

Fortune cookies are wonderful. I love 'em. Used to go down to Chinatown in Chicago and buy giant bags of broken cookies for $1.

[Zkribbler]

Broken fortune cookies??

So, what do they say:

Kerry will win the election.
Invest in Enron.
Trading Shaq away will turn out to be the smartest thing the Lakers ever do.

[mindseye]

Originally posted by Lancer

So what's for desert in Peking?

I'd say "desert" if the encrouching sand dunes and sand storms are any indication ...

[Odin]

Re: "May you live in interesting times..." -Chinese curse?

Originally posted by Lancer

So, where's it going to get interesting again?

It's starting allready, the religious right is getting the Republicans to use "the Nuclear Option," further excacerbating the culture wars and the Two Americas, tearing the country appart on petty social issues. Iraq could go into civil war if the Shia abuse thier power. NK has nukes, and Iran is getting nukes. Russia is falling back into dictatorship. The most powerful nation on earth is in the hands of trigger-happy Cold Warriors as the possibillity of oil wars starts to rear it's ugly head. Need I go on?