February 07, 2013

Tonan no Tsubasa (16)

The actual meaning of the epithet Shushou asks about is up for grabs. The kanji (狗尾) literally means "dog's tail." It also means "foxtail" (狗尾草), except "foxtail" is pronounced enokoro-gusa. The reading provided by the furigana is koubi, which can also mean "mating" (交尾), as in how animals reproduce. Then again, animals don't mate in the Twelve Kingdoms.

The kanji 妖 (you) shows up in words like 妖精 (fairy, elf) and 妖怪 (goblin, monster). Youma is an actual word (you + "demon"), meaning "specter" or "monster." The second kanji in youchou (鳥) means "bird."

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posted by Eugene [12:19 PM]   
Comments
# posted by Anonymous JP
2/07/2013 11:16 PM   
I think "those who enter the Yellow Sea with hiring a knowledgeable bodyguard" should be without?

A very interesting discussion on Twelve Kingdoms economics and their social impact. It makes me wonder why Kyouki hasn't gone looking, like Keiki and Enki did, when the emperor didn't show up on the shouzan after 27 years. Or maybe he did?
# posted by Blogger Eugene
2/08/2013 11:12 AM   
Fixed. Thanks. Unlike the typical kirin, in A Thousand Leagues of Wind, Kyouki is described as a big man, more brawn than brains, like Gourry Gabriev in Slayers. You do have to wonder what he's up to.
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous
2/13/2013 1:01 AM   
Shushou is a feisty one! Thank you for your translations.

It seems like the practice of going up to Mount Hou would've been completed many times through though, I wonder why hasn't the word spread more on how to go about the process and safety procedures to the general public.
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