Different characters for same things

POSTED BY: Kizyr
UPDATED: Monday, October 17, 2005 13:00
VIEWED: 6321
PAGE 1 of 1

KIZYR

Sunday, September 25, 2005 3:50 PM

Hey, I was just wondering if there was any significance to different characters being used for certain things. I just noticed this in two instances.

First, with Blue Sun. The Blue Sun logo caught my eye from the pilot. It used 靑日 there, but elsewhere like on Jayne's shirt it uses 藍日. My background is with Japanese, not Chinese, so I recognized the first one (靑日) more readily. I'm just wondering if there's any significance behind using 靑 versus 藍, though they both mean blue.

Second, with Serenity. The name on the side of the ship is 平静, though the movie logo has the first character as similar to 丁 (sorry, don't know the actual pronunciation so can't input the character).

Or, maybe this is all insignificant? I previously figured that the Alliance might be all about standardizing every little thing. KF

~Kaiser Farooque

LITHI

Tuesday, October 4, 2005 3:11 AM

I think i've explained the main difference between the two words for blue in a reply to another post. Basically, the word on jayne's shirt means blue and nothing else and the other word can mean the cerulean blue or green, or to describe something that's fresh or young.

as to the diff words in serenity. The first word implies calmness, and the movie logo implies stillness. Personally I don't have a preference, but I would like it more if it was just the "jing" word alone. Sorry my chinese encoder is not working so this may be a bit confusing. plus that I'm sleepy.

-Lithi

Lithi@EstateSerenity.net

FFYING2

Wednesday, October 5, 2005 2:18 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Kizyr:
The Blue Sun logo caught my eye from the pilot. It used 靑日 there, but elsewhere like on Jayne's shirt it uses 藍日. My background is with Japanese, not Chinese, so I recognized the first one (靑日) more readily. I'm just wondering if there's any significance behind using 靑 versus 藍, though they both mean blue.

To avoid confusion:

The Blue Sun logo on signs in the pilot AND on Jayne's shirt in "Bushwhacked" and "Ariel" is 靑日, what Lithi describes above as "cerulean blue or green, or to describe something that's fresh or young."

The Blue Sun logo seen at the space station in "The Message" is 蓝日 (the simplified form of what you have), what Lithi describes as "blue and nothing else."

The Chinese translator thought the second version made more sense with "sun" than the art department's choice.

Ying

Firefly Funsite http://fireflyfunsite.home.att.net
Firefly-Serenity Chinese Pinyinary http://fireflychinese.home.att.net

Browncoats.com http://www.browncoats.com

KIZYR

Wednesday, October 5, 2005 5:21 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by ffying2:
The Chinese translator thought the second version made more sense with "sun" than the art department's choice.

Thanks! That's the kind of thing I was looking for. I mean, I learned three different symbols for blue (青/靑, 蒼, and 蓝), and aside from the teal-blue distinction, never knew there was any added connotation--particularly in Chinese.

It's also good to know since 蓝日 is on my shirt. That arrived faster-than-a-freak before the movie, courtesy of whatever site's linked here. KF

~Kaiser Farooque

ZOE: Preacher, don’t the Bible have some pretty specific things to say about killing?
BOOK: Quite specific. It is, however, somewhat fuzzier on the subject of kneecaps...

EVIESERENITY

Wednesday, October 5, 2005 6:14 AM

寧靜 and 平靜

the word in the Serenity logo with "丁" right underneath the " 冖" was in fact the simplifed version of 寧. (I work with the traditional Chinese system, so I don't have the simplifed characters). Both means "serenity", as well as calmness and quietness.

平靜 does imply serenity, but it is more of "quietness" or "calmness", and is often used as a verb or adjective, "to quiet down/quiet" or "to calm down/calm" .

Hope this helps.

HOROVITS

Monday, October 17, 2005 1:00 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by EvieSerenity:
the word in the Serenity logo with "丁" right underneath the " 冖" was in fact the simplifed version of 寧. (I work with the traditional Chinese system, so I don't have the simplifed characters). Both means "serenity", as well as calmness and quietness.

From < http://fireflychinese.home.att.net/index.html>, I have the text as 宁静 — níngjìng. Hope this helps.

++H