Talk:Yuanfen

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[edit] Expression

Is this expression equivalent to sanskrit "karma"? zadcat 07:12 20 Jul 2003 (UTC)

Not entirely equivalent. See modified article. --Menchi 20:09 21 Jul 2003 (UTC)

[edit] Wide-spread Proverbial Saying?

Two Singaporean correspondents have verified to me that "Have fate without destiny" (pinyin: you3 yuan2 wu5 fen4) is a proverbal saying there, but I don't know about the vernacular elsewhere. How widespread is the sentiment so expressed? Sad but true... and very poetic! Kencf 15:03, 19 March 2006 (UTC)

It's not really a sentiment but rather an explanation of certain events. In modern Chinese it's often used as a break-up line (equivalent to "It's not meant to be" in Anglophone cultures) or as a consolation to people who go through a break-up. Chevrox 03:28, 13 January 2007 (UTC)

So it's analogous to "Let's just be friends." Interesting! Kencf 16:38, 22 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] The last proverb described

The last section of the article involving the proverb meaning "Hundered reincarnations for a boat ride, thousands of eons to share a pillow" seems to have two words misplaced. The "shi" in "băi shì" means "generations" or "eons", whereas the "zăi" in "qiān zăi" means "year". So, it seems, logically, that these words should be swithced, since 100 generations would be much longer than 1000 years. However, I have never heard this proverb spoken, so I don't know for sure... and I am well aware that Chinese, like most other languages, rarely has any logic to it's proverbs and slang. At any rate, I'll consult with my Taiwanese wife and friends, and see the correct way to write it. Other than that, this is a great article and kudos to whoever wrote... my wife eplained the concept of "yuan fen" to me yesterday. I looked at zhongwen.com for a translation, and it offered "destiny", but this article does a MUCH better job of explaining it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 198.183.184.25 (talk) 17:23, August 29, 2007 (UTC)