Re: Who coined the mahjong symbols "Cash", "String of Cash" , "Myriad of Cash" and why
- From: al <alee@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:48:43 -0700 (PDT)
On Mar 26, 2:24 pm, al <a...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Jan 29, 2:43 am, al <a...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:> On Jan 7, 5:27 pm, al <a...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:> NAQ (Never-Asked-Question) :It had to be a foreigner other than a Chinese.
Who coined the mahjong symbols "Cash", "String of Cash" , "Myriad of
Cash" and why?
The answer to this was given as Himly.
Understandable..."String of Cash" or "Myriad of Cash" are not terms in
common Chinese usage. In fact, Chinese Sparrow-game players do not use
those names at all.
We Chinese call them simpler names, although we didn't know what they
meant.
The average Chinese native would have a totally different image of the
"string of cash" and what it looks like (definitely NOT in a roll that
looks like a sausage or bamboo rod);
Coins can not stay in a roll like that threaded by a string. Paper was
a scarce commodity. The picture is unreal.
as for "myriad of cash", it is unheard of. Yet these have become standard terms in Western mahjongBut I would not be surprised to see Western influence even in the
history. Furthermore, Westerners concluded that Cash was the base for
the mahjong game. As I found out recently, the Chinese official
version of the mahjong game history has not been directly examined,
translated or referenced.
[..]
Chinese language. Look at what happened to hemp-bird; it changed to
hemp-general.
[..]
Here is the ROOT of the problem of forever confusion in the game's
terminology. The CORE IDEA of the game had been lost for hundreds or
more years. Regional slang terms added as the game migrated from place
to place. When the natives of a region did not know why they called
the symbols, how and why Westerners think and believe Culin, Himly or
Wilkinson had all the correct and definitive terms by just talking to
those people? It boggles my mind!
Why Chinese scholars who are still accepting Cash and Strings of Cash
is a puzzle to me.[..]
[..]Early coins had no square holes. they were for divination use.
Mahjong circles have no square holes and they never had square holes.
Then it's obvious that the whole mahjong terminology was based on
slang. And the so called Cash-base or money-suited cards is incorrect.
I am convinced Mahjong is not "money-based".
Here is why. Without going into details, I will just state it simply.
Ancient games were concept-based and not object-based.
Example 1. Dou-Hu (Fighting a Tiger). It relates to a story of a
king's daughter became a man instantly after an offering of a gift of
pearls.
Conceptually, a woman is not that much different from a man. That was
why women like that particular game. There was also a story of a woman
tamed a loose tiger when no one dared. Feminine power and gender
equality had been a desire of women for a long time. But the game was
concept-based. That is the point.
Example 2. Tien-Jiu, Heaven-Nine is another old game. What do people
call those pips or pot-holes? They are supposed to be related to the
constellation in the sky. Obviously they are not holes as objects,
They symbolize a concept whatever that might be. Again, the game was
concept-based, not object-based.
So when I hear people say that mahjong is money-based or Cash-suited,
I can see that is a mistake. Mahjong was said to be a relative of
Heaven-Nine. How can a game changed its character from a related
species like that? No way.
Mahjong is also concept-based, and not object-based. That is my point.
[..]++++++++++
Cheers....al
.
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