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Always fun to remind people that Aladdin is actually Chinese in the original stories. But then, let's be fair, their depiction of China sounds like it was just
by Iv 6y ago
Always fun to remind people that Aladdin is actually Chinese in the original stories.
But then, let's be fair, their depiction of China sounds like it was just a placeholder for "far away land"
- somethingtoday 6y agoEven to this day, the word China in Arabic (pronounced "seen") means far away. So if your friend lives across town and you are inconvenienced, in Arabic you would say "why do you live in China?".
- legends2k 6y agoSurprising, China's pronunciation in Tamil is also similar, 'Seena '!
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- Flex247A 6y agoIn Hindi, we pronounce it as 'Cheen', with the 'ch' sound.
- minikites 6y agoTaking "the slow boat to China" is an idiom in English for a long duration or long journey.
- heistus 6y agoThe word "china" might mean 'far' but only in a metaphorical way As is the case in many other languages. But the word for "far" or "far away" in arabic is definitely not "china / الصين"
- CobrastanJorji 6y agoI love that in Arabic, China is a metaphor for "far away," and in Chinese, China is basically "the central place." I am hoping to find out that the Pashto or Hindu for China means "medium far away."
- axiom92 6y agoOn a related note, some languages become placeholder for "gibberish." For example, English speakers often say "it sounds Greek." https://twitter.com/TommSciortino/status/1357376440170258434 https://twitter.com/TommSciortino/status/1357376440170258434