The Dream Oracle
| Simplified Chinese (Mandarin: China) | ||
| 解梦指南 Jiě-mèng zhǐnán |
解 jiě = 'to interpret, to resolve'. 梦 mèng = 'dream'. 指南 zhǐnán = 'guide'. |
Guide to interpreting dreams |
| Traditional Chinese (Mandarin: Taiwan) | ||
| 夢諭 Mèng-yù |
夢 mèng = 'dream'. 諭 yù = 'instruction, decree, edict'. |
Dream edict |
| Japanese | ||
| 夢のお告げ Yume no o-tsuge |
夢 yume = 'dream'. の no = connecting particle お告げ o-tsuge = 'oracle, revelation'. (お o- is honorific) |
Dream oracle |
| Vietnamese (Chinese characters show etymology) | ||
| Giải Sấm Mộng | giải (解) = 'to interpret'. sấm = 'divination, oracle, prophecy'. mộng (夢) = 'dream'. |
Interpreting dream oracles |
In ancient Greece, an oracle was the answer of a god to an enquiry about some affair or future event, such as the success of an enterprise or battle. The most famous place to obtain oracles was Delphi. Oracles were regarded as an authoritative divination of the future.
The Japanese name is a direct translation — お告げ o-tsuge refers to an oracle or divine message.
The Chinese word for 'oracle' is 神諭 shényù or 'divine edict' or 'edict of the gods'. The Taiwanese translator gives the word a little twist to make it into 夢諭 mèng yù = 'dream edict'. Given that an oracle in the Greek sense was often more a hint or puzzle than an edict, the name is slightly misleading.
The Mainland translator emphasises the broader meaning: a 'dream oracle' is understood as the interpretation of dreams and their meaning — not the Freudian concept of dreams as a window into the deep psyche, but the traditional interpretation of dreams as a way of divining future events.
The Vietnamese also interprets 'The Dream Oracle' as a book for interpreting dreams.
Category: Divination
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