Quintessence: A Quest

⇚ A Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry

Great Wizards of the 20th Century ⇛

Simplified Chinese (Mandarin: China)
第五元素：探索 Dì-wǔ yuánsù: tànsuǒ	第五 dì-wǔ = 'fifth'. 元素 yuánsù = 'element'. 探索 tànsuǒ = 'to explore, probe, seek'.	Quintessence: (a) probe
Traditional Chinese (Mandarin: Taiwan)
第五元素：一場探索 Dì-wǔ yuánsù: yì-chǎng tànsuǒ	第五 dì-wǔ = 'fifth'. 元素 yuánsù = 'element'. 一場 yì-cháng = measure word/classifier for processes 探索 tànsuǒ = 'to probe, explore, seek'.	Quintessence: a probe
Japanese
精の探求 Sei no tankyū	精 sei = 'spirit, essence; energy, vigour, vitality'. の no = connecting particle 探求 tankyū = 'quest, research, pursuit'.	Pursuit of spirit
Vietnamese (Chinese characters show etymology)
Tinh Chất: Một Cuộc Tìm Kiếm	tinh chất (精質) = 'pure substance, essence'. một = 'a'. cuộc = measure word/classifier meaning 'event, state, condition, situation'. tìm kiếm = 'to look for, search, seek'.	Essence: a search

Quintessence:

Originally, 'quintessence' referred to the fifth and highest element in ancient and mediaeval philosophy, an element that permeates all nature and is the substance that composes the celestial bodies. In normal usage, however, it simply refers to the essence of a thing in its purest and most concentrated form.

The two Chinese translations use the original meaning, 'the fifth element'. The Japanese and Vietnamese translations use the less technical meaning of 'essence'.

A quest:

A quest is a seeking for something, a pursuit or search. Here the English uses the indefinite article 'a'. This seems to imply that the book represents or sets out a specific attempt to find quintessence.

It is possible to ignore the indefinite article and simply speak of 'seeking quintessence'. The Simplified Chinese (China) and Japanese translations follow this line.

The other alternative is to translate the article. This raises the problem of classifiers. In specifiying 'a' quest in CJV languages, it is necessary to use the most suitable classifier or measure word. The Taiwanese translator chooses 場 cháng, which indicates a process, for example, rainfall or snowfall, a battle, or an illness. The Vietnamese translator chooses cuộc, which is used for extended actions such as operations, investigations, or strikes.

Category: Wizardry