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{{Short description|Linguistic misconception}}
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{{Redirect|Weiji|the Chinese-language edition of Wikipedia|Weijibaike}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2019}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2019}}
{{Short description|危机/危機; "wēijī", claimed to represent a crisis and an opportunity}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
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{{redirect-synonym|Weiji|[[Weijibaike]], the Chinese-language edition of Wikipedia}}
{{Chinese
{{Chinese
|title=Crisis
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|s={{linktext|危机}}
|s={{linktext|危机}}
|t={{linktext|危機}}
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|p=wēijī (Mainland), wéijī (Taiwan)
|p={{ubl|wēijī (Mainland)|wéijī (Taiwan)}}
|bpmf={{ubl|ㄨㄟ ㄐㄧ (Mainland)|ㄨㄟˊ ㄐㄧ (Taiwan)}}
|w=wei-chi
|gr={{ubl|ueiji (Mainland)|weiji (Taiwan)}}
|w={{ubl|{{tonesup|wei1-chi1}} (Mainland)|{{tonesup|wei2-chi1}} (Taiwan)}}
|showflag=p
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}}
}}
The '''Chinese word for "crisis"''' ({{zh|t={{linktext|危機}}|s={{linktext|危机}}|p=wēijī<!--Mainland-->, wéijī<!--Taiwan--><ref>{{cite web|url=http://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/cgi-bin/cbdic/gsweb.cgi?ccd=quTLNz&o=e0&sec=sec1&op=v&view=3-1|script-title=zh:教育部重編國語辭典修訂本|language=zh-tw|accessdate=7 November 2019|quote=字詞 【危機】 注音 ㄨㄟˊ ㄐㄧ 漢語拼音 wéi jī}}</ref>}}) is, in Western popular culture, frequently but incorrectly said to be composed of two [[Chinese characters]] signifying "danger" ({{transl|zh|wēi}}, {{lang|zh|[[wikt:危|危]]}}) and "opportunity" ({{transl|zh|jī}}, {{zh|s=[[:wikt:机|机]]|t=[[:wikt:機|機]]|labels=no}}). The second character is a component of the Chinese word for "opportunity" ({{transl|zh|jīhuì}}, {{Zh|c=|s={{linktext|机会}}|t={{linktext|機會}}|first=t|labels=no}}), but has multiple meanings, and in isolation means something more like "change point". The mistaken etymology became a [[trope (literature)|trope]] after it was used by [[John F. Kennedy]] in his presidential campaign speeches and is widely repeated in business, education, politics and the press in the United States.
In Western popular culture, the '''Chinese word for crisis''' ({{zh|t={{linktext|危機}}|s={{linktext|危机}}|p=wēijī<!--Mainland-->, wéijī<!--Taiwan--><ref>{{cite web|url=https://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/dictView.jsp?ID=160720&q=1&word=%E5%8D%B1%E6%A9%9F|script-title=zh:教育部重編國語辭典修訂本|language=zh-tw|accessdate=7 November 2019|quote=字詞 【危機】 注音 ㄨㄟˊ ㄐㄧ 漢語拼音 wéi jī}}</ref>}}) is often incorrectly said to comprise two [[Chinese characters]] meaning 'danger'<!--Single quotation marks are appropriate for "simple glosses" (MOS:SINGLE)--> ({{transl|zh|wēi}}, {{lang|zh|[[wikt:危|危]]}}) and 'opportunity' ({{transl|zh|jī}}, {{zh|s=[[:wikt:机|机]]|t=[[:wikt:機|機]]|labels=no}}). The second character is a component of the Chinese word for ''opportunity'' ({{transl|zh|jīhuì}}, {{Zh|c=|s={{linktext|机会}}|t={{linktext|機會}}|labels=no}}), but [[Polysemy|has multiple meanings]], and in isolation means something more like 'change point' or [[inflection point]]. The mistaken etymology became a [[trope (literature)|trope]] after it was used by [[John F. Kennedy]] in his presidential campaign speeches and has been widely repeated in business, education, politics and the press in the United States.


==Etymology==
==Origins==


[[Sinologist]] [[Victor H. Mair]] of the [[University of Pennsylvania]] states the popular interpretation of ''weiji'' as "danger" plus "opportunity" is a "widespread public misperception" in the [[English language|English]]-speaking world. The first character {{transl|zh|wēi}} ({{lang|zh|[[wikt:危|危]]}}) does indeed mean "dangerous" or "precarious", but the second, highly [[polysemous]], character {{transl|zh|jī}} ({{zh|s=[[:wikt:机|机]]|t=[[:wikt:機|機]]|labels=no}}) does not mean "opportunity" in isolation, but something more like "change point". The confusion likely arises from the fact that the character for {{transl|zh|jī}} is a component of the Chinese word for "opportunity", {{transl|zh|jīhuì}} ({{Zh|c=|s={{linktext|机会}}|t={{linktext|機會}}|first=t|labels=no}}).<ref name="langlog"/><ref>[http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2363/is-the-chinese-word-for-crisis-a-combination-of-danger-and-opportunity "The Straight Dope: Is the Chinese word for "crisis" a combination of "danger" and "opportunity"?"]</ref><ref name="mair">{{cite web | url=http://pinyin.info/chinese/crisis.html | title=danger + opportunity ≠ crisis: How a misunderstanding about Chinese characters has led many astray | last=Mair | first=Victor H. | authorlink=Victor H. Mair | publisher=PinyinInfo.com | year=2005 | accessdate=15 January 2009}}</ref>
[[Sinologist]] [[Victor H. Mair]] of the [[University of Pennsylvania]] states the popular interpretation of ''weiji'' as "danger" plus "opportunity" is a "widespread public misperception" in the [[English-speaking world]]. The first character {{transl|zh|wēi}} ({{lang|zh|[[wikt:危|危]]}}) does indeed mean "dangerous" or "precarious", but the second character {{transl|zh|jī}} ({{zh|s=[[:wikt:机|机]]|t=[[:wikt:機|機]]|labels=no}}) is highly [[polysemous]]. It is argued that {{transl|zh|jī}} does not mean "opportunity" in this case, but something more like "change point". The confusion likely arises from the fact that the character for {{transl|zh|jī}} is a component of the Chinese word for "opportunity", {{transl|zh|jīhuì}} ({{Zh|c=|s={{linktext|机会}}|t={{linktext|機會}}|labels=no}}).<ref name="langlog"/><ref>[http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2363/is-the-chinese-word-for-crisis-a-combination-of-danger-and-opportunity "The Straight Dope: Is the Chinese word for "crisis" a combination of "danger" and "opportunity"?"]</ref><ref name="mair">{{cite web | url=http://pinyin.info/chinese/crisis.html | title=danger + opportunity ≠ crisis: How a misunderstanding about Chinese characters has led many astray | last=Mair | first=Victor H. | authorlink=Victor H. Mair | publisher=PinyinInfo.com | year=2005 | accessdate=15 January 2009}}</ref>


==History==
==History==
[[United States|American]] [[linguist]] [[Benjamin Zimmer]] has traced mentions in English of the Chinese term for "crisis" as far as an anonymous editorial in a 1938 journal for missionaries in China.<ref>''Chinese Recorder'' (January 1938, "The Challenge of Unusual Times")</ref><ref name="langlog">{{cite web |url=http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/004343.html |date=27 March 2007 |work=[[Language Log]] |title=Crisis = danger + opportunity: The plot thickens |last=Zimmer |first=Benjamin |authorlink=Benjamin Zimmer |accessdate=19 January 2009}}</ref> However, its use likely gained momentum in the [[United States]] after [[John F. Kennedy]] employed this [[Trope (linguistics)|trope]] in [[John F. Kennedy 1960 presidential campaign|campaign speeches]] in 1959 and 1960:<ref name="langlog"/>
American [[linguist]] [[Benjamin Zimmer]] has traced mentions in English of the Chinese term for crisis as far as an anonymous editorial in a 1938 journal for missionaries in China.<ref>''Chinese Recorder'' (January 1938, "The Challenge of Unusual Times")</ref><ref name="langlog">{{cite web |url=http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/004343.html |date=27 March 2007 |work=[[Language Log]] |title=Crisis = danger + opportunity: The plot thickens |last=Zimmer |first=Benjamin |authorlink=Benjamin Zimmer |accessdate=19 January 2009}}</ref> The American public intellectual [[Lewis Mumford]] contributed to the spread of this idea in 1944 when he wrote: "The Chinese symbol for crisis is composed of two elements: one signifies danger and the other opportunity."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mumford |first=Lewis |title=The Condition of Man |publisher=Martin Secker & Warburg Ltd |year=1944 |location=London |pages=394}}</ref> However, its use likely gained momentum in the United States after [[John F. Kennedy]] employed this [[Trope (linguistics)|trope]] in presidential campaign speeches in 1959 and 1960, possibly paraphrasing Mumford:<ref name="langlog"/> "In the Chinese language, the word "crisis" is composed of two characters, one representing danger and the other, opportunity."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Remarks of Senator John F. Kennedy, Convocation of the United Negro College Fund, Indianapolis, Indiana, April 12, 1959 |url=https://www.jfklibrary.org/archives/other-resources/john-f-kennedy-speeches/indianapolis-in-19590412 |access-date=2024-11-16 |website=[[JFK Library]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Remarks of Senator John F. Kennedy, Conference on India and the United States, Washington, D.C., May 4, 1959 |url=https://www.jfklibrary.org/archives/other-resources/john-f-kennedy-speeches/india-and-the-us-conference-washington-dc-19590504 |access-date=2024-11-16 |website=[[JFK Library]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Remarks of Senator John F. Kennedy at University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, March 7, 1960 |url=https://www.jfklibrary.org/archives/other-resources/john-f-kennedy-speeches/university-of-new-hampshire-19600307 |access-date=2024-11-16 |website=[[JFK Library]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Speech of Senator John F. Kennedy, Valley Forge Country Club, Valley Forge, PA October 29, 1960 |url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/speech-senator-john-f-kennedy-valley-forge-country-club-valley-forge-pa |access-date=2024-11-16 |website=[[The American Presidency Project]]}}</ref>
<blockquote>In the Chinese language, the word "crisis" is composed of two characters, one representing danger and the other, opportunity.<ref>[http://www.jfklibrary.org/Research/Research-Aids/Ready-Reference/JFK-Quotations.aspx#C Speeches] by President Kennedy at [[United Negro College Fund]] fundraiser, Indianapolis, Indiana, 12 April 1959, and Valley Forge Country Club, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, 29 October 1960</ref></blockquote>


Referring to the word has since become a staple [[meme]] for American business consultants and motivational speakers, as well as gaining popularity in educational institutions, politics and in the popular press. For example, in 2007, [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] [[Condoleezza Rice]] applied it during [[Israeli–Palestinian peace process|Middle East peace talks]].<ref>{{cite news |work=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/18/AR2007011801881.html |title=Rice Highlights Opportunities After Setbacks On Mideast Trip |first=Glenn |last=Kessler |date=2007-01-19 |page=A14 |accessdate=2007-12-12}}</ref> Former [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] [[Al Gore]] has done so numerous times: in testimony before the [[U.S. House of Representatives]] [[Energy and Commerce Committee]]; in the introduction of ''[[An Inconvenient Truth (book)|An Inconvenient Truth]]''; and in his [[Nobel Peace Prize]] acceptance lecture.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://science.house.gov/sites/republicans.science.house.gov/files/documents/hearings/032107_gore.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=October 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304191734/https://science.house.gov/sites/republicans.science.house.gov/files/documents/hearings/032107_gore.pdf |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2007/gore-lecture_en.html |title=Al Gore: The Nobel Peace Prize 2007: Nobel Lecture |location=[[Oslo]] |first=Al |last=Gore |authorlink=Al Gore |publisher=[[Nobel Foundation]] |date=2007-12-10 |accessdate=2007-12-12}}</ref>
The word has since become a staple [[meme]] for American business consultants and motivational speakers, as well as gaining popularity in educational institutions, politics and the popular press. For example, in 2007, Secretary of State [[Condoleezza Rice]] applied it during [[Israeli–Palestinian peace process|Middle East peace talks]].<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/18/AR2007011801881.html |title=Rice Highlights Opportunities After Setbacks On Mideast Trip |first=Glenn |last=Kessler |date=2007-01-19 |page=A14 |accessdate=2007-12-12}}</ref> Former Vice President [[Al Gore]] has done so numerous times, such as in testimony before the [[U.S. House of Representatives]], in the introduction of ''[[An Inconvenient Truth (book)|An Inconvenient Truth]]'', and in his [[Nobel Peace Prize]] acceptance lecture.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://science.house.gov/sites/republicans.science.house.gov/files/documents/hearings/032107_gore.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=October 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304191734/https://science.house.gov/sites/republicans.science.house.gov/files/documents/hearings/032107_gore.pdf |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2007/gore-lecture_en.html |title=Al Gore: The Nobel Peace Prize 2007: Nobel Lecture |location=[[Oslo]] |first=Al |last=Gore |authorlink=Al Gore |publisher=[[Nobel Foundation]] |date=2007-12-10 |accessdate=2007-12-12}}</ref>


Benjamin Zimmer attributes the appeal of this anecdote to its "handiness" as a rhetorical device and optimistic "call to action",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/004330.html |work=[[Language Log]] |accessdate=19 January 2009 |date=22 March 2007 |title=Stop Him Before He Tropes Again |last=Zimmer |first=Benjamin |authorlink=Benjamin Zimmer}}</ref> as well as to "[[wishful thinking]]".<ref name="mair"/>
Benjamin Zimmer attributes the appeal of this anecdote to its "handiness" as a rhetorical device and optimistic "call to action",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/004330.html |work=[[Language Log]] |accessdate=19 January 2009 |date=22 March 2007 |title=Stop Him Before He Tropes Again |last=Zimmer |first=Benjamin |authorlink=Benjamin Zimmer}}</ref> as well as to "[[wishful thinking]]".<ref name="mair"/>
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* {{cite news |last1=Eberts |first1=Jake |title=Why Do Analysts Keep Talking Nonsense About Chinese Words? |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/07/06/chinese-characters-phrenology-orientalism/ |work=Foreign Policy |date=July 6, 2021}}
* {{cite news |last1=Eberts |first1=Jake |title=Why Do Analysts Keep Talking Nonsense About Chinese Words? |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/07/06/chinese-characters-phrenology-orientalism/ |work=Foreign Policy |date=July 6, 2021}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Chinese word for crisis}}
[[Category:Chinese words and phrases|crisis]]
[[Category:Chinese words and phrases]]
[[Category:Language comparison]]
[[Category:Language comparison]]
[[Category:Semantics]]
[[Category:Semantics]]

Latest revision as of 06:25, 16 November 2024

"Weiji" redirects here. For the Chinese-language edition of Wikipedia, see Weijibaike.

Crisis
Traditional Chinese危機
Simplified Chinese危机
Hanyu Pinyin
  • wēijī (Mainland)
  • wéijī (Taiwan)
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin
  • wēijī (Mainland)
  • wéijī (Taiwan)
Bopomofo
  • ㄨㄟ ㄐㄧ (Mainland)
  • ㄨㄟˊ ㄐㄧ (Taiwan)
Gwoyeu Romatzyh
  • ueiji (Mainland)
  • weiji (Taiwan)
Wade–Giles
  • wei1-chi1 (Mainland)
  • wei2-chi1 (Taiwan)

In Western popular culture, the Chinese word for crisis (simplified Chinese: 危机; traditional Chinese: 危機; pinyin: wēijī, wéijī[1]) is often incorrectly said to comprise two Chinese characters meaning 'danger' (wēi, 危) and 'opportunity' (jī, 机; 機). The second character is a component of the Chinese word for opportunity (jīhuì, 机会; 機會), but has multiple meanings, and in isolation means something more like 'change point' or inflection point. The mistaken etymology became a trope after it was used by John F. Kennedy in his presidential campaign speeches and has been widely repeated in business, education, politics and the press in the United States.

Origins

[edit]

Sinologist Victor H. Mair of the University of Pennsylvania states the popular interpretation of weiji as "danger" plus "opportunity" is a "widespread public misperception" in the English-speaking world. The first character wēi (危) does indeed mean "dangerous" or "precarious", but the second character jī (机; 機) is highly polysemous. It is argued that jī does not mean "opportunity" in this case, but something more like "change point". The confusion likely arises from the fact that the character for jī is a component of the Chinese word for "opportunity", jīhuì (机会; 機會).[2][3][4]

History

[edit]

American linguist Benjamin Zimmer has traced mentions in English of the Chinese term for crisis as far as an anonymous editorial in a 1938 journal for missionaries in China.[5][2] The American public intellectual Lewis Mumford contributed to the spread of this idea in 1944 when he wrote: "The Chinese symbol for crisis is composed of two elements: one signifies danger and the other opportunity."[6] However, its use likely gained momentum in the United States after John F. Kennedy employed this trope in presidential campaign speeches in 1959 and 1960, possibly paraphrasing Mumford:[2] "In the Chinese language, the word "crisis" is composed of two characters, one representing danger and the other, opportunity."[7][8][9][10]

The word has since become a staple meme for American business consultants and motivational speakers, as well as gaining popularity in educational institutions, politics and the popular press. For example, in 2007, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice applied it during Middle East peace talks.[11] Former Vice President Al Gore has done so numerous times, such as in testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives, in the introduction of An Inconvenient Truth, and in his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance lecture.[12][13]

Benjamin Zimmer attributes the appeal of this anecdote to its "handiness" as a rhetorical device and optimistic "call to action",[14] as well as to "wishful thinking".[4]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved November 7, 2019. 字詞 【危機】 注音 ㄨㄟˊ ㄐㄧ 漢語拼音 wéi jī
  2. ^ a b c Zimmer, Benjamin (March 27, 2007). "Crisis = danger + opportunity: The plot thickens". Language Log. Retrieved January 19, 2009.
  3. ^ "The Straight Dope: Is the Chinese word for "crisis" a combination of "danger" and "opportunity"?"
  4. ^ a b Mair, Victor H. (2005). "danger + opportunity ≠ crisis: How a misunderstanding about Chinese characters has led many astray". PinyinInfo.com. Retrieved January 15, 2009.
  5. ^ Chinese Recorder (January 1938, "The Challenge of Unusual Times")
  6. ^ Mumford, Lewis (1944). The Condition of Man. London: Martin Secker & Warburg Ltd. p. 394.
  7. ^ "Remarks of Senator John F. Kennedy, Convocation of the United Negro College Fund, Indianapolis, Indiana, April 12, 1959". JFK Library. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  8. ^ "Remarks of Senator John F. Kennedy, Conference on India and the United States, Washington, D.C., May 4, 1959". JFK Library. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  9. ^ "Remarks of Senator John F. Kennedy at University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, March 7, 1960". JFK Library. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  10. ^ "Speech of Senator John F. Kennedy, Valley Forge Country Club, Valley Forge, PA October 29, 1960". The American Presidency Project. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  11. ^ Kessler, Glenn (January 19, 2007). "Rice Highlights Opportunities After Setbacks On Mideast Trip". The Washington Post. p. A14. Retrieved December 12, 2007.
  12. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 13, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. ^ Gore, Al (December 10, 2007). "Al Gore: The Nobel Peace Prize 2007: Nobel Lecture". Oslo: Nobel Foundation. Retrieved December 12, 2007.
  14. ^ Zimmer, Benjamin (March 22, 2007). "Stop Him Before He Tropes Again". Language Log. Retrieved January 19, 2009.

Further reading

[edit]
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