May you live in interesting times
Encyclopedia
"May you live in interesting times", often referred to as the Chinese curse, is reputed to be the English
translation
of an ancient Chinese
proverb
and curse
, although it may have originated among the English themselves (or Americans
). It is reported that it was the first of three curses of increasing severity, the other two being:
original, and the Chinese language origin of the phrase, if it exists, has not been found, making its authenticity, at least in its present form, very doubtful. One theory is that it may be related to the Chinese proverb, "It's better to be a dog in a peaceful time than be a man in a chaotic period" (寧為太平犬，不做亂世人; pinyin: níng wéi tàipíng quǎn, bú zuò luànshì rén). Other cultures, such as Polish, attribute the saying to either Chinese or Jewish origin.
The saying has also been attributed to the fictional Chinese storyteller Kai Lung
invented by the English Edwardian author Ernest Bramah
, who wrote many pieces of fiction involving the character between 1896 and his death in 1942, but its appearance in any of his stories has also yet to be documented.
The Yale Book of Quotations quotes the phrase "May you live in interesting times" as cited to "American Society of International Law Proceedings vol. 33 (1939)." The Yale Book of Quotations also states that "No authentic Chinese saying to this effect has ever been found."
A suggestion that a slight variant of the phrase was in use “many years” before 1936 is provided by an attestation from 1939. Frederic R. Coudert, a Trustee of Columbia University, later a member of the United States House of Representatives, presented opening remarks at a meeting of the "Academy of Political Science" in 1939. In his remarks the phrase "May you live in an interesting age" is labeled a Chinese curse. Coudert cites a letter from Austen Chamberlain
, half-brother of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain
, for introducing him to the curse. He also says that Chamberlain learned about the curse from a British diplomat in China:
Another piece of evidence that the phrase was in use as early as 1936 is provided by a memoir written by Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen
who was the British Ambassador to China in 1936 and 1937. The memoir describes an instance of a friend of Knatchbull-Hugessen using the phrase:
Since the memoir was published in 1949, the accuracy of the 1936 date depends on the precision of Knatchbull-Hugessen’s memory, but the quotation is consistent with the timeline of his Ambassadorial service in China, and the consistency between his and Coudert's dates is difficult to refute.
The phrase plus mention as a Chinese curse shows up in "Child Study Association of America, Federation for Child Study (U.S.)" in 1943. http://books.google.com/books?id=IipEAAAAYAAJ&q=%22May+you+live+in+interesting+times%22&dq=%22May+you+live+in+interesting+times%22&hl=en&ei=YbIPTaK5J4G4sAOh77WnCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAw
in his Day of Affirmation Address
in Cape Town
, South Africa
, in 1966.
It is also a saying from the counterweight continent in Terry Pratchett
's Discworld
, and a later novel in the series is named; Interesting Times
. The same title is used for the autobiography of the historian Eric Hobsbawm
, and for writer George Packer
's New Yorker
blog
(which focuses on the Iraq war and other political issues).
May You Live in Interesting Times is the title of a short story collection published in 1995 by the writer Tereze Gluck.
"May You Live in Interesting Times" is the title of a section in the book Kingdom of Fear by journalist and writer Hunter S. Thompson
. The phrase was "told to [Thompson] by an elderly dope fiend on a rainy night in Hong Kong near the end of the War in Vietnam". The chapter containing the section refers to Thompson's work as a war correspondent.
Harry Kim
uses the phrase in Episode 5 "The Cloud" of Star Trek: Voyager Season 1.
The "curse" was also quoted at several instances in the USA Network
Police Procedural series White Collar
.
Wendy Cope
's poem "Being Boring" quotes the Chinese curse beneath her poem title to emphasise her point- that being boring is much more satisfying than living in interesting times.
Another use of the phrase occurred in 1950, when the April issue of Astounding Science Fiction included the saying in one of the magazine
's stories entitled "U-Turn". The story was penned by Eric Frank Russell
under the name Duncan H. Munro.
It was also quoted at the end of the 1994 movie Disclosure
with Demi Moore, Michael Douglas and Donald Sutherland. Sutherland quoted in the beginning of the company meeting when talking about the strange reverse sexual harassment lawsuit along with the corporate espionage that had been the intertwined subject of the movie.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
translation
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
of an ancient Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
proverb
Proverb
A proverb is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical. A proverb that describes a basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim...
and curse
Curse
A curse is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to some other entity—one or more persons, a place, or an object...
, although it may have originated among the English themselves (or Americans
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
). It is reported that it was the first of three curses of increasing severity, the other two being:
- "May you come to the attention of those in authority" (sometimes rendered "May the government be aware of you"). This is sometimes quoted as "May you come to the attention of powerful people." (Alternately, "important people".)
- "May you find what you are looking for." This is sometimes quoted as "May your wishes be granted."
Origins
No known user of the English phrase has supplied the purported Chinese languageChinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
original, and the Chinese language origin of the phrase, if it exists, has not been found, making its authenticity, at least in its present form, very doubtful. One theory is that it may be related to the Chinese proverb, "It's better to be a dog in a peaceful time than be a man in a chaotic period" (寧為太平犬，不做亂世人; pinyin: níng wéi tàipíng quǎn, bú zuò luànshì rén). Other cultures, such as Polish, attribute the saying to either Chinese or Jewish origin.
The saying has also been attributed to the fictional Chinese storyteller Kai Lung
Kai Lung
Kai Lung is a fictional character in a series of books by Ernest Bramah, consisting of The Wallet of Kai Lung , Kai Lung's Golden Hours , Kai Lung Unrolls His Mat , The Moon of Much Gladness , Kai Lung Beneath the Mulberry Tree , Kai Lung: Six and Kai Lung Raises His...
invented by the English Edwardian author Ernest Bramah
Ernest Bramah
Ernest Bramah , born Ernest Brammah Smith, was an English author. He published 21 books and numerous short stories and features. His humorous works were ranked with Jerome K Jerome, and W.W. Jacobs, his detective stories with Conan Doyle, his politico-science fiction with H.G. Wells and his...
, who wrote many pieces of fiction involving the character between 1896 and his death in 1942, but its appearance in any of his stories has also yet to be documented.
The Yale Book of Quotations quotes the phrase "May you live in interesting times" as cited to "American Society of International Law Proceedings vol. 33 (1939)." The Yale Book of Quotations also states that "No authentic Chinese saying to this effect has ever been found."
A suggestion that a slight variant of the phrase was in use “many years” before 1936 is provided by an attestation from 1939. Frederic R. Coudert, a Trustee of Columbia University, later a member of the United States House of Representatives, presented opening remarks at a meeting of the "Academy of Political Science" in 1939. In his remarks the phrase "May you live in an interesting age" is labeled a Chinese curse. Coudert cites a letter from Austen Chamberlain
Austen Chamberlain
Sir Joseph Austen Chamberlain, KG was a British statesman, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and half-brother of Neville Chamberlain.- Early life and career :...
, half-brother of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain
Neville Chamberlain
Arthur Neville Chamberlain FRS was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. Chamberlain is best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding the...
, for introducing him to the curse. He also says that Chamberlain learned about the curse from a British diplomat in China:
Another piece of evidence that the phrase was in use as early as 1936 is provided by a memoir written by Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen
Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen
Sir Hughe Montgomery Knatchbull-Hugessen KCMG was a British diplomat, civil servant and author.-Background and education:...
who was the British Ambassador to China in 1936 and 1937. The memoir describes an instance of a friend of Knatchbull-Hugessen using the phrase:
Since the memoir was published in 1949, the accuracy of the 1936 date depends on the precision of Knatchbull-Hugessen’s memory, but the quotation is consistent with the timeline of his Ambassadorial service in China, and the consistency between his and Coudert's dates is difficult to refute.
The phrase plus mention as a Chinese curse shows up in "Child Study Association of America, Federation for Child Study (U.S.)" in 1943. http://books.google.com/books?id=IipEAAAAYAAJ&q=%22May+you+live+in+interesting+times%22&dq=%22May+you+live+in+interesting+times%22&hl=en&ei=YbIPTaK5J4G4sAOh77WnCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAw
Popularization and usage
The saying was used by Robert F. KennedyRobert F. Kennedy
Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F...
in his Day of Affirmation Address
Day of Affirmation speech
The Day of Affirmation speech was a speech given by Robert F. Kennedy to National Union of South African Students members at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, on June 6, 1966. Kennedy, who was then a U.S...
in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, in 1966.
It is also a saying from the counterweight continent in Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett
Sir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
's Discworld
Discworld
Discworld is a comic fantasy book series by English author Sir Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants which, in turn, stand on the back of a giant turtle, Great A'Tuin. The books frequently parody, or at least take inspiration from, J. R. R....
, and a later novel in the series is named; Interesting Times
Interesting Times
Interesting Times is the seventeenth novel in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett.The opening lines explain that the title refers to the phrase "may you live in interesting times".-Plot summary:...
. The same title is used for the autobiography of the historian Eric Hobsbawm
Eric Hobsbawm
Eric John Ernest Hobsbawm , CH, FBA, is a British Marxist historian, public intellectual, and author...
, and for writer George Packer
George Packer
George Packer is an American journalist, novelist and playwright.-Biography:Packer's parents, Nancy Packer and Herbert Packer, were both academics at Stanford University; his maternal grandfather was George Huddleston, a congressman from Alabama. His sister, Ann Packer, is also a writer...
's New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
(which focuses on the Iraq war and other political issues).
May You Live in Interesting Times is the title of a short story collection published in 1995 by the writer Tereze Gluck.
"May You Live in Interesting Times" is the title of a section in the book Kingdom of Fear by journalist and writer Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter Stockton Thompson was an American journalist and author who wrote The Rum Diary , Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 .He is credited as the creator of Gonzo journalism, a style of reporting where reporters involve themselves in the action to...
. The phrase was "told to [Thompson] by an elderly dope fiend on a rainy night in Hong Kong near the end of the War in Vietnam". The chapter containing the section refers to Thompson's work as a war correspondent.
Harry Kim
Harry Kim (Star Trek)
Ensign Harry S. L. Kim, played by Garrett Wang, is a character in the television series Star Trek: Voyager. He serves as the USS Voyagers operations officer.-Depiction:...
uses the phrase in Episode 5 "The Cloud" of Star Trek: Voyager Season 1.
The "curse" was also quoted at several instances in the USA Network
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
Police Procedural series White Collar
White Collar (TV series)
White Collar is a USA Network television series created by Jeff Eastin, starring Matt Bomer as con-man Neal Caffrey and Tim DeKay as Special Agent Peter Burke. It premiered on October 23, 2009. In December 2009, White Collar was renewed for a second season that began on July 13, 2010...
.
Wendy Cope
Wendy Cope
Wendy Cope, OBE is an award-winning contemporary English poet. She read history at St Hilda's College, Oxford. She now lives in Ely with the poet Lachlan Mackinnon.-Biography:...
's poem "Being Boring" quotes the Chinese curse beneath her poem title to emphasise her point- that being boring is much more satisfying than living in interesting times.
Another use of the phrase occurred in 1950, when the April issue of Astounding Science Fiction included the saying in one of the magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
's stories entitled "U-Turn". The story was penned by Eric Frank Russell
Eric Frank Russell
Eric Frank Russell was a British author best known for his science fiction novels and short stories. Much of his work was first published in the United States, in John W. Campbell's Astounding Science Fiction and other pulp magazines. Russell also wrote horror fiction for Weird Tales, and...
under the name Duncan H. Munro.
It was also quoted at the end of the 1994 movie Disclosure
Disclosure (film)
Disclosure is a 1994 thriller directed by Barry Levinson, starring Michael Douglas and Demi Moore. It is based on Michael Crichton's novel of the same name.The cast also includes Donald Sutherland, Rosemary Forsyth and Dennis Miller...
with Demi Moore, Michael Douglas and Donald Sutherland. Sutherland quoted in the beginning of the company meeting when talking about the strange reverse sexual harassment lawsuit along with the corporate espionage that had been the intertwined subject of the movie.