This is a list of the Words of the Archangels and Demon Princes in
Chinese -- Mandarin to be specific, I think, though I'm not 100%
certain on all of them. Where connotations are radically different
from Western translations I have made a few notes. Also, if using
these, bear in mind that subtle inflections not easily transmissible in
this character set can change meanings, sometimes drastically. Names
are given with diacritics and then without, for those whose readers
don't translate them properly.
Angel: ti~{(!~}n sh~{(+~} ("tian shi"), envoy of Heaven
Archangel: gao ti~{(!~}n sh~{(+~}. noble angel
God: sh~{(&~}n (shen). This refers to the God, a God of a monotheist
religion.
Demon: ~{((~} m~{(.~} (e mo), or just m~{(.~}; ~{((~} makes this a bad demon. However,
there are an incredible array of names for various kinds of demons in
Chinese culture, each referring to different types of spirits.
Demon Prince: jun mo, lit. ruler over demons. "Prince" is less
suitable for an egomaniac in China -- it is more explicitly "child of
king," or "son of king". Princess is worse: the characters literally
mean concubine, or "the ruler's owned woman"!
Devil: mowang, king of demons. Wang, by the way, is an ideogram of one
who connects heaven, humanity, and earth. Just to mention.
Archangels' Words:
Animals: sh~{(0~}u (shou)
(Construction: I think "Name, Angel of Word" would be "Word Angel
Name," so the Archangel of Animals would be sh~{(0~}u gao ti~{(!~}n sh~{(+~} Zhao Di,
or Xia Di (transliterations of a similar-sounding name, meaning
"assembling upon Earth" or "descends to Earth," Earth being the world.)
Creation: now this one is interesting. There's w~{($~}n hu~{($~} (wan hua),
which literally means "making (nothing) into everything," creation ex
nihilo. But hua connotes a transformation from something previously
existing! (Chinese myth has primal chaos.) Instead, chu~{($~}ng zu~{(0~}
(chuang zuo) is making or beginning, an act of production -- but even
this comes from the notion of a cut or break with what went before. In
Chinese, form requires formlessness or boundary to set it off. Eli's
Word is probably more the former, and would include the ongoing,
self-renewing processes of all creation as well as the First Making.
Destiny: yu~{("~}n f~{((~}n (yuan fen), or s~{(2~} yu~{("~}n (su yuan). Literally,
following a thread, or the threads of a man's life on Earth. Both
specifically invoke the image of threads, but the fen character invokes
the image of dividing with a knife (indeed, the same "knife" root that
is seen in dao or jian, the basic character of Laurence's Word!).
Thus, Destiny requires certain threads laid out before you, but
intimately involves choice.
Dreams: m~{((~}ng (meng)
Fire: hu~{(/~} (huo). Extremely elemental, and a radical used for many
words. Wind and water get used for a lot of them, too.
Flowers: hu~{(!~} (hua). Recall the discussion of its more elemental nature
in China.
Judgment: p~{($~}n (pan)
Lightning: di~{($~}n (dian). More commonly "electricity" in translation --
shan dian is a lightning flash -- but dian's character is, indeed, a
stroke extending from a raincloud.
Stone: sh~{(*~} (shi). (Observe the difference in inflection between sh~{(+~}
(envoy), sh~{(*~} (stone), si (four), and s~{(+~} (death).) As has been
discussed before, while this is considered an elemental Word in Western
systems it is merely natural in the Chinese version. Instead, r~{(#~}ng
(rang: earth, soil) would be the related element. Which one is the
more accurate translation of David's Word will say something, in your
game, about his nature.
The Sword: ji~{($~}n (jian). Laurence might very much appreciate the
Buddhist notion of hu~{(,~} ji~{($~}n, "the sword of wisdom which cuts through
the illusions of the material world". Connect, for example, to the
Christian image of the Word of God as a sword.
Trade: shang. Not only does this character mean business or commerce,
it also is built up out of roots referring to discussion, and means to
discuss or literally to trade or exchange. Marc's Word in China
probably involves a lot of extended relationship-building and intricate
social maneuvering, just the way the Mercurian likes it.
War: zh~{($~}n or zh~{($~}ng are both probably decent translations.
Wind: f~{(%~}ng (feng). As in feng shui, the way of wind and water. Like
Stone, not elemental in the Chinese system, merely natural.
Demon Princes:
Dark Humor: f~{(%~}ng q~{(4~} (fengqu) is wit or humor, h~{(%~}i f~{(%~}ng q~{(4~} (hei fengqu)
would be dark humor.
Death: s~{(+~} (si). Sounds like "four," hence the superstition.
Factions: p~{($~}i (pai)
Fate: m~{(,~}ng (ming). Strong connotations of inevitability,
inexorability, command.
Fire: same as above.
Freedom: z~{(,~} y~{(.~}u (zi you), something like "personal determination."
(Remember the discussion about Princes? A very polite title for Lilith
might be nushi ziyou, Lady of Freedom, skipping the "demon" bit
entirely. If you call Lilith "mo wang fei," the Devil's Concubine, you
might be lucky to escape attached to your skin! ... but by the same
token, it's probably a title she gets applied to her when the speaker
thinks she can't hear...)
The Game: b~{(+~} s~{($~}i (bi sai), competition, or j~{(2~} (ju), a comparison. In
China, the Game definitely needs opponents. (Interesting, ju can also
mean to measure, or, in archaic usage, to compel -- and presently can
refer to a bureau or office.)
Gluttony: t~{(!~}n t~{(!~}o (tan tao). The unmodified t~{(!~}n would simply mean
Greed -- who's a subset of who here?!?
Lust: y~{(4~} (yu). Desire, longing. Sexual desire specifically is yin yu
-- oddly enough, with the additional term Lust and Factions share a
"water" root (Factions' is breaking off to form a tributary, while
Lust's is flowing in to surround).
The Media: m~{(&~}i ji~{((~} (mei jie), the medium that lies between. Mei ti is
a sound-alike loanword.
Nightmares: ~{((~} m~{((~}ng (simply "bad dream." Very much a subset of Dreams,
in other words. Beleth might prefer mengyan, a construction which has
connotations of ghosts, crushing weight, and ill feelings.)
Technology: k~{(%~} j~{(,~} (ke ji)
Theft: qi~{((~} (qie)
The War: Zheng, or douzheng, more literally a military faceoff or a
contentious dispute than Michael's Word. Like the Game, the
connotations require an opponent.
William