From: used to be Anime Kami (kchang@orion.oac.uci.edu (Koji Nanjo))
Subject: Re: Jashin and Majin
Newsgroups: rec.arts.anime,alt.manga
Organization: Zetsuai Bronze
Date: 8 Apr 92 19:14:33 GMT

In article <rmbj0INNotv@agate.berkeley.edu> wang@ocf.berkeley.edu (Albert Sze-Wei Wang) writes:
>In article <29DCE7FA.12929@orion.oac.uci.edu> used to be Anime Kami (kchang@orion.oac.uci.edu (Koji Nanjo)) writes:
>
>
>>Jashin and Majin both mean "evil god(dess)".
>
>Not true.  They are distinctive.  It is not something that you can look up
>in a dictionary because it may not tell you.
>
>Relaying my friend's words AGAIN:
>Jashin is "evil goddess."  Majin is "demon lord."  Feeling in the words 
>is the key to the distinction.  Chadwick's post is valid.
>It is in the cultural usage of the words.  Like Chinese, the literal meeting
>serves little in the true meaning, with heavy reliance on feeling.  I have
>often laughed at dictionary meanings because they don't even begin to explore
>the true uses of the words as character combinations are made.  Characters
>by themselves have only generic meanings that shape differently in meaning
>and feeling when paired up with other characters.  A latin-based language
>dictionary approach to oriental languages is a mistake as you will get
>a so-called literal meaning but not necessarily what the characters stand
>for as they are paired up.  

=>This is what I will paraphrase my Japanese friend's comment between the
difference of Jashin and Majin (not mine so don't talk to me about it):
"Jashin and Majin are the same in meaning. Majin is more general in term
than a jashin is. Jashin is more specific and is within the class of the majin
and usually it is used to describe what type of majin the majin may be. Jashin
is also used with names (name of that majin) to specify that it is part of 
the majin class. But you can call all jashin as majin without specifying the 
name, even though you can also say 'majin (name)' like jashin but majin is
just more general of all 'evil deity' and jashin is the more specific form."

>Both words are distinctive, they are not the same.

=>As I will quote again from my firend: "The two words are the same in meaning
but they have their distinctions, one being general and the other more specific
, and you can call anyform of an 'evil deity' as majin, but if you really want
to specify a particular 'evil deity', you have to state it as a jashin with
the name." [And don't point any fingers at me. KN]

>Again, you have to have had a strong Japanese background to know 
>the difference.  Remember that the keys of a language are not found
>in a text book.  A class will give you the foundations to build upward.
>It is up to you to build and maintain.

=>True. Of course, the foundation is based on knowing the slight difference in
any meaning of the word (like the slang some people posted up, since some slang
are used by different levels of ages and if one uses the wrong slang, he will
be made fun of in Japan). ANyway, language is hard but one can analyze any
language and give his theories on the basis of break down and meaning.

>This is the last post I will make on this topic.

=>Hopefully, me too.

>
>
>Ningyo Tsuakai
>-- 
>The Daimyo               | Never forget love
>wang@ocf.berkeley.edu    | Like a dream,
>                         | Please tell me the secret...
>                         |     -Eve Tokimatsuri from Himitsu Kudasai, MZ23 p2


Koji Nanjo