Please Jie Ai
For thousands of moms in Sichuan, China, the day after Mother’s Day will be remembered as their worst day ever. On that day, Monday May 12, 2008, a 7.9 earthquake took the lives of their children.
If you know someone who has lost a love one, the most common way to express sympathy is to say, “Qing Jie Ai,” pronounced cheeng jee-eh eye.
Qing (cheeng) means please. Jie Ai (jee-eh eye) means to restrain one’s grief and accept the change.
For anyone interested in numbers and symbolism, this quake, registering nearly 8 on the Richter scale, has a lot that can be talked about. The number 8, traditionally a symbol for prosperity and good luck in the southern part of China, has not been lucky so far for China this year. The quake struck 88 days before the Summer Olympics is scheduled to begin in Beijing; the official start is slated for 08-08-08, at 8 p.m. Some researchers linked the quake to a shift of the Tibetan plateau to the north and east. The day of the quake was the birthday of Lord Buddha in China, which is the eighth day of fourth lunar month. The epicenter was in Sichuan Province, which is, literally, the place of four (si) rivers (chuan).
Posted: May 13th, 2008 under China, Greetings.
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There are many naming experts who advise on the do’s and don’t’s of naming, but then there are always creative entreprerneurs who break the rules.
MSNBC reported that a New York City Japanese eatery, Hakata Tonton, boasts that eating collagen-rich pig’s feet is the key to youthful skin.
In a Japan Times interview, Himi Okajima, chef and owner of Hakata Tonton, called Tonsoku “the next sushi.” He claims that Americans will adjust to this cuisine just as they now enjoy sushi and the once unappealing notion of raw fish. Today sushi is part of mainstream American dining and it is readily available even in supermarkets. Okajima says that promoting Tonsoku’s health and beauty benefits will open Americans to the idea of eating pig’s feet.
NBC Nightly News has a video (