Languages studying dumblr

So here's the stack of my new study materials and y'all... kanji in context is arguably the best reference book for kanji I've come across in my life. I cannot praise it highly enough.

It's designed to be gone through three times. The first time is learning the kanji and the readings for the vocabulary in red. The second time is for review and all the unmarked black words. The third time is for mastery and the unusual, difficult, or obsolete words marked by diamonds. I love it a lot.

The workbook might be the true gem though. That's where the "in context" part comes from. You get practice and a bunch of example sentences actually using the vocabulary. Two words really similar in meaning that you can't tell the usage apart? No problem here. You'll get to see how it's actually used and, by extension, continue building and reinforcing your vocabulary.

真桑[Maguwa] Morus alba

紫色に熟した桑の實が、どんなに私たち野の子供の味覺をたのしませて吳れた事だらう？ 竹筒をこしらへて、その中に一ぱいの桑の實を入れて、それを棒でつゝいて汁をこしらへて吸つたものだが、それでもよく腹を痛めるので母からは堅く禁められてゐた。禁を破つた證據を脣の色で抑へられて、さん／"＼に叱られたのも今は懷しい思ひ出の一つである。

[Murasaki-iro ni jukushita kuwa no mi ga, donnani watashitachi no no kodomo no mikaku wo tanoshimasete kureta koto darō? Takezutsu wo koshiraete, sono naka ni ippai no kuwa no mi wo irete, sore wo bō de tsutsuite shiru wo koshiraete sutta monoda ga, soredemo yoku hara wo itameru node haha karawa kataku tomerarete ita. Kin wo yabutta shōko wo kuchibiru no iro de osae rarete, san-zan ni shikarareta nomo ima wa natsukashii omoide no hitotsu dearu.]

How much those purple, ripe Kuwa no mi(mulberry) delighted the palates of us, kids in the field. I(we) would make a bamboo tube, fill it with plenty of Kuwa no mi, and use a stick to poke them, sipping the juice that came out, but this often gave me a stomachache, so my mother strictly forbade it. And yet I broke this prohibition and sipped it, and the juice would stain my lips. Then, I was scolded severely as proof of that, but even that is now one of my fond memories. From 桑 by 加藤 武雄[Katō Takeo](Novelist, 1888-1956) https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/1229613/1/94

❁かみ合う：to mesh well/to engage well 議論がかみ合わない。

❁触発される　（しょくはつされる）：to be inspired by/stimulated by 友人に触発されて事業を始めた。

❁閉口する　（へいこうする）：to be at a loss for words/troubled by something 彼の行動に閉口した。

❁気まま：free, independent 仕事を辞めてから気ままな生活をしている．

❁若干　（じゃっかん）：few, small number 若干空席があります。

❁生じる　（しょうじる）：to arise, to occur 誤解が生じる。

❁筋道　（すじみち）：reasoning, logic, line of thought 相手が分かるように筋道を立てて説明した。

❁奔放　（ほんぽう）：wild, untethered 奔放な性格

❁～漬け　（づけ）：full of 勉強漬けの毎日です。

How did people make windows translucent in eras without glass or when it was prohibitively expensive by Lu Lei 鲁磊

Seashell windows (especially using "sea moon shells海月贝") were not common in ancient China. They were mostly found in coastal areas like Fujian and Guangdong, where shells were abundant. Ordinary people used paper windows, while seashell windows -due to their complex craftsmanship and scarcity -were mostly used in palaces, temples, or wealthy homes. However, seashell windows had drawbacks: poorer transparency than paper windows; fragile and hard to maintain; could not be opened or closed easily, often fixed as decorative panels rather than functional windows.

Most ancient windows were made of sturdy paper (like mulberry bark or cotton paper), treated with tung oil or rice paste to resist wind and moisture. Multiple layers of paper improved insulation, reducing cold air from entering.

Though thin, paper windows allowed light in while wooden frames provided some insulation. Traditional buildings also used smart designs to stay warm: facing south to maximize sunlight; overhanging eaves to block summer heat but let in winter sun; double-layered windows (e.g., "lift-and-hang windows") -outer paper layer for windproofing, inner wooden shutters or curtains for extra insulation at night.

'26.2.21 東大寺二月堂にて

前回投稿のアナザーカット。ここではついつい古い各パーツや小さな景色に目が行きます。

「花美人名所合 亀戸龍 眼寺の萩」|Bush Clover at Ryūganji Temple, Kameido, from the series An Array of Flowers, Beauties and Famous Places (Hanabijin meisho awase kameido ryūganji no hagi) by Ogata Gekkō, Asian Art

Medium: Triptych of polychrome woodblock prints; ink and color on paper

The Howard Mansfield Collection, Purchase, Rogers Fund, 1936 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

JLPT N2 Grammar

使い方　[Verb (plain) / Noun+である / い-adjective / な-adjective+である] ＋ にしろ／にせよ

意味　even if ~, even in the case of ~, regardless, whether ~ or, no matter ~

Both of these (にしろ・にせよ) can be used interchangeably.

With a single use, the meaning is closer to: regardless of; even if. (See below for double use).

例文

何にしろ／何にせよ anyhow; in any case

いくら忙しいにせよ。 No matter how busy you may be.

ここは不便でどの駅に行くにせよ、徒歩で30分以上かかる。 ここはふべんでどのえきにいくにせよ、とほで３０ぷんいじょうかかる。 This place is really inconvenient, no matter which station you go to will take at least 30 minutes by foot.

～にしろ～にしろ・～にせよ～にせよ

JLPT N2 Grammar

使い方　[Verb (dictionary form) / Noun / い-adjective / な-adjective ＋ にしろ／にせよ] ＋ [Verb (ない form) / Noun / い-adjective / な-adjective ＋ にしろ／にせよ]

意味　whether ~ or ~

Both of these can be used interchangeably, but usually they have to be the same (にしろ＋にしろ、にせよ＋にせよ).

例文

来るにせよ来ないにせよ。 Whether you will come or not.

就職するにしろ進学するにしろ、自分でよく考えてください。 しゅうしょくするにしろしんがくするにしろ、じぶんでよくかんがえてください。 Think carefully by yourself whether you’ll start working or pursue higher education.

犬にしろ猫にしろ、このマンションではペットを飼ってはいけない決まりです。 いぬにしろねこにしろ、このマンションではペットをかってはいけないきまりです。 Whether it be dogs or cats, pets are not allowed in this apartment.

使うにしろ使わないにしろ、それをもらったことにはお礼を言った方がいいですよ。 つかうにしろつかわないにしろ、それをもらったことにはおれいをいったほうがいいですよ。 Whether you will use it or not, you should say thanks for receiving it.

しろ = modern imperative (very strong unless complementized)

返事しろ！ = answer me!

せよ = archaic imperative, occasionally still used in writing

恋せよまやかし天使ども = 恋しろ = fall in love, you false angels

you can also see related morphological forms in some non-standard varieties, like kansai japanese:

せえへん（関西弁） = しない（標準語） = does not/will not do

蟒草[Uwabamisō] Elatostema involucratum

蟒[Uwabami] : Giant serpent; heavy drinker

草[Sō] : Grass, herb

There are three words for "great serpent". Mizuchi(蛟), Orochi(大蛇, which is also read as daija) and Uwabami(蟒, 蟒蛇). Mizuchi is believed to be a spirit beast that lives in water and takes the form of a serpent, so this is a slightly different kind. Long long ago, giant serpents were called Orochi. As time went on, it came to be called as Uwabami.

The reason heavy drinkers are called Uwabami is that Uwabami swallows its prey whole and is said to snore when sleeping. And it is also said that its snoring sounds like the wind.

蝮の 鼾も合歓の 葉かげかな

[Uwabami no ibiki mo nemu no hakage kana] What sounded like a snoring of Uwabami is actually the wind rustling through the leaves of Nemu By 与謝 蕪村[Yosa Buson](Haiku poet, 1716-1783)

Today, many scientists acknowledge the troubling attitudes that have long plagued research projects in Indigenous communities [...] But some Indigenous groups feel that despite such well-intentioned initiatives, their inclusion in research is only a token gesture to satisfy a funding agency.

Has everyone just believed this whole time that I bring it up for optics?

Everyone nods, "of course he mentions Indigenous people," because they believe it would simply look bad for me if I didn't.

In fact Indigenous knowledge is a constant topic of conversation and point of reference when I discuss my work as a scientist who uses Western science because my work is useless without it.

I work with endangered species which are endangered solely due to continual colonial violence against people and the land. I can follow the Western scientific method all I want and publish 100 papers on how to fix salmon populations—and get nowhere without Indigenous knowledge and sovereignty.

Indigenous knowledge is not an afterthought to reference as back up to Western science. Believe it or not, we can and should lead any number of scientific projects with Indigenous knowledge.

ライデン大学植物園