Jenna Moran's blog posts on learning Chinese are excellent, and who knows how long the Eos-sama website will be up after all the shenanigans. So, here's an archive.
So I have obtained Chinese language learning software, and have begun my road to “legendary scholar” status. My first word: duh!
I mean, de (的).
This is a monster of a first word to have to learn, what with its eight strokes, three pronunciations, and the helpful meaning, according to my software, of “modifier particle/accurate/target.”
So what does this mean?
Modifier particles are pretty obviously the particulate essence of the Lands Beyond Creation. They’ll float in from the madness or emptiness beyond the world—a lot depends on whether we’re talking Nobilis, Exalted, Chuubo’s, Hitherby, whatever, here. But anyway, they’ll float in from the Outside and modify things.
What kinds of things?
Well, in this case, inaccurate or untargeted things.
The eighth stroke of “de” is a dot, diǎn, which is probably the modifier particle. The first seven strokes, which I found myself practicing in my SLEEP because that is the kind of brain I have, only, um, when I woke up I realized I had one of them wrong, serve to explain what it modifies.
The Estate of De most likely has the following Properties:
(2) De is leeter the more it deletes
(2) De may answer any situation, no matter how bizarre, with “de HECK?”
(2) De modifies with particles
(1) De targets only the inaccurate, and is accurate only to the target
(0) De, a deer, a female deer <= THIS IS WRONG
Hsin came by as I was writing this and clarified that “de” is actually a possessive particle. And Genseric?
He just laughed and laughed.
A Book of Divine Letters: De (的)
Deep contemplation of the letter “de (的)” and the expenditure of Treasure Miracle Points may yield instruction on the following miracles:
Good and Evil Eight (2 TMP)
How can anyone learn so many strokes at once? Even the all-compassionate Buddha would be confounded!
After furiously sketching for a long time—in a miraculous conflict, this requires at least twice the conflict’s pace, and three times the pace or more at the HG’s option—you may declare “de” and show everyone the eight-stroke character you have drawn. For the next 8 seconds, anyone who wants to do anything but pause, stunned, and admire your work must overcome a level 3 Auctoritas.
This is a one-use ability. You must retreat to an appropriate fastness and contemplate or practice “de” again while spending 2 more MP before you can repeat its use.
What a Possessive Particle! (1 TMP)
Spend 1 further MP of any type to declare something the property of Mr. or Ms. De. This is a mundane action with no legal standing or practical effect but it can interfere with mystical or conceptual ownership: a level 3 Auctoritas opposes any miracle that would change its ownership to or rely on it being owned by someone else.
Once you develop this ability you retain it for the remainder of the story.
Target Modifier Ofuda (2 TMP)
You create an ofuda that you can attach to a miracle (flinging it out, using a mundane action, while invoking the miracle) to make it more accurate. You may choose at the time of your action whether this enhances your miracle with a level 4 creation of accuracy or with +1 Strike.
Each 2 MP buys a single-use ability, but you may have duplicates: specifically, you may have a number of ofuda up to your Treasure rating available at any given time.
De dí . . . dì????? (1 TMP)
You learn to write “de” in such a fashion as to emphasize the ambiguity of its pronunciation. To the extent that anyone who looks at it has an active miraculous effect or personal quality such that they get confused easily by such things, your rendition of this character is guaranteed to thus confuse them.
Once you develop this ability you retain it for the remainder of the story, and possibly indefinitely.
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My First Chinese Word: De
I mean, de (的).
This is a monster of a first word to have to learn, what with its eight strokes, three pronunciations, and the helpful meaning, according to my software, of “modifier particle/accurate/target.”
So what does this mean?
Modifier particles are pretty obviously the particulate essence of the Lands Beyond Creation. They’ll float in from the madness or emptiness beyond the world—a lot depends on whether we’re talking Nobilis, Exalted, Chuubo’s, Hitherby, whatever, here. But anyway, they’ll float in from the Outside and modify things.
What kinds of things?
Well, in this case, inaccurate or untargeted things.
The eighth stroke of “de” is a dot, diǎn, which is probably the modifier particle. The first seven strokes, which I found myself practicing in my SLEEP because that is the kind of brain I have, only, um, when I woke up I realized I had one of them wrong, serve to explain what it modifies.
The Estate of De most likely has the following Properties:
Hsin came by as I was writing this and clarified that “de” is actually a possessive particle. And Genseric?
He just laughed and laughed.
A Book of Divine Letters: De (的)
Deep contemplation of the letter “de (的)” and the expenditure of Treasure Miracle Points may yield instruction on the following miracles:
Good and Evil Eight (2 TMP)
How can anyone learn so many strokes at once? Even the all-compassionate Buddha would be confounded!
After furiously sketching for a long time—in a miraculous conflict, this requires at least twice the conflict’s pace, and three times the pace or more at the HG’s option—you may declare “de” and show everyone the eight-stroke character you have drawn. For the next 8 seconds, anyone who wants to do anything but pause, stunned, and admire your work must overcome a level 3 Auctoritas.
This is a one-use ability. You must retreat to an appropriate fastness and contemplate or practice “de” again while spending 2 more MP before you can repeat its use.
What a Possessive Particle! (1 TMP)
Spend 1 further MP of any type to declare something the property of Mr. or Ms. De. This is a mundane action with no legal standing or practical effect but it can interfere with mystical or conceptual ownership: a level 3 Auctoritas opposes any miracle that would change its ownership to or rely on it being owned by someone else.
Once you develop this ability you retain it for the remainder of the story.
Target Modifier Ofuda (2 TMP)
You create an ofuda that you can attach to a miracle (flinging it out, using a mundane action, while invoking the miracle) to make it more accurate. You may choose at the time of your action whether this enhances your miracle with a level 4 creation of accuracy or with +1 Strike.
Each 2 MP buys a single-use ability, but you may have duplicates: specifically, you may have a number of ofuda up to your Treasure rating available at any given time.
De dí . . . dì????? (1 TMP)
You learn to write “de” in such a fashion as to emphasize the ambiguity of its pronunciation. To the extent that anyone who looks at it has an active miraculous effect or personal quality such that they get confused easily by such things, your rendition of this character is guaranteed to thus confuse them.
Once you develop this ability you retain it for the remainder of the story, and possibly indefinitely.