The Swirling Waters of Confusion: Part 1
Friday, May 9th, 2008
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When I came upon the compound 混沌 (konton: confusion, chaos, disorder), I couldn’t fathom why this word had taken on so much water (
). I wondered whether the moisture had anything to do with the “swirling waters of confusion” to which English speakers refer. As it turns out, yes! Check out some of the meanings of these kanji (the second of which happens to be rare):
混: confused
沌: swirling water, to be blocked, primeval chaos
Primeval chaos?! Burbling bodies of water must have terrified some early people!
Henshall says that 混 originally referred to water rushing and swirling with no fixed course, as in a flood. Then “confused waters” came to mean “confused” in a broader sense. He also says the 昆 inside 混 means “multitude” and acts phonetically here to express “to spin, swirl.” The element 昆 even lends its own idea of confusion, because people in a crowd mill around chaotically.
Swirling Waters
Photo credit: eatzycath
If this sounds entirely negative, never fear. The kanji 混 also means “to mix.” This associated meaning came about because impure elements often find their way into the swirling waters of confusion. This idea of “mixing” is not inherently negative. Just consider these appealing mixes:
雨混じりの雪 (ame majiri no yuki: snow mingled with rain) rain + to mix + snow
混合酒 (kongōshu: cocktail, mixed drink, blended liquor)
to mix + to join + alcohol
Posted by Eve Kushner in Kanji Curiosity | 12 Comments »
