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Friday, May 30, 2008

合縁奇縁

あいえんきえん
aien kien

There are some people in life that kind of catch you by surprise; you meet them under some kind of outlandish circumstances, the sort of situation that you look back on and think “WTF?” but you end up being closer than you would have ever expected. Or, sometimes you might expect to get along really well with someone, but somehow it just doesn’t work out. These little tricks of fate can be referred to as 合縁奇縁. I think that you’ll most commonly see this one used to describe romantic relationships (most example sentences have it used in a speech at a wedding anniversary), but it can apply to any sort of human relations.

Definition:
人と人の気が合うのも、合わないのも全て不思議な縁によるものだということ。
Translations:

1) A trick of fate
2) A seemingly chance encounter that brought two people together
3) Everything happens for a reason (everything in the context of relationships)
4) As if it were meant to happen

例文:身地がばらばらで、佐賀という思いもよらない地で出会った俺たちだったけど、まさに合縁奇縁でそれぞれの魚闘道の奥義を互いに教えあえるまでできるぐらい仲良くなった。



We were from different places, meeting in a place as unlikely as Saga, but, as if it were meant to be, we got close enough to teach each other our various secret Way of the Fighting Fish techniques.

Happy Birthday Brett (Defendership), and thanks for the WFF pointers.

PS: yes, you’re getting a real present, too.

Posted by: Nirav, with slight cleaning by Azzidisridden

2 comments:

Defendership said...

Aww... さすが、俺のまぶだち! Thanks for the post, man, it means a lot - though not as much as the WFF. It's like you always said: "Give a man a blow to the head with a fish, give him a concussion for a day. But TEACH a man to attack other people with a fish, alienate him for a lifetime." Hope your weekend rocks as much as I mine should.

Nirav said...

Actually, the 例文 needs slight editing (which blogger won't let me do since technically the post was put up by Jeff now).

It should read:

出身地がばらばらで佐賀という思いもよらない地で出会った俺たちだったけど、まさに合縁奇縁でそれぞれの魚闘道の奥義を互いに教えあえるぐらい仲良くなった。

Mea culpa.