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From: anderson@uwmacc.UUCP
Newsgroups: sci.lang
Subject: Source of Curse
Message-ID: <559@uwmacc.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 22-Nov-86 02:12:46 EST
Article-I.D.: uwmacc.559
Posted: Sat Nov 22 02:12:46 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 23-Nov-86 03:47:58 EST
Distribution: na
Organization: UWisconsin-Madison Academic Comp Center
Lines: 17
Keywords: curse


Please don't think this is frivolous, though it may seem to be:
you must know the phrase, said to be a Chinese curse, "May you
live in interesting times." My question is, *is* it Chinese, or
is it a paraphrase of something Chinese, or is it something
attributed to various sources, as in <name of wise old culture>
(therefore having clever maledictions)? Anybody know some facts
here? I mean, it could be analogous to what the the Germans
call "die franzoesische Krankheit" and the French call "la
maladie anglaise" (syphilus), as in prejudice, basically.
   To save wear and tear on the net, please e-mail as below,
and I'll summarize if warranted.
-- 
==ARPA:====================anderson@unix.macc.wisc.edu===Jess Anderson======
| UUCP: {harvard,seismo,topaz,                           1210 W. Dayton    | 
|    akgua,allegra,ihnp4,usbvax}!uwvax!uwmacc!anderson   Madison, WI 53706 |
==BITNET:============================anderson@wiscmacc===608/263-6988=======