郑仲岚, 台湾总统蔡英文推特英日文拜年意外引发两岸网民论战. Liberty Times, Jan 28, 2017.
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/chinese-news-38781942
(but no Chinese language)
农历年三十(1月27日)发表: "From the people of Taiwan, we wish everyone a bright and prosperous Year of the Rooster. 日本の皆様、今年は実のある素晴らしい [splendid]一年となりますよう、心より [from; thus 心より means from my heart] お祈り致します。
My comment:
(a) Japanese-English dictionary:
* mina-sama 皆様 【みなさま】 (n): "(hon[orific]) everyone"
* mi-no-aru 実のある; 実の有る 【みのある】 (exp,adj-f) (ant[onym]: 実のない) solid; substantial; substantive"
(The "mi" is Japanese pronunciation for 実, a fruit. "有る" (pronounced "a-ru") means "there is/are" (present sense only; Japanese grammar has past tense, but no future tense (which is the same as present tense). )
* いたす 《致す》 (v): "to do"
(Japanese grammar has three ways to address a listener: to a superior, a peer and an inferior. The "itasu" is used to address a superior. Here it means I will do the praying (祈り, which is pronounced "inori"). The "お" before 祈り is an honorific; however, it (お, pronounced "o") is associated together with 祈り, just like it with money.
(b) I am puzzled, as to why president tsai does this (to greet English- and Japanese- speaking people), which is equivalent to president Trump greets Chinese on Thanksgiving day, which is pretty much unknown in the Far East. You see, Meiji restoration (in 1873, to be specific) abolished Chinese New Year and moved to Jan 1 of Gregorian calendar all festivities (temples' ring bells 除夜の鐘 AND giving otoshidama お年玉/ 御年玉 -- Mandarin: 紅包/ Cantonese: 利是 -- on New Year's eve ; going to temples; eating rice cakes).
日本新年
https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/日本新年
("農曆的正月則稱為「旧正月」 [in Japan],现在日本人大多數地方不庆祝舊正月(除琉球及一些農村地方外)" )
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