Movie & TV guides. There is an old Chinese curse that goes, “May you live in interesting times.” Well, we are cursed indeed. For Chinese-language swearing, see
Evidently he read the whole letter, because by return mail he wrote to me and concluded as follows: "Many years ago, I learned from one of our diplomats in China that one of the principal Chinese curses heaped upon an enemy is, 'May you live in an interesting age.'" May You Live in Interesting Times Meaning. No one is sure who introduced the term but the person who did most to bring it to the public's attention was Robert Kennedy.
The phrase was introduced in the 20th century in the form 'interesting age' rather than 'interesting times' and appears that way in the opening remarks made by Frederic R. Coudert at the Some years ago, in 1936, I had to write to a very dear and honored friend of mine, who has since died, Sir Austen Chamberlain, brother of the present Prime Minister, and I concluded my letter with a rather banal remark, "that we were living in an interesting age." Despite being so common in English as to be known as " the Chinese curse ", the saying is apocryphal, and no actual Chinese source has ever been produced. While purporting to be a blessing, this is in fact a curse. Like it or not we live in interesting times. Though many have suffered grievously from this virus, you, graduating seniors, whether from high school or college, make up your own category of sufferers. They are times of danger and uncertainty; but they are also the most creative of any time in the history of mankind.
The phrase is again described as a "Chinese curse" in an article published in "Chinese curse" redirects here.
This idiom dates back to the first half of the 1900s. The expression is always used ironically, with the clear implication that 'uninteresting times', of peace and tranquillity, are more life-enhancing than interesting ones. Origin of May You Live in Interesting Times .
According to Jewish tradition, such a phrase could be seen as a blessing.
" May you live in interesting times " is an English expression purported to be a translation of a traditional Chinese curse. The phrase “May you live in interesting times,” references a Chinese curse. "May you live in interesting times" is an English expression that purports to be a translation of a traditional Chinese curse. As to the currently used 'interesting times' version, we can only date that to post WWII. There are no approved quotes yet for this movie.
Evidently he read the whole letter, because by return mail he wrote to me and concluded as follows: "Many years ago I learned from one of our diplomats in China that one of the principal Chinese curses heaped upon an enemy is, 'May you live in an interesting age.Research by philologist Garson O'Toole shows a probable origin in the mind of Austen Chamberlain's father Over time, the Chamberlain family may have come to believe that the elder Chamberlain had not used his own phrase, but had repeated a phrase from Chinese. No known user of the English phrase has supplied the purported Chinese languageoriginal, and the Chinese language origin of the phrase, if it exists, has not been found, making its authenticity, at least in its present form, very doubtful.
The memoir describes an instance of a friend of Knatchbull-Hugessen using the phra…
Definition: May you live in a dangerous and tumultuous age.
They are times of danger and uncertainty; but they are also more open to the creative energy of men than any other time in history.As those who lived through the 1960s (and can remember) will recall, they were nothing if not interesting. 200 Erotic Movies. We have the 1939 citation in print, so the 'interesting age' form must be at least that old. While seemingly a blessing, the expression is normally used ironically; life is better in "uninteresting times" of peace and tranquility than in "interesting" ones, which are usually times of trouble. While this may sound like a blessing or a warm wish, it is always used ironically to indicate a period of chaos or disorder. Another piece of evidence that the phrase was in use as early as 1936 is provided by a memoir written by Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen who was the British Ambassador to China in 1936 and 1937.
Despite being so common in English as to be known as the "Despite being widely attributed as a Chinese curse, there is no known equivalent expression in Chinese.Evidence that the phrase was in use as early as 1936 is provided in a memoir written by Some years ago, in 1936, I had to write to a very dear and honoured friend of mine, who has since died, Sir Austen Chamberlain, brother of the present Prime Minister, and I concluded my letter with a rather banal remark "that we were living in an interesting age".
In a speech in Cape Town in June 1966, Kennedy said:There is a Chinese curse which says 'May he live in interesting times.' May you experience much disorder and trouble in your life. May You Live in Interesting Times (Ojalá vivas tiempos interesantes) Quotes. The expression is always used ironically, with the clear implication that 'uninteresting times', of peace and tranquillity, are more life-enhancing than interesting ones. The title refers to the common myth that there exists a Chinese curse " may you live in interesting times ". There is a Chinese curse which says “May he live in interesting times.” Like it or not, we live in interesting times. 'May you live in interesting times' is widely reported as being of ancient Chinese origin but is neither Chinese nor ancient, being recent and western.
"Surely", he said, "no age has been more fraught with insecurity than our own present time." That was three years ago.This citation has to be treated with caution as Chamberlain didn't speak Chinese and never visited China, although he was in contact with diplomats stationed there during his time as British Foreign Secretary, that is, 1924-1929.