このコンテンツは、漢字の知識が正しいかどうかを問うものであり、間違った漢字の使用について恥ずかしく感じることがあるかもしれないと指摘しています。デジタルデバイスの登場により、情報の精査が必要とされる時代になっており、漢字の知識を再確認することが重要であると述べています。また、漢字「誹謗中傷」や「名誉毀損」について説明し、その由来や正しい理解について触れています。さらに、幕末の思想家である佐久間象山の名言や業績にも触れています。
Do you feel increasingly unsure if you understand the correct meanings and use of kanji characters? Without realizing it, you may misuse kanji and end up feeling embarrassed.
With the advent of Google and digital devices, everything has become more convenient, but it’s also an era where thorough examination of information is necessary. Is your “kanji knowledge” up to par? It might be a good idea to double-check.
In the 197th installment of “Nourishing Your Brain with Kanji,” we introduce the term “slander.” “Slander” refers to speaking ill of others. This may be a familiar term, but deepen your understanding of kanji through reading and writing.
What is “defamation”?
Do you know how to read “defamation”? It’s more like…
The correct answer is…
Here it’s “sushi.”
In the “Shogakukan Digital Daibutsu Line,” it is explained as “speaking ill of others. Criticism.” The term “defamation” is used to mean “slandering someone behind their back” or “being slandered without having done anything to deserve it.” Synonyms include slander, libel, and hatred.
What is the origin of the kanji characters for “slander”?
The kanji character “仁” consists of “権本” and “飛.” Since “非” includes the meanings of “deny” and “speak ill,” it is believed that “deny” also has a similar meaning.
Quotes from Sakuma Shōzan
Understanding “slander” as speaking ill of others, no matter the content, being spoken ill of by someone is not a pleasant experience. However, Sakuma Shōzan, the philosopher who led Japan to the world during the Bakumatsu period, left behind this famous quote.
“Those who slander you will be slandered by you, and those who laugh at you will be laughed at by you. God knows my true nature, and everyone knows the situation of others.” To translate into modern language, it means, “The ones who criticize me and laugh at me. Let them be. Only God knows my true self, so I don’t care if others understand me or not.”
Sakuma Shōzan studied in Edo and opened a private school. Shocked by the Opium War in 1840, Shōzan keenly felt the need for coastal defense and personally studied Western artillery. Afterwards, Shōzan gained fame as a Western artilleryman, attracting talents like Katsura Kogorō, Yoshida Shōin, and Sakamoto Ryōma under his command.
Shōsan continued to advocate for strengthening coastal defense and the need for opening the country. In the first year of Genji (1864), Shōzan was sent to Edo on the orders of the shogunate, preaching political military unity and founding the country. This angered the Sonno Joi faction of the Kiyosumi clan, leading to Shōzan’s assassination.
Studying foreign situations and considering smuggling overseas, Shōzan’s stance was quite radical for the time. As a result, it was hard to be understood by those around him, and he was sometimes harshly criticized. However, Shōzan never gave up on founding the country.
Behind this may be the idea of “those who slander you will be slandered by you, and those who laugh at you will be laughed at by you.”
***
How was it? If this introduction of “slander” helps broaden your kanji knowledge, I would be happy. When you try to fulfill your wishes or take a new step, you may face criticism from someone. Rejection can make you lose confidence.
However, precisely because of such times, don’t you think that having a strong will to live can open up new paths?
By Toyota Maho (Kyoto Media Line)
Value of life: