Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Reports of Abbot Dashan and Father Du Jarric essays

Reports of Abbot Dashan and Father Du Jarric essays A number of kings may have ruled in 17th century Asia, yet they differed significantly in their treatment of citizens and captives. Two historic recordsone written by the influential Chinese Buddhist Abbot Shilian Dashan about self-proclaimed King Minh Vuong in 1695, and the second compiled by Father Pierre Du Jarric during the early 1600s on Akbar or Great Mogulclearly demonstrated how varied these kingdoms could be. In 1695 King Minh Vuong invited Abbot Dashan to his Vietnamese Kingdom of Dang Trong, or what the Europeans called "Cochinchina," to establish the principles of the school of Zen Buddhism. After an arduous voyage, made worse by the claustrophobic quarters shared with merchants and traders, the multi-storied vessel arrived at its destination. It did not take long for the abbot to recognize that not all was peaceful and abundant in this land. Several old men, unkempt and with blackened teeth, came up to the boat as soon as it arrived. However, they were fearful and did not come aboard. This was the responsibility of the king's officers only. Later, much to the abbot's embarrassment and uneasiness, ten marines physically carried him off the ship. They headed to the Royal Inspectorate's war vessel, which was rich with incense, gold boxes and other adornments. Meanwhile, King Minh Vuong stayed in his palace. He would wait for the abbot to come to him, rather than the The next day, Abbot Dashan discovered why he only saw old men, women and children in the villages. Any able-bodied man over 16 had to leave his family behind until the age of 60. All younger males in good health were required to be soldiers in the king's army and do whatever he demanded. They fought whenever there was a war and worked for the state in other capacities in times of peace. For example, King Minh Vuong sent 1,000 soldiers to build Dashan's new house. Many famil...

Sunday, March 1, 2020

How to Extend (or Decline) an Invitation in French

How to Extend (or Decline) an Invitation in French There are a number of different ways to extend, accept, and refuse invitations in French, with a tone that is either formal or informal.   The verb choice, word choice, and sentence structure  all play a big part in how invitations and responses are expressed. Role of Verb Tense and Mood, Person, Tone, and Structure Formal: In more formal invitations and responses, the speakers seek the highest standards of politeness and so choose sentences using the very polite conditional mood in the main clause. Whats more, the polite vous of the main verb is preferred, and the language is more elevated throughout.  Sentences also tend to be more complex in more formal communications. Informal: In informal invitations and responses, the simple present tense in any part of the sentence or phrase  is adequate to convey the intended message, meaning, and casual mood. Whats more, the main verb uses the informal tu form, and the language is light and often breezy.  Sentences or phrases tend to be short and to the point. Extending an Invitation In the phrases that follow, the blank ___ must be filled with an infinitive in French. In English, however, youd add either an infinitive or a gerund- depending on the verb that precedes it. Again, notice the difference in sentence structure for formal versus informal invitations and responses. Vous nous feriez trà ¨s plaisir si vous pouviez nous consacrer une soirà ©e. (formal) We would be delighted if you could spend an evening with us.Nous serions trà ¨s heureux de vous accueillir chez nous. (formal)   We would be very happy to welcome you to our home.Je vous invite ___ (formal) /  Je tinvite ___  (informal)   I invite you to ___Êtes-vous libre ? (formal) /  Tu es libre ? (informal) Are you free?Avez-vous envie de ___ (formal)   Do you want to ___?Tu as envie de ___ ?  (formal)   Do you feel like ___?Ça te dit de ___ ? (informal)   How does ___ sound?Et si on (mange, voit un film)  ?  (informal)   How about (eating, seeing a movie)?Venez donc ___ (formal) /  Viens donc ___  Ã‚  Come and ___Rà ©ponse souhaità ©eRSVP  (Rà ©pondez sil vous plaà ®t) Accepting an Invitation Bonne idà ©e  ! (informal)   Good idea!Ça va à ªtre gà ©nial  ! (informal)   Thatll be cool!Ça va à ªtre sympa  ! (informal)  Ã‚  Thatll be nice!Cela me ferait grand plaisir.   I would be delighted.Cest gentil (de votre part).   Thats kind (of you).Daccord.   OK.Jaccepte avec plaisir.   I accept with pleasure. / Ill be happy to come.Je viendrai avec plaisir.   I will be glad to come.Je vous remercie. I  thank you. / Thank you.Oui, je suis libre.   Yes, Im free. Declining an Invitation Je me vois malheureusement obligà © de refuser. (formal)  Ã‚  Unfortunately, Im obliged to decline.Cest dommage, mais ___  Ã‚  Its too bad, but ___Cest gentil, mais ___  Ã‚  Thats kind, but ___Dà ©solà ©, mais ___  Ã‚  Im sorry, but ___Jai quelque chose de prà ©vu.   I have something planned.Je ne peux pas.   I cant.Je ne peux pas me libà ©rer.   Im unavoidably busyJe ne suis pas libre.   Ã‚  Im not freeJe suis occupà ©.   Im busy.Je suis pris.   Im otherwise engaged. Invitation-Related Verbs accepter (avec plaisir)   to accept  (gladly, with pleasure)  accueillir to welcomeinviter   to inviteune invitation   invitationrefuser   to decline