Re: Notes on Tam Wing Kwong, "The Game of Sparrow as played in China".

Julian Bradfield <jcb@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:<e6c4ql2bx0d.fsf@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>...
> thierry.depaulis@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 (Thierry Depaulis) writes:
> 
> > We have met these 'mo he (hu) pai' already many times. Thanks to Cofa
> > and to further research we know a card game called "Mo Hu" ('he',
> > actually pronounced 'hu') using 60 cards with combinations was played
> 
> I meant to ask before, could you explain this "he pronounced hu"
> thing? Are you saying that the character whose pinyin representation
> is "he" is actually pronounced as if its pinyin representation were
> "hu"? This seems rather unlikely, since pinyin is explicitly a
> representation of speech!
> 
> >>Players later added to the set 3 kinds of Aces on which
> >>were printed flowers called Hwas ([hua1pai2], Flower cards), 
> >
> > This is absolutely new to me! It is the most intriguing part of this
> > historical account.
> > Julian, are the sinograms hua1pai2 printed in the text? 
> 
> Of course. As I said, I was quoting.
> 
> >>and others added four more kinds "Teens, Deis, Yuns
> >>and Hwos" called Jongs ([jiang4] Generals). 
> >
> > I am trying to work out what these names mean. "Hwo" apparently is for
> > Mandarin he2/hu. But what can be "Teens, Deis, Yuns"??
> 
> Yes, it's very irritating that just for once he doesn't write the
> Chinese there. However, Teen and Dei are Heaven and Earth; one would
> expect Man and Woman, perhaps. He calls the four types of scoring
> counter Teen, Dei, Yun, Ngo, so that's consistent with Yun being Man.
> But Hwo?

Hello Julian.
I have literally glanced at this interesting post as I am engaged in
other matters. But maybe he means 'harmony'. Thus, Heaven, Earth, Man
and Harmony. This is referenced in Culin. I shall try and find the
reference.

Cheers
Michael Stanwick