May you live in interesting times
|
|
May you live in interesting times is a phrase that is often quoted as being the English translation of an ancient Chinese proverb and curse. However, many people have searched for the original Chinese language version and have not been able to determine its origin. It has been attributed to various American speakers, though research is continuing into the phrase's first appearance. It dates back to at least 1950, when the April issue of Astounding Science Fiction included the saying in one of the magazine's stories. The story was penned by Eric Frank Russell under the name Duncan H. Munro. It is currently unknown if Russell created the phrase himself or heard it from somewhere else. The saying has also been attributed to the fictional Chinese storyteller Kai Lung invented by the Edwardian English author Ernest Bramah, though this too has yet to be documented. It is reported that it was the first of three curses of increasing severity, the other two being:
- May you come to the attention of those in authority
- May you find what you are looking for
It is often argued that the word interesting is meant to be a synonym for turbulent or dangerous, while others suggest that no such similarity is necessary for the statement to be imposing. However, both these analyses miss the essential irony of the saying.
The saying inspired the title of the Terry Pratchett novel Interesting Times.
References
- Stephen E. DeLong (May 5, 1998). Get a(n interesting) life! (http://hawk.fab2.albany.edu/sidebar/sidebar.htm) Accessed February 13, 2004.
- Origin of Phrase: May You Live In Interesting Times (http://www.noblenet.org/reference/inter.htm)