> How do you do? I'm a Japanese, Yoshiko@San Francisco, just found this ML
> yesterday. Forgive my poor English.
>
> Matt Pearson wrote:
> > To "pull breath" is to gasp for air.
>
> In both West and East of the world, "Breath" related to "Life"
> originally. "Anim" of "animal" meant "breath" in Greek, Japanese"iki" of
> "iki-mono"(living creature) meant the same.
>
> But idioms used "breath" are in many cases completely the opposite
> between both cultures. eg:
>
> Japanese
> "Iki-o-hikitoru" = breath in completely -> die
> "Ki-o-haku" = breath out -> full of energy situation
> English
> "ex-spire" = breath out -> die
> "in-spire" = breath in -> cheer up ...
>
> I guess because, in the eastern idea, they believed their existence
> after lives and thought that people bring the final breath to another
> world and when they reborn to this world again, they take that breath
> from the former life out, and make the first baby voice with it. Also in
> the west, they believed God gave a breath into a man and made him a
> life, and if it's all out, the life finishes.
> --------------------------
> Yoshiko Fujita McFarland (kamos@sfo.com)
> The Earth Language Homepage:
>
http://www.sfo.com/~ucathinker/earth/english/ehome.htm
>