Today I tried to express my appreciation for Mandarin to my friend from Indonesia- Illya, but I think I did not justify it well enough to completely express my thought.
So I decided to further elaborate my thought here.
The thing started from Illya that has learnt Chinese before, exclaimed that Mandarin is very complicated because some word has different pronunciation in different situation with different meanings.
In this case it was the word "长", that could be read as either (Chang2) which means long or (Zhang3) which means growth.
Then I told her, that's how Chinese is unique.
For example the word "遗憾" (Yi2 Han4) that could not be directly translated to the same meaning in English.
The only closest resemblance is the word "regret", but still, "regret" could not fully describe the meaning and feeling behind the word "遗憾".
I attempted to tell Illya how 遗憾 actually feels like and how is it different from "regret", but I could not think of a fair example on the spot, and I kind of thought of one now.
Perhaps this cliche story could do some justification:
Let's say u were in relationship with a guy when you were in your junior high school. Both of you loved each other and had many sweet memories together (try to imagine that). After 4 years together, the two of you fought and broken up because of some small misunderstanding. Yet because you were still young and immature, stubbornness took over the both of you, nobody wants to back down- and that's why u both are never getting back together. You two split, graduated from high school and continued your life to adulthood without contacting each other again.
After so many years, during a Christmas, when you were striding back to your car with your hands hid in the pocket trying to seek warmth, the snow started to fall. The scene that he coyly passed u a teddy bear under the yellow street light with the street thinly covered in snow, suddenly pops onto your mind. You lips curved into a bitter smile- first you feel blessed, yet you feel regret, that you two weren't getting back together just because of pride. You wonder how your life would be now if you two chose a different path.... You miss the time when you're together, yet you know you could never retrieve that memory ever again.
Very cliche story la I know, but the point is
This feeling cannot be solely described by "regret". And "mixed feelings" is also very meh.
But the word "遗憾" just described it bests :')
No language that I knew of could ever replicate the meaning....
And after much thoughts, I concluded that, every language is unique.
Not because of how extensive the vocabulary is, that can describe human's one hundred thousand types of emotions (humble estimation),
but is because of the user of the language truly understands and feels the meaning within themselves.
And that's how Mandarin is the most profound language to me ever.
