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Cryptic, allusive messages from Hong Kong's wealthiest tycoon

languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu

31–40 of 189 posts

Re: Cryptic, allusive messages from Hong Kong's wealthiest tycoon

#31
Li Ka-shing is well aware. His job ad for a Chinese PA was featured in the news for its salary (HK$1Mpa) and very high requirements (expert level in modern and classical Chinese and Chinese history, 20+ years experience).

https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/1567579

Re: Cryptic, allusive messages from Hong Kong's wealthiest tycoon

#32

If you speak Chinese, you'll find it's very easy to squeeze sentences in exact same characters. Almost all poems in China (except very modern ones) do this. It's so easy that people in forums do this a along - being sarcastic or just funny. You could have positive meaning literally, but hide dirty words in structures. Also because it's so easy that this was defined as serious crime in many dynasties. There were even…

> committed it by coincidence were sentenced to death So they sentenced themselves to death with an unfortunate sentence structure.

That's a good one. My English is not sufficient to come up with this. There's also a Chinese pun story[0] with 92 characters with the same sound but different tone.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion-Eating_Poet_in_the_Stone_...

Re: Cryptic, allusive messages from Hong Kong's wealthiest tycoon

#33
post #4

The impasse Hong Kong finds itself must be solved by the Chief Executive. Her leadership in this matter is severely lacking and one wonders if the has any autonomous power at all, or if its all controlled by Beijing. Especially seeing how she evaded that question quite gracelessly a few days ago when asked by a reporter.

I don’t think anybody seriously thinks Hong Kong has any meaningful level of autonomy. The impasse is that Hong Kongers want freedom and democracy, and China wants Hong Kong to be China. I can’t see what the Chief Executive could possibly do. Either the protestors will give up, or stage a revolution, which seems unlikely for a population armed with umbrellas.

Really illustrates the importance of our own second amendment.

Re: Cryptic, allusive messages from Hong Kong's wealthiest tycoon

#34
post #5

Can someone who knows HK weigh in on how likely this is to be subtle deliberate messaging, or whether it’s like Qanon (where “Q” just says vague things, and the followers go wild with all sorts of interpretations that confirm what they already think).

As a HKer, I think it is likely to be deliberate.

A lot of big corporations/wealthy people had ads on HK newspaper front page explicitly condemning the protesters. Li Ka Shing could have done the same but he didn't.

Re: Cryptic, allusive messages from Hong Kong's wealthiest tycoon

#35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's like getting annoyed when people refer to 9/11.

Eh no. Let me also be clear I say this and cannot remember the date of Pearl Harbor, Cherynobl, or a number of other major events. 9/11 is a bit of a weird case in that the name of the event is also the event itself... that usually does not happen. Please label your dates folks (except 9/11 I guess...)

"Tiananmen Square" is the English name for the event. The name in Chinese is the "June 4th Incident", much like 9/11 in English.

Since the blog is in English, a "translation" might have been helpful; but since he goes so much into Mandarin, perhaps he assumes his readers are already familiar with the Chinese name.

Re: Cryptic, allusive messages from Hong Kong's wealthiest tycoon

#36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eh no. Let me also be clear I say this and cannot remember the date of Pearl Harbor, Cherynobl, or a number of other major events. 9/11 is a bit of a weird case in that the name of the event is also the event itself... that usually does not happen. Please label your dates folks (except 9/11 I guess...)

I remember the Fourth of July! And New Year's Day, and Cinco de Mayo. Not so weird?

I don't usually remember Cinco de Mayo :>

Re: Cryptic, allusive messages from Hong Kong's wealthiest tycoon

#37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I remember the Fourth of July! And New Year's Day, and Cinco de Mayo. Not so weird?

I don't usually remember Cinco de Mayo :>

But you remember when it is?

And who's buried in Grant's Tomb?

Re: Cryptic, allusive messages from Hong Kong's wealthiest tycoon

#38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t think anybody seriously thinks Hong Kong has any meaningful level of autonomy. The impasse is that Hong Kongers want freedom and democracy, and China wants Hong Kong to be China. I can’t see what the Chief Executive could possibly do. Either the protestors will give up, or stage a revolution, which seems unlikely for a population armed with umbrellas.

Really illustrates the importance of our own second amendment.

This has been my thought too. China is allowing these protests to go on. At any point, they can roll in the tanks, and they will be over.

Without meaningful ways to defend themselves, there really is no way to win against the Chinese government.

Re: Cryptic, allusive messages from Hong Kong's wealthiest tycoon

#40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t think anybody seriously thinks Hong Kong has any meaningful level of autonomy. The impasse is that Hong Kongers want freedom and democracy, and China wants Hong Kong to be China. I can’t see what the Chief Executive could possibly do. Either the protestors will give up, or stage a revolution, which seems unlikely for a population armed with umbrellas.

Really illustrates the importance of our own second amendment.

Not really, say Texas wanted to declare independence. How long would a Texan militia last against the US military? Modern empires can't be resisted period. It's just a question of whether you want to destroy yourself to keep them from ruling you. In that case they still can't be resisted but at least you deny them their victory. You either belong to one empire or another. The only way for Hong Kong to resist would have been if they never unified with China and joined as a territory of the US or Europe or something when Britain was done with them.

Americans and the US like to perpetuate the freedom myth, but it's mostly bullshit used to destroy countries in the name of liberating them to benefit the US financially or strategically. The reality is much more stark.

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