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Old 03-06-2004, 07:58 AM   #1
Paula Lydon
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shin

~~What does 'shin' in Japanese mean? I was told by someone that it refers to, say, the internal integrety or core of a thing, person, idea, etc. Is that correct? Thanks!

~~Paula~~
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Old 03-06-2004, 09:02 AM   #2
Jack Robertson
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I heard that it means attitude.

But I'm not 100% sure of that.
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Old 03-06-2004, 10:19 AM   #3
DarkShodan
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Again, it's my understanding, there are several kanji that are pronounced "Shin". I have a t-shirt that has "shin" on it that means balance or center. I have a tattoo of "Shin" that means God. Different kanji symbols.

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Old 03-06-2004, 05:10 PM   #4
Josh Bisker
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it's the part of the leg between your ankle and your knee, on the front. jeez guys, it's not like it's another language or anything
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Old 03-06-2004, 06:07 PM   #5
wendyrowe
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I was looking it up recently in my Tuttle Language Library Kanji & Kana handbook because our school is named Seishin.

The book lists more than a dozen different kanji pronounced SHIN. The two I've seen used most in my 2-year foray into the martial arts kanji world are the kanji for the Chinese-derived SHIN meaning "heart, mind; core" (Japanese "kokoro") and the Chinese-derived SHIN meaning "God" (Japanese "kami").

With any luck, your thread'll catch the eye of someone who actually speaks Japanese so s/he can tell us something truer than a dictionary could.
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Old 03-06-2004, 07:38 PM   #6
Peter Goldsbury
 
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Re: shin

Quote:
Paula Lydon wrote:
``What does 'shin' in Japanese mean? I was told by someone that it refers to, say, the internal integrety or core of a thing, person, idea, etc. Is that correct? Thanks!
Hello Paula,

There are at least three ways of answering your question.

1. The Japanese-English dictionary that I have here at home (the latest edition of Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary) lists 12 meanings, each with its own main Chinese character. The meanings, in order, are (1) heart/mind/spirit; (2) padding, wick, or lead for a pencil; (3) a subject, retainer, or vassal; (4) faith/sincerity (\this might perhaps be the meaning you were told): (5) deity; (6) Chin (Chinese ruler); (7) truth\ (or this one); (8) Qin (Chinese dynasty); (9) Qing (another Chinese dynasty); (10) bed/sleep; (11) novelty; (12) short for 'shingen' = proverb or aphorism.

2. The Japanese-English Kanji dictionary I have here (the revised Nelson) lists 79 different characters for shin, 12 of which are characters alluded to above. which suggests that the vast majority of the characters are not encountered singly, but always as part of a word. Notice that Wendy Rowe's answer ties the meaning of this character to that of another, about which you could ask the same question.

3. Asking a Japanese native speaker. Actually, I have found this way the least productive, since the native speaker will go through a similar process to the one I have just done above, but mentally and without knowing all the possibilities, and then ask about the context in which the word is used. It would be like asking me the meaning of 'bank', for example (verb?, noun?, side of a river?, building?). I am not entirely sure whether my answer would be "truer" than the dictionary definition.

Best regards,

P A Goldsbury
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Old 03-08-2004, 09:49 PM   #7
Paula Lydon
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~~Wow, thanks all, especially Peter G. I think I'm in over my head. I never guessed it meant SO many different things depending upon the context. I will conduct more research


~~Paula~~
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Old 04-19-2004, 05:05 AM   #8
batemanb
 
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Re: shin

My youngest son is named Shin 真, the kanji taken from and given by my Sensei in Kobe means True, honest or sincere.

Coincidentally Wendy, our dojo is also Seishin 誠心, in this instance, the kanji for shin 心 is the same as that for heart/ spirit/ mind (Seishin = true heart, honest heart, true spirit, honest spirit, true mind, honest mind).

Pretty much goes along with what Peter has already said.

Regards

Bryan

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Old 04-19-2004, 10:07 AM   #9
aikidocapecod
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Re: shin

And shoshin means beginners mind.....so....does that mean that sho mean beginner? I have looked in a couple old English/Japanese dictionaries and could not find it....
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Old 04-19-2004, 10:56 AM   #10
akiy
 
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Re: shin

Hi Larry,

The "sho" in "shoshin" is the same as used as the first character in "shodan":



The character "sho" in this case basically means "first" or "beginning".

-- Jun

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Old 04-19-2004, 11:36 AM   #11
aikidocapecod
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Re: shin

Shoshin is a concept that helps me in many areas, not just Aikido. If one enters any/every situation with a mind that is looking to learn something new, life will always be one of learning.
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Old 05-10-2004, 01:38 AM   #12
Orihime
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Question Re: shin

The kun pronunciation for "shin" is "kokoro", isn't it (I've forgotten the kanji) ?
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Old 05-11-2004, 01:05 AM   #13
Peter Goldsbury
 
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Re: shin

Quote:
Bryan Bateman wrote:
My youngest son is named Shin 真, the kanji taken from and given by my Sensei in Kobe means True, honest or sincere.

Coincidentally Wendy, our dojo is also Seishin 誠心, in this instance, the kanji for shin 心 is the same as that for heart/ spirit/ mind (Seishin = true heart, honest heart, true spirit, honest spirit, true mind, honest mind).

Pretty much goes along with what Peter has already said.

Regards

Bryan
Hello Bryan,

A further coicidence is that both 誠 and 真 can ne read as makoto.

Best regards,

P A Goldsbury
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Old 05-11-2004, 02:48 AM   #14
batemanb
 
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Re: shin

Quote:
Peter A Goldsbury wrote:
Hello Bryan,

A further coicidence is that both $B@?(B and $B??(B can ne read as makoto.

Best regards,

Yes, if we'd had a girl instead she was going to have the same kanji and be called Mako !

Rgds

Bryan

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Old 05-11-2004, 02:59 AM   #15
otto
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Re: shin

Quote:
Fabienne Sénaillat wrote:
The kun pronunciation for "shin" is "kokoro", isn't it (I've forgotten the kanji) ?
This one perhaps?
Attached Images
 

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Old 05-11-2004, 05:23 AM   #16
aikidocapecod
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Re: shin

I think that can mean heart or mind depending on context
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Old 05-12-2004, 01:39 AM   #17
Mark Jewkes
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Re: shin

Hi everybody
At the bottom of this page (Nishio Sensei Homepage) is a calligraphy reading shin bu ka iku. Would someone try to translate this for me? I was told that it roughly translates as: "True Budo educates (people). What is your interpretation?
http://www2u.biglobe.ne.jp/~nisio/

regards
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Old 05-12-2004, 01:42 AM   #18
Mark Jewkes
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Re: shin

sorry, you need to click the top button in the menue, for an biography of Nishio Sensei, and that page has the shin bu ka iku calligraphy at the bottom.
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Old 05-12-2004, 03:08 AM   #19
Orihime
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Re: shin

Quote:
Ottoniel Ojeda wrote:
This one perhaps?
Yes, that's it.
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Old 08-09-2004, 04:56 PM   #20
Devon Natario
 
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Re: shin

Im a practioner of Shin Shin Jujitsu which translated means: The are of gentleness through heart and soul. Now I have looked this up many times and seen it translated into heart, sould, God, and Center. Hope that helps.
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Old 08-16-2004, 10:57 AM   #21
saltlakeaiki
 
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Re: shin

Paula,
I'd hate to offer an authoritative answer to you and then be wrong, but I'm pretty confident on this one There is a word "shin" which essentially means the innermost core of something, where it can be literal or figurative, i.e. it can mean either the tough center of a cabbage, or the innermost heart of a person. It can be written with the kanji for "kokoro" (which you see earlier in this thread), or with the same kokoro with "kusaganmuri" on top (i.e. grass radical above). I'm not on a Japanese capable computer right now and anyway I don't know how to incorporate kanji images in these forums yet.

I'd guess that one is more likely to write the character with grass on top if the meaning is purely physical/literal, and just "kokoro" if the meaning is more figurative/spiritual. However in the latter case there is always the danger (from the writer's perspective) that readers will read it as "kokoro" rather than "shin", so I'm not sure how a native speaking writer would choose. Probably it depends

HTH.
Dave

(gee, I just noticed this is a really old thread. I wonder if Paula's even still reading )

Last edited by saltlakeaiki : 08-16-2004 at 11:11 AM.

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Old 08-16-2004, 07:55 PM   #22
Paula Lydon
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Re: shin

~~Yes, Dave, still following along. Well, doing my best to anyway Thanks!

~~Paula~~
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Old 08-25-2004, 02:48 PM   #23
Tatiana
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Confused Re: shin

Quote:
Josh Bisker wrote:
it's the part of the leg between your ankle and your knee, on the front. jeez guys, it's not like it's another language or anything
You know... When I saw the title, I thought that too... I mean, but who would be posting about shins in an Aikido forum.. So I came in out of curiosity... LOL! Guess I'm learning some new stuff here!!
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