This beautiful traditional clothing is returning to the streets of Japan
和服之美 傳統優雅服飾 美麗重現日本
The kimono, a garment with a long history, has always been associated with traditional Japanese culture. Yet now it is making a comeback because more and more people are seeking to bring back its status as everyday clothing.
Worn by both women and men, kimonos are long robes with wide sleeves. They are wrapped around one's body and held in place by a belt called an obi.
The kimono was popular during the Edo period, which lasted from 1603 to 1868. This time of political stability and economic growth followed centuries of civil war. This time of political stability and economic growth followed centuries of civil war. High-class samurai, who had traditionally made a name for themselves through combat, turned instead to clothing to demonstrate their status through beautiful materials in bright colors.
But the growing merchant class, who were of lower status, began to develop new kimono styles during the Edo period. These merchants showed off their growing wealth by wearing kimonos of distinctive patterns and materials. The upper classes responded with laws forbidding merchants from wearing certain colors and using materials such as silk. So the merchants turned to using subtle details such as patterns of delicate lines to add beauty to kimonos that initially appeared plain.
Info Cloud
Japanese words that English has borrowed
Konnichiwa, everyone. Welcome to Info Cloud.
Uh, Rex, what did you just say?
I said hello in Japanese.
Oh. No wonder I didn't understand you.
Today we are talking about Japanese words that English has borrowed.
There are more than you might think.
English borrows words from other languages and cultures all the time.
They are usually nouns that describe something originating in that country.
There are foods like sushi, wasabi and teriyaki, a sweet Japanese barbecue sauce.
There are types of weather like the typhoon and tsunami, which is a huge tidal wave.
There are also some types of art that come from Japan. They are now popular all around the world.
Origami is the art of folding paper like the paper crane.
And a haiku is a special type of Japanese poem. It only has three lines.
And each line has a certain number of syllables. The first and last line have five syllables each, and the second line has seven. You can try to write one in English.
It's a great way to practice. Let me try writing a haiku about what we learned today. Sushi, wasabi, Japanese food is so fun to say and to eat.
很多人不知道其實英文也有很多外來語，今天就跟大家介紹一個從日本來的英文外來語，最受歡迎的當然就是 sushi 壽司、wasabi 芥末還有 teriyaki 照燒，聽到是不是口水快要流出來了呢? 除了食物之外，跟天氣有關的 typhoon 颱風和 tsunami 海嘯，其實都是從日語來的。在藝術和文學方面，origami 就是日本的摺紙藝術，haiku 是日本的三行俳句詩，這種詩通常只有三句話，第一和第三句話只有五個音節，第二句則有七個音節，用英文也可以寫出 haiku 的詩。以上介紹的這些生字，都是英語系國家經常用到的外來語。
Language Lab
comeback n. 捲土重來、再一次流行起來
a return to being popular or fashionable
- Do you think the large hairdos of the 1980s will ever make a comeback?
你認為80年代的大髮型會不會重新流行起來呢?
comeback n. 東山再起
a new effort to win or succeed after being close to defeat or failure
- The actress has not been in any movies for a very long time, but she is thinking of making a comeback.
那位女演員已經好久沒有演戲了，不過她打算要東山再起。
comeback n. 反敗為勝
- Everyone had thought the team was going to lose, but then they made an incredible comeback.
大家都以為那個球隊會打輸，結果他們竟然能夠反敗為勝。
comeback n. 反駁、回嘴
a quick reply or response
- Aaron couldn’t think of a good comeback so he chose to stay silent.
Aaron 因為不知該如何反駁，所以選擇保持沉默。
combat n. 鬥爭、格鬥
active fighting especially in a war
- Andrew is an army officer and he has a lot of experiences in combat.
Andrew 是一位軍官，他有不少戰鬥的經驗。
combat n. 雙方之間的爭奪
- What started out as an innocent debate between two students turned into an intense verbal combat.
那兩位同學原本只是再辯論，結果變成激烈的口角之爭。
combat v. 打擊
to try to stop (something) from happening or getting worse
- The mayor promised the public that he would do his best to combat the issues of crime.
市長對民眾承諾他會盡最大努力來打擊犯罪。
distinctive adj. 獨特的、跟其他的不一樣的
having a quality or characteristic that makes a person or thing different from others : different in a way that is easy to notice
- Linda decided to buy the rugs because of their distinctive patterns.
Linda 決定要買下那幾張地毯，因為他們有獨特的圖案。
- Although Mitch didn’t have a lot of work experiences, he was able to get a job because of his distinctive personality.
Mitch 雖然沒有很多工作經驗，但是因為他的獨特個性，所以能夠找到工作。
- Only members of the royal family were allowed to wear that distinctive robe.
只有皇家成員能夠穿上那獨特的衣袍。
subtle adj. 不明顯、不容易被注意到
/ˈsʌtl̟/ [有 b 這個字母，但不發音]
hard to notice or see : not obvious
- I didn’t think the cake was that good; the flavor was too subtle.
我不認為蛋糕有那麼好吃，味道太淡了。
subtle adj. 很細、細到很難察覺
- There is a difference between these two products, but the difference is very subtle.
這兩個產品不一樣，但是之間的不同是非常細微的。
subtle adj. 東西非常精巧、微妙的
clever and indirect : not showing your real purpose
- The queen was very wise and knew how to make subtle suggestions to the stubborn king.
皇后很有智慧，知道該如何給頑固的國王微妙的建議。
