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Chapter 8: The Potions Master

Simplified Chinese (Mandarin: China)
魔药课老师
Móyào-kè lǎoshī
= 'magic'.
yào = 'medicine'.
= 'subject'.
老师 lǎoshī = 'teacher'.
The Magic Medicine Lesson Teacher
Traditional Chinese (Mandarin: Taiwan)
魔藥學老師
Móyào-xué lǎoshī
= 'magic'.
yào = 'medicine'.
xué = 'study' or '-ology'.
老師 lǎo-shī = 'teacher'.
The Magic Medicine-ology Teacher
Japanese
魔法薬の先生
Mahō-yaku no sensei
魔法 mahō = 'magic'.
yaku = 'medicine'.
no = connecting particle
先生 sensei = 'teacher'
The Magic Medicine Teacher
Korean
마법의 약 선생님
Mabeob-ui yag seonsaeng-nim
마법 (魔法) mabeob = 'magic'.
-ui = 'connecting particle'.
약 (藥) yag = 'medicine'.
선생 (先生) seonsaeng = 'teacher'.
nim = 'formal word for Mr/Mrs'.
The Magic Medicine Teacher
Vietnamese (Chinese characters show etymology)
Bậc thầy độc dược bậc thầy = master (thầy = 'teacher').
độc () = 'poison'.
dược () = 'medicine'.
The Poison Medicine Master
Mongolian (previous)
Шидэт уусмалын багш
Shidet uusmaliin bagsh
шид shid = 'supernatural power, magic, sorcery'.
шидэт shidet = 'having magic, magical, supernatural'.
уусмал uusmal = 'solution' (-ын -iin Genitive form).
багш bagsh = 'teacher'. (From Chinese 博士 bóshì ='doctor (academic)'.)
The Teacher of Magical Solutions
Mongolian (new)
Шидэт уусмалын багш
Shidet uusmaliin bagsh
шид shid = 'supernatural power, magic, sorcery'.
шидэт shidet = 'having magic, magical, supernatural'.
уусмал uusmal = 'solution' (-ын -iin Genitive form).
багш bagsh = 'teacher'. (From Chinese 博士 bóshì ='doctor (academic)'.)
The Teacher of Magical Solutions

The Potions master is, of course, Professor Snape. The English back-translations here are a bit clumsy so as to bring out the differences in expression.

How is 'potions' translated?

A potion is 'a liquid with healing, magical, or poisonous properties'.

(Incidentally, yào, yaku, and dược (pronounced 'yuoc' or 'zuoc') all trace back to the same Chinese word . What is interesting is that the final 'k' sound has been lost in modern Chinese (Mandarin), but is still retained in Japanese and Vietnamese, as well as Chinese dialects such as Cantonese. The character is the original Chinese character, simplified differently in Japan () and Mainland China ().)

How is 'master' translated?

'Master' as used in this chapter title has an old-fashioned British feel. It essentially means 'teacher'. (The term 'headmaster' is also British. equivalent to what in other places might be called the 'principal').

(Korean appears thanks to "Hiro".)

(Detailed notes on the chapter can be found at Harry Potter Lexicon)

Chapter 7
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