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Chapter 7: The Boggart in the Wardrobe

Simplified Chinese (Mandarin: China)
衣柜里的博格特
Yīguì-lǐ de bógétè
衣柜 yīguì = 'clothes + cupboard' = 'wardrobe'.
= 'inside'.
de = connecting particle
博格特 bógétè = 'boggart'.
The boggart in the wardrobe
Traditional Chinese (Mandarin: Taiwan)
衣柜裡的幻形怪
Yīguì-lǐ de huàn-xíng-guài
衣柜 yīguì = 'clothes + cupboard' = 'wardrobe'.
= 'inside'.
de = connecting particle
huàn = 'magical, changeable, illusory'.
xíng = 'shape, form'.
guài = 'monster, demon'.
The Illusory-shape-demon in the Wardrobe
Japanese
洋箪笥のまね妖怪
Yō-dansu no mane-yōkai
= 'Western-style'.
箪笥 tansu = 'chest of drawers, cabinet'.
(Together, yō-dansu = 'wardrobe')
no = connecting particle
まね mane = 'imitation'
(まねる maneru = 'to imitate, copy').
妖怪 yōkai = 'ghost, spectre, monster'.
The Imitating-ghost of the Wardrobe
Korean
벽장 속의 보가트
Byeogjang sog-ui bogateu
벽장 (壁欌) byeogjang = 'closet, cupboard'.
sog= 'inside'.
-ui = connecting particle
보가트 bogateu = Boggart (phonetic).
The Boggart in the Closet
Vietnamese (Chinese characters show etymology)
Ông kẹ trong tủ áo ông kẹ = 'ogre'.
trong = 'in'.
tủ áo = 'wardrobe'. (tủ = 'cupboard', áo = 'clothing').
The Ogre in the Wardrobe
Mongolian (new)
Хувцасны шүүгээн дэх Боггарт
khuvtsasnii shüügeen dekh boggart
хувцас khuvtsas = 'clothes' (-(н)ы -(n)ii Genitive form).
шүүгээ(н) shüügee = 'cupboard, cabinet' (with hidden н, quasi-genitive).
дэх dekh = 'which is in or at (a place)'.
Боггарт boggart = 'boggart'.
The Boggart at the Wardrobe

The Boggart in the wardrobe appears in Lupin's first Defence Against the Dark Arts class, designed to teach students how to confront them.

The boggart in the Harry Potter books is a creature that tries to terrify people by taking the form of what they are most afraid of.

Boggarts existed in north English folklore as malicious household spirits of the nature of a poltergeist (see Encyclopedia Mythica, Mysterious Britain Gazeteer, Wikipedia). They are dark and hairy. In Susan Cooper's books they have the property of being shape-shifters. However, their habit of taking on the form of what you most fear appears to be Rowling's invention.

How is 'boggart' translated?

How is 'wardrobe' translated?

A wardrobe is a cabinet for storing clothes, with hanging space, sliding shelves, and drawers.

How is 'in the' (prepositional phrase) translated?

In English, a prepositional phrase can be directly attached to a noun, 'the boggart in the wardrobe'. The meaning is 'the boggart which is in the wardrobe'. This English usage can't be reproduced in all languages. While 'the boggart was in the wardrobe' (after a verb) is fine, 'in the wardrobe' can't necessarily be just added to a noun in the same way.

Chinese and Japanese require a particle to be inserted, de in the case of Chinese, no in the case of Japanese. The phrase comes before the noun.

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

Chapter 6
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