Chapter 30: The Pensieve
| Simplified Chinese (Mandarin: China) | ||
| 冥想盆 Míngxiǎng-pén |
冥想
míngxiǎng = 'meditation'. 盆 pén = 'bowl'. |
Meditation Bowl |
| Traditional Chinese (Mandarin: Taiwan) | ||
| 儲思盆 Chǔsī-pén |
儲
chǔ = 'store'. 思 sī = 'thought'. 盆 pén = 'bowl'. |
Thought Storage Bowl |
| Japanese | ||
| ペンシーブ Penshību |
ペンシーブ penshību = pensieve | Pensieve |
| Korean | ||
| 펜시브 Pensibeu |
펜시브 pensibeu = pensieve | Pensieve |
| Vietnamese (Chinese characters show etymology) | ||
| Cái Tưởng ký | cái = counter/classifier for things tưởng (想) = 'think of, remember, recall'. ký (記?) = 'memory, record'?. |
'Memory' |
| Mongolian (new) | ||
| Ой санамжийн цүнхээл Oi sanamjiin tsünkheel |
ой санамж oi sanamj = 'memory' (-ийн -iin Genitive form). цүнхээл tsunkheel = 'recess, pool'. |
Memory Pool |
The Pensieve is a bowl in which one can take memories from the mind and store them to be relived later. The name of this gadget is an ingenious coinage, based on 'pensive' (meditative thoughtfulness) and 'sieve' (an item for straining powders etc., pronounced 'siv'). The name 'pensieve' suggests something that allows you to strain out your thoughts and ponder them in a meditative mood.
How is 'Pensieve' translated?
Some translators try to capture some aspect of the meaning, mostly that of 'memory'.
- The Chinese translator from Taiwan refers to the pensieve's function of storing thoughts (儲思盆
chǔsī-pén 'store thought bowl').
- The Mongolian calls the pensieve a 'recess or pool for memories' (ой санамжийн цүнхээл oi sanamjiin tsünkheel).
- I am not clear of the meaning of Vietnamese tưởng ký. It appears to refer to thinking of memories.
- Going against the trend, the Mainland Chinese translator captures connotations of meditative thoughtfulness with 冥想盆 míngxiǎng-pén 'meditation bowl'.
Others simply transliterate the English.
- The Japanese translator transliterates the English name 'pensieve' into katakana
as ペンシーブ penshību. Since 'sieve' is normally pronounced 'siv' in English, the name should actually be ペンシブ penshibu.
In the body of the chapter, Dumbledore explains that the Pensieve is an 憂いの篩 urei no furui - a 'sieve for worries/anxieties'. - The Korean translator similarly transliterates the English word as 펜시브 pensibeu, which is close to the likely English pronunciation.
(Korean appears thanks to "Hiro".)
(Detailed notes on the chapter can be found at Harry Potter Lexicon)
| ⇚ Chapter 29 |  |