JMdictDB - Japanese Dictionary Database

Entries

Search | Advanced Search | New Entry | Submissions | Help
Login for registered editors
Username:
Password:
jmdict 1521490 Active (id: 2275325)
卜占
ぼくせん
1. [n]
▶ fortune-telling
▶ divination
▶ augury



History:
2. A 2023-08-24 00:19:21  Jim Breen <...address hidden...>
  Refs:
GG5: augury.
中辞典: 〈占い〉 (an) augury.
RP too
  Comments:
In modern English "augury" has largely lost its association with Roman practices,  and is used quite generally for fortune-telling, etc. No harm in including it here.
  Diff:
@@ -13,0 +14 @@
+<gloss>augury</gloss>
1. A* 2023-08-23 19:36:36  Brian Krznarich <...address hidden...>
  Refs:
卜占	4377

An actual candidate for augury: 鳥占
https://kotobank.jp/word/鳥占-585688
daijs とり‐うら
卜占の一。鳥の鳴き声、止まった枝の方向、飛ぶ方角などで吉凶を占った。

The article on "augar" アウグル(Roman History) gives Japanese translations for augur(a person/title), from which augury can be confirmed by chopping off the 官 kanji. 
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/アウグル
日本語では鳥卜官(ちょうぼくかん)、卜鳥官(ぼくちょうかん)や鳥占官(ちょうせんかん)などと訳される。
  Comments:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augury
Augury is the practice from ancient Roman religion of interpreting omens from the observed behavior of birds.

Removed "augury".  I see no evidence that this term has any particular association with birds, or that divination via bird behavior was even practiced in China/Japan.  Turtle shells and animal bones seems to be the usual practice. 

augury seems to be an ancient roman practice. There are some terms we could add for it, including:
鳥卜(ちょうぼく)、卜鳥(ぼくちょう), and 鳥占 (とり‐うら)
鳥占	444	94.3%
鳥卜	27	5.7%
卜鳥	0	0.0%

As these seem to be translations of concepts from Roman history, I'm not sure it's worth the effort.
  Diff:
@@ -12 +11,0 @@
-<gloss>augury</gloss>

View entry in alternate formats: jel | edict | jmdict xml | jmnedict xml | jmdictdb xml