Wu Jen? What is it?

Shin Okada

Explorer

• Oct 19, 2005

• #1

Hello. Does anybody know the origin of this class name?

It sounds like a chinese word. But actually, current chinese PinYin does not have "Jen" sound. Maybe it is "Yen" or "Gen" but I am not sure.

If that is a chinese word, that word should have meanings. Better if I can ascertain actual characters of original Chinese word.

Any help will be welcomed.

 

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FireLance

Legend

• Oct 19, 2005

• #2

My guess is, it's probably the mandarin wu1 ren2 (witch/warlock/shaman) pronounced in some dialect. I was going to say possibly Japanese, but I guess you'd know if it was, right?

 

Shin Okada

Explorer

• Oct 19, 2005

• #3

FireLance said:

I was going to say possibly Japanese, but I guess you'd know if it was, right?

Click to expand...

Does not sound like a Japanese word. And all of my friends are saying the same.

 

M

Megatron

Explorer

• Oct 19, 2005

• #4

I remember reading somewhere that was literally "witch monk" or some such.
also, try "Wu Jin"

 

Last edited: Oct 19, 2005

Drowbane

First Post

• Oct 19, 2005

• #5

bump (edited out as I don't know what I'm talking about... uts down the rum: Happy B-day to me!)

 

Shin Okada

Explorer

• Oct 19, 2005

• #6

Hmmmm. Have you guys ever heard of this word outside D&D or Shadowrun?

 

Goblyns Hoard

First Post

• Oct 19, 2005

• #7

Could it be Zhen in the chinese instead of Jen? - that might sound similar enough to have got lost in the translation

 

Henrix

Explorer

• Oct 19, 2005

• #8

If Wu Jen is a Wade-Giles translitteration the pinyin would be Wu Ren.
Here's a handy table.

This makes Firelances translation plausible.

 

Shin Okada

Explorer

• Oct 19, 2005

• #9

Henrix said:

If Wu Jen is a Wade-Giles translitteration the pinyin would be Wu Ren.
Here's a handy table.

This makes Firelances translation plausible.

Click to expand...

Thanks. So Wu-Ren in today's Beijing. That can mean "shaman", "sorcerer", or "medium person".

Hmm.. if Wade-Giles is supposed to be based on or influenced by Cantonese, "jen" should be pronounced as "yen" or "yan". Not like "Wu-Gen" but like "Wu-Yen". That is a kind of surprise as many Japanese D&D players are calling it "Wu-Gen" without clue to the original Chinsese word.

 

Henrix

Explorer

• Oct 19, 2005

• #10

Yes, if I recall correctly Wade-Giles is based on Cantonese, in the mid-19th c.!

The most annoying part of Wade-Giles is that it works best if you sort of try to pronounce it in british english!