Egas Moniz Bandeira ᠡᡤᠠᠰ ᠮᠣᠨᠢᠰ ᠪᠠᠨᡩ᠋ᠠᠶᠢᠷᠠ
@egasmb.bsky.social
Intellectual history @SinologieFAU & @mpilhlt.bsky.social 曩昔 @ceao_uam. PhD @tohoku_univ & @UniHeidelberg. 東亞政法史を硏鑽し、言語学についての豆知識を多く呟いとる。'Too much in love with my primary sources.'
Pinned
East Asian Uses of Indian Epic Literature: Refractions of the Mahabharata in Japan and China, Late Nineteenth–Early Twentieth Century (8.) - The Mahabharata in Global Political and Social Thought
The Mahabharata in Global Political and Social Thought - November 2024
www.cambridge.org
Since I've been added to that amazing starter pack "intellectual history", I have a fresh publication to celebrate it: My chapter exploring the reception of the Mahābhārata in Japan and China. Alas it's not in open access, but lmk if you would like a copy!
www.cambridge.org/core/books/a...
www.cambridge.org/core/books/a...
This book is coming in March with a chapter by Yours Truly 😁:
Chapter 12. ‘ “Every Single Verse Seems to Be Speaking to the Contemporary Chinese”: Perceptions of the Greek Revolution of 1821 in Japan and China’
Chapter 12. ‘ “Every Single Verse Seems to Be Speaking to the Contemporary Chinese”: Perceptions of the Greek Revolution of 1821 in Japan and China’
January 27, 2026 at 12:27 PM
This book is coming in March with a chapter by Yours Truly 😁:
Chapter 12. ‘ “Every Single Verse Seems to Be Speaking to the Contemporary Chinese”: Perceptions of the Greek Revolution of 1821 in Japan and China’
Chapter 12. ‘ “Every Single Verse Seems to Be Speaking to the Contemporary Chinese”: Perceptions of the Greek Revolution of 1821 in Japan and China’
Very honoured to have contributed a chapter on constitutional interpretations of History in China to the monumental Handbook of Intepreting Chinese History edited by Kristin Stapleton, @xinfan.bsky.social, & Els van Dongen. It's in the best company of 31 more utterly fascinating chapters!🤩
January 22, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Very honoured to have contributed a chapter on constitutional interpretations of History in China to the monumental Handbook of Intepreting Chinese History edited by Kristin Stapleton, @xinfan.bsky.social, & Els van Dongen. It's in the best company of 31 more utterly fascinating chapters!🤩
Reposted by Egas Moniz Bandeira ᠡᡤᠠᠰ ᠮᠣᠨᠢᠰ ᠪᠠᠨᡩ᠋ᠠᠶᠢᠷᠠ
this is cool i never knew the farsi word for electricity is barq lol. the arabic word for electricity is كهرباء (kahruba'a) which is itself apparently a compound word derived from farsi lmao
Interesting parallel between Persian and Chinese/Japanese: The modern word
for electricity comes from ‘lightning’. 😁 MC denH 電 > din6(hei3)/diàn(qì)/denki 電氣; Arabic barq برق ‘lightning’ > Persian barġ برق ‘electricity’. Pic is an electric street lamp in 1882 Tokyo 😁
for electricity comes from ‘lightning’. 😁 MC denH 電 > din6(hei3)/diàn(qì)/denki 電氣; Arabic barq برق ‘lightning’ > Persian barġ برق ‘electricity’. Pic is an electric street lamp in 1882 Tokyo 😁
January 19, 2026 at 11:12 AM
this is cool i never knew the farsi word for electricity is barq lol. the arabic word for electricity is كهرباء (kahruba'a) which is itself apparently a compound word derived from farsi lmao
Interesting parallel between Persian and Chinese/Japanese: The modern word
for electricity comes from ‘lightning’. 😁 MC denH 電 > din6(hei3)/diàn(qì)/denki 電氣; Arabic barq برق ‘lightning’ > Persian barġ برق ‘electricity’. Pic is an electric street lamp in 1882 Tokyo 😁
for electricity comes from ‘lightning’. 😁 MC denH 電 > din6(hei3)/diàn(qì)/denki 電氣; Arabic barq برق ‘lightning’ > Persian barġ برق ‘electricity’. Pic is an electric street lamp in 1882 Tokyo 😁
January 19, 2026 at 12:28 AM
Interesting parallel between Persian and Chinese/Japanese: The modern word
for electricity comes from ‘lightning’. 😁 MC denH 電 > din6(hei3)/diàn(qì)/denki 電氣; Arabic barq برق ‘lightning’ > Persian barġ برق ‘electricity’. Pic is an electric street lamp in 1882 Tokyo 😁
for electricity comes from ‘lightning’. 😁 MC denH 電 > din6(hei3)/diàn(qì)/denki 電氣; Arabic barq برق ‘lightning’ > Persian barġ برق ‘electricity’. Pic is an electric street lamp in 1882 Tokyo 😁
Update for a classic of etymology nerd memes (Original from Etymology Memes for Reconstructed Phonemes)
January 14, 2026 at 8:40 PM
Update for a classic of etymology nerd memes (Original from Etymology Memes for Reconstructed Phonemes)
Another review of the amazing book on global receptions of the Mahābhārata edited by Milinda Banerjee and Julian Strube. I had the pleasure and honour to contribute a chapter on Japan and China 😁
frontline.thehindu.com/arts-and-cul...
frontline.thehindu.com/arts-and-cul...
January 11, 2026 at 11:39 AM
Another review of the amazing book on global receptions of the Mahābhārata edited by Milinda Banerjee and Julian Strube. I had the pleasure and honour to contribute a chapter on Japan and China 😁
frontline.thehindu.com/arts-and-cul...
frontline.thehindu.com/arts-and-cul...
What I find fascinating about 我 is that in Old Chinese, it seems to have had a (case-like?) division of work with 吾. How exactly is contested, but see sentences like:
今者吾喪我 ('I had just now lost myself'; Zhuangzi) - You wouldn't find 吾 in object position here.
今者吾喪我 ('I had just now lost myself'; Zhuangzi) - You wouldn't find 吾 in object position here.
January 8, 2026 at 7:07 PM
What I find fascinating about 我 is that in Old Chinese, it seems to have had a (case-like?) division of work with 吾. How exactly is contested, but see sentences like:
今者吾喪我 ('I had just now lost myself'; Zhuangzi) - You wouldn't find 吾 in object position here.
今者吾喪我 ('I had just now lost myself'; Zhuangzi) - You wouldn't find 吾 in object position here.
Reposted by Egas Moniz Bandeira ᠡᡤᠠᠰ ᠮᠣᠨᠢᠰ ᠪᠠᠨᡩ᠋ᠠᠶᠢᠷᠠ
So many possibilities for this week! A common one is 姦. The joke is that the three "women" (女, notice the "broad hips") together mean gossip. Well, in Chinese at least, earlier character forms look nothing like this. More commonly, it is written 奸 in early imperial China. So...a woman and a cudgel.
Since it's fake character origin week, here's at least a super funny one. 🤣🤣
And it's not even completely fake: 飛 is originally a pictogram of flying birds.
(I don't have the original credits for this, if you know please add!)
And it's not even completely fake: 飛 is originally a pictogram of flying birds.
(I don't have the original credits for this, if you know please add!)
January 6, 2026 at 11:16 AM
So many possibilities for this week! A common one is 姦. The joke is that the three "women" (女, notice the "broad hips") together mean gossip. Well, in Chinese at least, earlier character forms look nothing like this. More commonly, it is written 奸 in early imperial China. So...a woman and a cudgel.
Reposted by Egas Moniz Bandeira ᠡᡤᠠᠰ ᠮᠣᠨᠢᠰ ᠪᠠᠨᡩ᠋ᠠᠶᠢᠷᠠ
lmao why is this picture still in circulation
credit: me
credit: me
January 6, 2026 at 12:35 PM
lmao why is this picture still in circulation
credit: me
credit: me
Since it's fake character origin week, here's at least a super funny one. 🤣🤣
And it's not even completely fake: 飛 is originally a pictogram of flying birds.
(I don't have the original credits for this, if you know please add!)
And it's not even completely fake: 飛 is originally a pictogram of flying birds.
(I don't have the original credits for this, if you know please add!)
January 6, 2026 at 10:16 AM
Since it's fake character origin week, here's at least a super funny one. 🤣🤣
And it's not even completely fake: 飛 is originally a pictogram of flying birds.
(I don't have the original credits for this, if you know please add!)
And it's not even completely fake: 飛 is originally a pictogram of flying birds.
(I don't have the original credits for this, if you know please add!)
Reposted by Egas Moniz Bandeira ᠡᡤᠠᠰ ᠮᠣᠨᠢᠰ ᠪᠠᠨᡩ᠋ᠠᠶᠢᠷᠠ
I think it's rather profound that the Chinese for "knowledge," 知, is a picture of Robin Hood playing basketball. Knowledge should not be hoarded by the few, but shared with the many; not confined to the mind, but expressed through action.
Arnaud out here still thinking it's cool to post cringe-ass "Crisis = Danger +Opportunity" folk vibeslation...
January 6, 2026 at 6:14 AM
I think it's rather profound that the Chinese for "knowledge," 知, is a picture of Robin Hood playing basketball. Knowledge should not be hoarded by the few, but shared with the many; not confined to the mind, but expressed through action.
Reposted by Egas Moniz Bandeira ᠡᡤᠠᠰ ᠮᠣᠨᠢᠰ ᠪᠠᠨᡩ᠋ᠠᠶᠢᠷᠠ
Arnaud out here still thinking it's cool to post cringe-ass "Crisis = Danger +Opportunity" folk vibeslation...
January 5, 2026 at 10:20 PM
Arnaud out here still thinking it's cool to post cringe-ass "Crisis = Danger +Opportunity" folk vibeslation...
Reposted by Egas Moniz Bandeira ᠡᡤᠠᠰ ᠮᠣᠨᠢᠰ ᠪᠠᠨᡩ᠋ᠠᠶᠢᠷᠠ
"Mexico strongly condemns and rejects the military actions carried out unilaterally ... by armed forces of the United States of America against targets in the territory of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in clear violation of Article 2 of the [UN] Charter"
www.gob.mx/sre/prensa/m...
www.gob.mx/sre/prensa/m...
January 3, 2026 at 12:41 PM
"Mexico strongly condemns and rejects the military actions carried out unilaterally ... by armed forces of the United States of America against targets in the territory of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in clear violation of Article 2 of the [UN] Charter"
www.gob.mx/sre/prensa/m...
www.gob.mx/sre/prensa/m...
Reposted by Egas Moniz Bandeira ᠡᡤᠠᠰ ᠮᠣᠨᠢᠰ ᠪᠠᠨᡩ᠋ᠠᠶᠢᠷᠠ
Or how about some Chinese written *from left to right* but *horizontally*? From top to bottom we see:
Tibetan (hor. L>R as usual),
Manchu,
Mongolian (both vert. L>R as usual),
Chinese (hor. L>R -- quite unusual back then!).
Very commonly seen in such multilingual Buddhist texts in pothi format. 3/
Tibetan (hor. L>R as usual),
Manchu,
Mongolian (both vert. L>R as usual),
Chinese (hor. L>R -- quite unusual back then!).
Very commonly seen in such multilingual Buddhist texts in pothi format. 3/
December 31, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Or how about some Chinese written *from left to right* but *horizontally*? From top to bottom we see:
Tibetan (hor. L>R as usual),
Manchu,
Mongolian (both vert. L>R as usual),
Chinese (hor. L>R -- quite unusual back then!).
Very commonly seen in such multilingual Buddhist texts in pothi format. 3/
Tibetan (hor. L>R as usual),
Manchu,
Mongolian (both vert. L>R as usual),
Chinese (hor. L>R -- quite unusual back then!).
Very commonly seen in such multilingual Buddhist texts in pothi format. 3/
Reposted by Egas Moniz Bandeira ᠡᡤᠠᠰ ᠮᠣᠨᠢᠰ ᠪᠠᠨᡩ᠋ᠠᠶᠢᠷᠠ
Ditto for the opposite direction. Below are the introductory remarks (fanli 凡例) to the Manchu-Chinese dictionary Manju gisun be niyeceme isabuha bithe / Qingwen buhui 清文補彙, in Chinese but *from left to right*.
Such assimilation in the direction of writing is quite common in multilingual texts. 🤓 2/
Such assimilation in the direction of writing is quite common in multilingual texts. 🤓 2/
December 31, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Ditto for the opposite direction. Below are the introductory remarks (fanli 凡例) to the Manchu-Chinese dictionary Manju gisun be niyeceme isabuha bithe / Qingwen buhui 清文補彙, in Chinese but *from left to right*.
Such assimilation in the direction of writing is quite common in multilingual texts. 🤓 2/
Such assimilation in the direction of writing is quite common in multilingual texts. 🤓 2/
Reposted by Egas Moniz Bandeira ᠡᡤᠠᠰ ᠮᠣᠨᠢᠰ ᠪᠠᠨᡩ᠋ᠠᠶᠢᠷᠠ
Chinese is written in columns R>L while Mongolian and Manchu are written in columns L>R -- unless they aren't! 🤓
Here's e.g. some Manchu text ("Dai Hiyo") in columns *from right to left* -- just like the Chinese text right below (Daxue 大學, The Great Learning), from which it was translated. 1/
Here's e.g. some Manchu text ("Dai Hiyo") in columns *from right to left* -- just like the Chinese text right below (Daxue 大學, The Great Learning), from which it was translated. 1/
December 31, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Chinese is written in columns R>L while Mongolian and Manchu are written in columns L>R -- unless they aren't! 🤓
Here's e.g. some Manchu text ("Dai Hiyo") in columns *from right to left* -- just like the Chinese text right below (Daxue 大學, The Great Learning), from which it was translated. 1/
Here's e.g. some Manchu text ("Dai Hiyo") in columns *from right to left* -- just like the Chinese text right below (Daxue 大學, The Great Learning), from which it was translated. 1/
Saw someone provoke a huge backlash by posting something like "If you speak a Romance language, you are speaking a dialect of Vulgar Latin", so this has inspired me to produce a end-of-year meme. Happy 2026 everyone!!!😁😁😁
December 31, 2025 at 12:07 PM
Saw someone provoke a huge backlash by posting something like "If you speak a Romance language, you are speaking a dialect of Vulgar Latin", so this has inspired me to produce a end-of-year meme. Happy 2026 everyone!!!😁😁😁
Mongolian and Manchu scripts are written top-down. But there's a big difference to Chinese and related scripts: The columns run left to right. In bilingual documents, like Daicing 大清 edicts, the 2 versions start from the edges & meet in the middle, without formal hierarchy.
December 30, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Mongolian and Manchu scripts are written top-down. But there's a big difference to Chinese and related scripts: The columns run left to right. In bilingual documents, like Daicing 大清 edicts, the 2 versions start from the edges & meet in the middle, without formal hierarchy.
Reposted by Egas Moniz Bandeira ᠡᡤᠠᠰ ᠮᠣᠨᠢᠰ ᠪᠠᠨᡩ᠋ᠠᠶᠢᠷᠠ
Today, let's celebrate a drawn and illuminated crane that functions as a pointing gesture to a new paragraph (in a fourteenth century manuscript). It looks like he is walking into the text, right? #bookhistory
December 1, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Today, let's celebrate a drawn and illuminated crane that functions as a pointing gesture to a new paragraph (in a fourteenth century manuscript). It looks like he is walking into the text, right? #bookhistory
On this day 114 years ago - 29 December 1911 -, the Bogd Khaan declared the independence of Mongolia in Urga (now Ulaanbaatar). 3 days before the proclamation of the Republic of China, it was the first new state to emerge from the collapsing Daicing 大清 Empire. /
December 29, 2025 at 1:11 PM
On this day 114 years ago - 29 December 1911 -, the Bogd Khaan declared the independence of Mongolia in Urga (now Ulaanbaatar). 3 days before the proclamation of the Republic of China, it was the first new state to emerge from the collapsing Daicing 大清 Empire. /
Reposted by Egas Moniz Bandeira ᠡᡤᠠᠰ ᠮᠣᠨᠢᠰ ᠪᠠᠨᡩ᠋ᠠᠶᠢᠷᠠ
New open-access article: "Kamakura Buddhism as Japanese Reformation: Hara Katsurō's Modern Historiographical Project."
doi.org/10.1080/0048...
doi.org/10.1080/0048...
Kamakura Buddhism as Japanese reformation: Hara Katsurō’s modern historiographical project
This article re-examines how the ‘new’ Buddhist movements of the Kamakura era (1185–1333) – the opening phase of what we now consider Japan’s ‘medieval’ period – were cast as a counterpart to Germa...
doi.org
December 26, 2025 at 10:29 AM
New open-access article: "Kamakura Buddhism as Japanese Reformation: Hara Katsurō's Modern Historiographical Project."
doi.org/10.1080/0048...
doi.org/10.1080/0048...
余ノ友人オリオン・クラウタウ先生、近代日本ニ於ケル鎌倉仏教ヲ「宗教改革」トシテ解釈スルヿニ就キ、迚モ興味深キ大論文ヲ公ニセリ。是数篇ヨリ成ル論考ノ端緒ニ過ギズ、今後ノ続編ヲ待望スベシト。嗚呼！実ニ慶賀ノ至リ奉存候！
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Kamakura Buddhism as Japanese reformation: Hara Katsurō’s modern historiographical project
This article re-examines how the ‘new’ Buddhist movements of the Kamakura era (1185–1333) – the opening phase of what we now consider Japan’s ‘medieval’ period – were cast as a counterpart to Germa...
www.tandfonline.com
December 26, 2025 at 11:23 AM
余ノ友人オリオン・クラウタウ先生、近代日本ニ於ケル鎌倉仏教ヲ「宗教改革」トシテ解釈スルヿニ就キ、迚モ興味深キ大論文ヲ公ニセリ。是数篇ヨリ成ル論考ノ端緒ニ過ギズ、今後ノ続編ヲ待望スベシト。嗚呼！実ニ慶賀ノ至リ奉存候！
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Egas Moniz Bandeira ᠡᡤᠠᠰ ᠮᠣᠨᠢᠰ ᠪᠠᠨᡩ᠋ᠠᠶᠢᠷᠠ
There was briefly a Tây Kinh, too. That dynasty didn't last very long.
Thành nhà Hồ – Wikipedia tiếng Việt
vi.wikipedia.org
December 25, 2025 at 10:35 AM
There was briefly a Tây Kinh, too. That dynasty didn't last very long.
The nativity of Jesus told in 17-ct. China among Daoist & Buddhist deities: 'In the year [1], the angel Gabriel announced, "God has chosen you to be a mother," and she then became pregnant and gave birth. ... she wrapped him in clothes and placed him in a stable.'
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
December 24, 2025 at 12:04 PM
The nativity of Jesus told in 17-ct. China among Daoist & Buddhist deities: 'In the year [1], the angel Gabriel announced, "God has chosen you to be a mother," and she then became pregnant and gave birth. ... she wrapped him in clothes and placed him in a stable.'
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
The territory of Cambodia was long contested between Vietnam and Thailand (Siam). In the 1830s, Vietnam named Phnom Penh "Nam Vang" 南榮 (Southern Glory/Prosperity). This map from 1838 shows a Nam Vang Prefecture (trấn 鎮) and a Nam Vang City (thành 城) /
December 23, 2025 at 11:52 AM
The territory of Cambodia was long contested between Vietnam and Thailand (Siam). In the 1830s, Vietnam named Phnom Penh "Nam Vang" 南榮 (Southern Glory/Prosperity). This map from 1838 shows a Nam Vang Prefecture (trấn 鎮) and a Nam Vang City (thành 城) /