Al Gore, accepting his Nobel prize:
In the Kanji characters used in both Chinese and Japanese, “crisis” is written with two symbols, the first meaning “danger,” the second “opportunity.” By facing and removing the danger of the climate crisis, we have the opportunity to gain the moral authority and vision to vastly increase our own capacity to solve other crises that have been too long ignored.
Victor Mair, professor of Chinese language and literature, in an essay:
There is a widespread public misperception, particularly among the New Age sector, that the Chinese word for “crisis” is composed of elements that signify “danger” and “opportunity.”
But hey, who cares about the truth, right?
Mair’s essay is rip-roaring good stuff.
Hat tip: Language Log.