Jisho

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5 Replies ・ Started by Hapi_117 at 2021-02-09 06:50:51 UTC ・ Last reply by Leebo at 2022-05-07 08:15:39 UTC
This is a discussion about 異世界

Parallel universe?

When does this Kanji mean Parallel universe?

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Leebo at 2021-02-09 09:57:12 UTC

They give the example of in science fiction. Is there something about that you find confusing?

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Hapi_117 at 2021-02-09 12:35:08 UTC

Well sci-fi is very vague. Almost any fictional verse could be considered “sci-fi”. However, in many translations i’ve come across, people have chosen to translate sci-fi texts into “parallel world” as opposed to universe. Which is why, I was interested in a more context specific definition other than Sci-fi.

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Leebo at 2021-02-09 12:48:33 UTC

I'm not sure I see what difference there is, in the context of sci-fi, between parallel universe and parallel world. There isn't some deep meaning to the difference in a sci-fi context.

This is the definition at play for "parallel universe"

"(in fantasy or science fiction) a world conceived of as coexisting with and having certain similiarities to the known world but different from it in some fundamental way."

This is the way that 異世界 means "parallel universe".

I guess I'm just still not sure what the purpose of your question is.

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Hapi_117 at 2022-05-07 05:53:16 UTC

That makes sense. See, I wasn't sure if the word meant parallel universe? In the sense that it encompasses an entire universe like our own.Or if it just meant, in a world similar to our own (a paralell universe) as opposed to an infinite amount of stars and planets.

Just to clarify, it's not a universe conceived as coexisting with and having certain similarities to the known universe, rather it only models or parallels our world in some way?

I think is what I intially meant to ask.

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Leebo at 2022-05-07 08:15:39 UTC

Maybe it would just be easier to look at the Japanese definition... it's not nearly as specific as I think you're hoping for.

この世界とは別の世界。特に文学作品などで、現実とは全くようすの異なる世界。
A separate world from this world. Particularly, in works of literature and the like, a world that is totally different from reality.

You would need to ask people who use this term to describe their works what they mean by it. Each person can come up with their own idea. It encompasses broad and narrow interpretations.

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