(no subject)

[owlectomy]

In Patricia Polacco's "The Art of Miss Chew," Miss Chew quotes the following as a Chinese proverb:

"Yesterday is a memory, tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift -- that's why it's called the present."

First person to figure out why this is extremely unlikely to be an actual Chinese proverb gets the prize.

My head-canon is that Miss Chew thinks that bit of sentimental glurge may actually cheer up her student if she dresses it up as a Chinese proverb, though she knows very well that it's not.

It may be a sad state of affairs when random picture books require fix-it head-canon.

Comments

[sasha_feather]

Probably because the pun only works in English?

[lordameth.livejournal.com]

Oy gevalt. Gotta love how these kinds of cute phrases - probably invented only a decade or two ago by someone working for an inspirational posters company or something - get labeled as "ancient Chinese proverb," making them sound more mystical and insightful, or something.

Of course, the phrase relies upon the wordplay **in English** of the multiple meanings of the word "present," meaning it's unlikely to genuinely be a Chinese saying.