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Can someone make sense out of this phrase?
Indrid Cold
Posts: 16,688 Skive's The Limit
in General Chat
I'm guessing it will probably be someone who has studied the English language a lot, if anyone at all.
"The reader this message encounters not failing to understand is cursed."
I understand that the person who reads this message is cursed, the "not failing to understand" part confuses me.
Syntactically, I can only make sense out of it if, in order for the reader to be cursed, the message has to understand them. But this obviously makes no sense semantically, since a message is unable to understand a person.
EDIT: Reading it again (for about the 11th time), I see that the phrase might be referring to the reader as well, as in "The reader this message encounters in a state of not failing to understand is cursed". So if I'm right, it would mean that anyone who understands the message is cursed.
"The reader this message encounters not failing to understand is cursed."
I understand that the person who reads this message is cursed, the "not failing to understand" part confuses me.
Syntactically, I can only make sense out of it if, in order for the reader to be cursed, the message has to understand them. But this obviously makes no sense semantically, since a message is unable to understand a person.
EDIT: Reading it again (for about the 11th time), I see that the phrase might be referring to the reader as well, as in "The reader this message encounters in a state of not failing to understand is cursed". So if I'm right, it would mean that anyone who understands the message is cursed.
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Comments
I read it as such
"The reader - this message encounters - not failing to understand is cursed."
If you delete the cursive part it says "The reader, not failing to understand is cursed." as in "The reader, who does not fail to understand (this message) is cursed.
Now usually the reader encounters a message, but in this case it's a bit artsy and the message encounters (i.e. finds) the reader.
So in easy words, "The reader, that was found by this message, who is able to understand said message, is cursed."
If only that were what it said, but it doesn't so.
So, the person that reads the message, as long as they understand it, is cursed.
But errrmmm reading it again, that isn't right So I don't know.
Where is it from, Indrid?
Xx
It was the random fortune cookie that appeared when I turned on my computer that once.
It was probably just bad translated engrish.
Translated from what? Chinese?