I asked a Korean contact and it is confirmed that "Im Ja" means "Lady/Miss/Madam" for this historical setting. So, the Chinese translation of "姑娘" is correct.
Gu (1) Niang(4) "姑娘", is actually an old term used in Chinese sword-fighting dramas to respectfully refer to young ladies.
Just as Choi Young refers to himself in the gentleman's Chinese term of "在下" which means "my humble self", he calls her the respectful term of "Lady/Miss".
It is not possible for Choi Young to refer to Eun Soo as "honey" when he had been calling her "Im Ja" since the beginning even before they fell in love. Also, he is very reserved and prefers keeping his distance, and wouldn't even call her by her real name, only by her official title given by the King.
Choi Young would call her "Im Ja" every time he was upset that she was being foolish. Like the time she tried running away by herself without knowing the danger of the place she was going to. And even in the very early episode when she refused to leave the place and argued with him when he moved around after she had just patched him up through the night after stabbing him.
In modern-time Korea, "Im Ja" is used between very old couples above 60. So, I would say the word can then be considered "honey/dear".
But in a historical setting, "Im Ja" is a respectful term for Choi Young to call Eun Soo, instead of using the word "you". And it means "Lady/Miss".
It is not "you, but respectful and slightly intimate" as translated in the English subs. It's not possible to have any intimacy in the word, when Choi Young has been using this word since the beginning when he hardly knew her (just very frustrated with her).
Gu (1) Niang(4) "姑娘", is actually an old term used in Chinese sword-fighting dramas to respectfully refer to young ladies.
Just as Choi Young refers to himself in the gentleman's Chinese term of "在下" which means "my humble self", he calls her the respectful term of "Lady/Miss".
It is not possible for Choi Young to refer to Eun Soo as "honey" when he had been calling her "Im Ja" since the beginning even before they fell in love. Also, he is very reserved and prefers keeping his distance, and wouldn't even call her by her real name, only by her official title given by the King.
Choi Young would call her "Im Ja" every time he was upset that she was being foolish. Like the time she tried running away by herself without knowing the danger of the place she was going to. And even in the very early episode when she refused to leave the place and argued with him when he moved around after she had just patched him up through the night after stabbing him.
In modern-time Korea, "Im Ja" is used between very old couples above 60. So, I would say the word can then be considered "honey/dear".
But in a historical setting, "Im Ja" is a respectful term for Choi Young to call Eun Soo, instead of using the word "you". And it means "Lady/Miss".
It is not "you, but respectful and slightly intimate" as translated in the English subs. It's not possible to have any intimacy in the word, when Choi Young has been using this word since the beginning when he hardly knew her (just very frustrated with her).
6 comments:
I love this series. Minho is such a cutie
He calls her imja in episode 2 when he's on the stretcher.
But she called him imja too
She has never called him "Imja". If you heard it, which episode & which scene?
That is not entirely true. He does not always tell you when he is angry. The scriptwriter explained that she plays with the language and the different siginisficados of the word "Imja". The level rises as they tighten their relationship.
Imja means lady or miss.
To Choi Young that was a sign of respect.
It advanved when their relationship grew. Whenever he called her Imja, you could feel a sense of respect and adorance. Thats for the fact
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