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Learn Japanese with Games - You Must Defeat Sheng Long to Stand a Chance

7 Sentences|26 Words|25 Kanji Video Lessons »

Learn Japanese with Games - You Must Defeat Sheng Long to Stand a Chance

In this video we are going to analyse famous quotes from games. Today we’re going to look at Ryu’s quote from Street Fighter Ⅱ.

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Analysis

昇龍拳 (shoryuken) as you know is the name of the move but it is “rising dragon fist” if translated directly.

A negative verb conjugation + 限り means “unless”, and the negative verb conjugation here is ぬ which is the same as ない in an old-fashioned and classical way. You often hear it in samurai movies.

勝ち目 means “a chance of winning”.

So it means “unless you defeat the shoryuken, you won’t stand a chance of winning”.

However, let’s look at the sentence in the English version.

You must defeat Sheng Long to stand a chance.

So this phrase suggests that there is a person called Sheng Long and that the opponent must be able to defeat Sheng Long first before being able to stand a chance against Ryu.

Did you notice? According to the Japanese version, Sheng Long was not a person but is actually just referring to the shoryuken, the move that defeated Sagat.

I can explain how this mistake could have happened. Sheng Long is actually the Chinese pronunciation for the kanji of shoryuken without the Ken. Whoever translated the script probably did not know that shoryuken was a move so it was translated as a name in Chinese.

Despite the error though, rumours of Sheng Long became so big that it got into western game magazines and it even got the attention from Capcom at one stage. This mistake probably did take part in making the game a bigger hit in the western world and so in the end, I think it was ok that it was translated to “you must defeat Sheng Long to stand a chance”.

Sentences

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Quote

You must defeat Sheng Long to stand a chance.

〜ない + 限り (unless)

The match will be carried out unless it rains.
I will never talk to him again unless he apologises to me.
Unless you get your homework done, I won’t give you snacks.

勝ち目 (a chance of winning)

For this match, the chance of winning is fifty-fifty.
That guy is too strong. I definitely won’t stand a chance.
I don’t want to play a match that I have no chance of winning.

Vocabulary

Romaji Hide|Display Default|Add to ▼
aitsu
pronoun
  1. that guy (きゃつ and かやつ are masc.)
ageru
ichidan verb, transitive verb
  1. to give
omae
pronoun
  1. you (formerly honorific, now oft. derog. in ref. to an equal or inferior)
oyatsu
noun
  1. between-meal snack
owaru
godan verb, intransitive verb, auxiliary verb
  1. to finish
kachime
noun
  1. chance (of success)
kachimehanai
expression
  1. to have no chance (of succeeding)
katsu
godan verb, intransitive verb
  1. to win
kekkou
noun, suru verb
  1. doing (with resolve)
kono
pre-noun adjectival
  1. this (something or someone close to the speaker (including the speaker), or ideas expressed by the speaker)
gobugobu
noun, no adjective
  1. 50-50
shiai
noun, suru verb
  1. match; game
shukudai
noun
  1. homework
shoubu
noun, suru verb
  1. contest
sugiru
ichidan verb, intransitive verb, suffix
  1. to be too much (often used after adj. stems or the -masu stems of verbs)

Kanji

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Stroke Count
16 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. dragon, imperial
Readings
Kun'yomi: たつ。
On'yomi: ロウ、リュウ、リョウ。
Stroke Count
2 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. two, two radical (no.2)
Readings
Kun'yomi: ふた、ふた.つ、ふたた.び。
On'yomi: ニ、ジ。
Stroke Count
4 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. five
Readings
Kun'yomi: いつ、いつ.つ。
On'yomi: ゴ。
Stroke Count
4 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. part, minute of time, segment, share, degree, one's lot, duty, understand, know, rate, 1%, chances, shaku/100
Readings
Kun'yomi: わ.け、わ.かつ、わ.かる、わ.ける、わ.かれる。
On'yomi: ブ、フン、ブン。
Stroke Count
6 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. going, journey
Readings
Kun'yomi: い.く、ゆ.く、おこな.う、おこな.い、C、-い.き、-ゆ.き、-いき、-ゆき、おこ.なう。
On'yomi: C、A、ゴウ、コウ、アン、ヒン、A、ギョウ。
Stroke Count
8 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. rain
Readings
Kun'yomi: あめ、あま、さめ、-さめ、あま-。
On'yomi: ウ。
Stroke Count
9 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. in front, before
Readings
Kun'yomi: まえ、さき、-まえ。
On'yomi: ゼン、セン。
Stroke Count
13 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. tale, talk
Readings
Kun'yomi: はな.す、はなし。
On'yomi: ワ、エ、カ。
Stroke Count
5 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. eye, class, look, insight, experience, care, favor
Readings
Kun'yomi: -め、め、ま-。
On'yomi: ボク、モク。
Stroke Count
9 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. degrees, occurrence, time, counter for occurrences
Readings
Kun'yomi: -た.い、たび。
On'yomi: ト、ド、タク。
Stroke Count
11 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. end, finish
Readings
Kun'yomi: -お.わる、お.える、お.わる、つい、おわ.る、つい.に。
On'yomi: お.わる、お.える、シュ、シュウ、おわ.る、つい、つい.に、ばて。
Stroke Count
13 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. test, try, attempt, experiment, ordeal
Readings
Kun'yomi: ため.す、こころ.みる。
On'yomi: シ。
Stroke Count
18 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. topic, subject
Readings
On'yomi: ダイ、テイ。
Stroke Count
6 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. fit, suit, join, 0.1
Readings
Kun'yomi: あ.う、あ.わせる、-あ.い、-あ.う、-あ.わせる、-あい、あ.い、あ.わす、あい-。
On'yomi: ゴウ、コウ、カッ、ガッ。
Stroke Count
7 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. decide, fix, agree upon, appoint
Readings
Kun'yomi: き.める、き.まる、ぎ.め、さ.く、さだ.める、-ぎ.め。
On'yomi: ケチ、ケツ。
Stroke Count
8 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. he, that, the
Readings
Kun'yomi: か、かれ、か.の、かの。
On'yomi: ヒ。
Stroke Count
9 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. defeat, negative, -, minus, bear, owe, assume a responsibility
Readings
Kun'yomi: ま.ける、ま.かす、お.う、そむ.く。
On'yomi: フ、ブ、フウ。
Stroke Count
9 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. limit, restrict, to best of ability
Readings
Kun'yomi: かぎ.る、かぎ.り、-かぎ.り。
On'yomi: ゲン、カン。
Stroke Count
10 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. rend, rip, tear, break, destroy, defeat, frustrate
Readings
Kun'yomi: やぶ.る、やぶ.れる、わ。
On'yomi: ハ。
Stroke Count
10 Strokes
English Meaning
  1. descend, precipitate, fall, surrender
Readings
Kun'yomi: お.りる、お.ろす、ふ.る、くだ.す、くだ.る、ふ.り、ふる、ふり。
On'yomi: コウ、ゴウ、コウ、ゴ。

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