<p>“蓋” is a starting particle, void meaning (<a href="https://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/dictView.jsp?ID=3992&amp;q=1&amp;word=%E8%93%8B#order1" rel="nofollow noreferrer">發語詞，提起下文，無義</a>)</p>
<blockquote>
<p>蓋聞天地之數</p>
</blockquote>
<p>maybe, “[everyone] known that, the fate of universe”, . . .</p>
<p>have fun :)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-21T20:12:25.303Z
Correct. 文言虛詞（①發語詞，如“～聞”；②表大概如此，如“～近之矣”；③連詞，表示原因，如“有所不知，～未學也”）
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-21T13:05:58.543Z
2022-10-21T13:05:58.543Z
水巷孑蠻
<p>I'm attempting a retranslation of Journey to the West that adheres more closely to the Chinese than translations I've found so far.</p>
<p>In the Jenner translation, this is left out.</p>
<p>In Anthony Yu's translation, it's translated as &quot;We heard that&quot;, but this doesn't explain to me what the 蓋 means.</p>
<p>I'm guessing that the sense of the phrase is something like &quot;Low key the news is&quot;, or &quot;On the down low, hear that...&quot;.</p>
<p>The original text is here:
<a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/23962/pg23962.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/23962/pg23962.html</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-29T13:56:42.360Z
盖's pronouciation in ancient chinese is actually the sound that you open your mouth and start speaking, so very natural, as you say “well...” in english
sicheng mao
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-31T15:24:34.210Z
Does it have any relation to the notion of a top or a lid in this context? Like "from the top" or it being the "lid" of the proceeding text?
Step Start
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-31T21:36:30.090Z
`@Step Start` it has this functionality but not here. See the comments below by `@r13`.
sicheng mao
<translation>
Meaning of 蓋聞, just after the end of the opening poem in Journey to the West
# Meaning of 蓋聞, just after the end of the opening poem in Journey to the West

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-10-21)

I'm attempting a retranslation of Journey to the West that adheres more closely to the Chinese than translations I've found so far.

In the Jenner translation, this is left out.

In Anthony Yu's translation, it's translated as "We heard that", but this doesn't explain to me what the 蓋 means.

I'm guessing that the sense of the phrase is something like "Low key the news is", or "On the down low, hear that...".

The original text is here:
<https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/23962/pg23962.html>

**Tags:** translation

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: 盖's pronouciation in ancient chinese is actually the sound that you open your mouth and start speaking, so very natural, as you say “well...” in english  
> **username_0**: Does it have any relation to the notion of a top or a lid in this context? Like "from the top" or it being the "lid" of the proceeding text?  
> **username_1**: `@username_0` it has this functionality but not here. See the comments below by `@username_3`.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2022-10-21. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

“蓋” is a starting particle, void meaning ([發語詞，提起下文，無義](https://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/dictView.jsp?ID=3992&q=1&word=%E8%93%8B#order1))

> 蓋聞天地之數

maybe, “[everyone] known that, the fate of universe”, . . .

have fun :)

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: Correct. 文言虛詞（①發語詞，如“～聞”；②表大概如此，如“～近之矣”；③連詞，表示原因，如“有所不知，～未學也”）  

---

