On 9 June 2016 at 04:31, qurgh lungqIj <qurgh@wizage.net> wrote:
馬後俥 sounds more like a strategy in western chess than a technique. I think techniques need to be more specific than simply using two pieces to threaten another piece (unless the pieces are always in the same spaces and are of the same type). In western chess, the openings are list of moves that specific pieces make. They are a set number of turns, and you end up with a very specific setup of pieces.
I feel like there's a "terminology gap" in English here. An atomic move is something like "rook moves in a straight line", or "throw a punch". A strategy would be something like "occupying the middle of the board", or "force the opponent to keep stepping back". There are things in the middle which are combinations of moves which are repeated so often that they get names. What are these called? A "tactic"? A "maneuver"? Things like "attack with these two pieces in a specific way" or "throw a punch, followed by sweep". In Chinese, the same term is used in both chess and martial arts. As a matter of fact, it's even used for "combo" when talking about Street Fighter and similar fighting games in Chinese. That term is translated often as "fighting technique" in dubbed/subbed films and literature, so mentally I have {tonSaw'} mapped to that. I'll have to ask Marc Okrand if he does any Chinese martial arts or watches or has subbed any Chinese martial arts movies the next time I see him. :-p -- De'vID