kettle121
Nov 3, 2014
Undergraduate / I frequently find myself to be a very Yujyufudan person - essay elaborating on 'My biggest flaw' [6]
What is your biggest flaw? Please elaborate.
The Japanese term Yujyufudan is used to describe someone who can never seem to make up his or her mind. While I generally feel certain about some subjects, such as my love for literature or my favorite color, purple, I frequently find myself to be a very Yujyufudan person.
Yujyufudan is one of thousands of four character idiomatic compounds that exist in the Japanese language. The first two characters, Yujyu, mean nice and soft, and the latter two characters, fudan, mean never ending.
The way Japanese is composed of an infinite mixture of Chinese, hiragana and katakana characters is one of the most difficult, yet most beautiful qualities of the language. Japanese is said to be one of the most difficult languages for English speakers to learn, and I have experienced that first-hand. I began learning Japanese over five years ago, and I have become fluent now; nevertheless, I am still discovering new aspects of the language in different situations and nuances. One thing that has remained consistent from the moment I began studying Japanese until today is my fascination and infatuation with its delicacy and the exquisite culture it represents.
My yujyufudan nature can make even the simplest circumstances seem troublesome. When shopping, I probably take more than double the average time on deciding what clothes to purchase: a tendency that has surely caused inconvenience amongst my friends while accompanying me on weekend trips to the mall. Even in serious situations, I tend to struggle to make quick decisions. I remember staring into space for at least two minutes deliberating an adequate answer to the straightforward question, "What is your favorite word?" during my entrance exam interview for high school. After the interviewer impatiently prompted me, "Well?", I reluctantly settled with the word 'flummox', simply because it sounded funny. The interviewer responded to my apparently unintelligent answer and sheepish smile with a disapproving grunt.
In my defense, however, I don't think having a yujyufudan character is always a negative thing. My inability to make immediate, clear-cut decisions is almost always the result of my abundant interest in diverse areas. I simply cannot decide on a dress because they are all so pretty and appealing. I can't choose just one favorite word because there are so many unique words out there and so many reasons to love them. I also enjoy thinking deeply and contemplating in various ways, so I guess being yujyufudan is an inevitable consequence of this habit.
I am hoping that when I enter college, my ampleness of curiosity and interest will give me an advantage rather than work against me. Naturally, I'm not sure about the details of my future career; but I'm hoping that college will be a place where I can use my yujyufudan nature to explore vast areas of study and discover where my strongest passions lie.
You know what? I'm beginning to feel like being a yujyufudan person isn't that much of a flaw after all. In fact, it might even be one of my fortes. Well, it looks like I'm going to have to opt for a different flaw to answer this essay prompt... Perhaps my stubbornness... or maybe my risk-taking tendency...
What is your biggest flaw? Please elaborate.
The Japanese term Yujyufudan is used to describe someone who can never seem to make up his or her mind. While I generally feel certain about some subjects, such as my love for literature or my favorite color, purple, I frequently find myself to be a very Yujyufudan person.
Yujyufudan is one of thousands of four character idiomatic compounds that exist in the Japanese language. The first two characters, Yujyu, mean nice and soft, and the latter two characters, fudan, mean never ending.
The way Japanese is composed of an infinite mixture of Chinese, hiragana and katakana characters is one of the most difficult, yet most beautiful qualities of the language. Japanese is said to be one of the most difficult languages for English speakers to learn, and I have experienced that first-hand. I began learning Japanese over five years ago, and I have become fluent now; nevertheless, I am still discovering new aspects of the language in different situations and nuances. One thing that has remained consistent from the moment I began studying Japanese until today is my fascination and infatuation with its delicacy and the exquisite culture it represents.
My yujyufudan nature can make even the simplest circumstances seem troublesome. When shopping, I probably take more than double the average time on deciding what clothes to purchase: a tendency that has surely caused inconvenience amongst my friends while accompanying me on weekend trips to the mall. Even in serious situations, I tend to struggle to make quick decisions. I remember staring into space for at least two minutes deliberating an adequate answer to the straightforward question, "What is your favorite word?" during my entrance exam interview for high school. After the interviewer impatiently prompted me, "Well?", I reluctantly settled with the word 'flummox', simply because it sounded funny. The interviewer responded to my apparently unintelligent answer and sheepish smile with a disapproving grunt.
In my defense, however, I don't think having a yujyufudan character is always a negative thing. My inability to make immediate, clear-cut decisions is almost always the result of my abundant interest in diverse areas. I simply cannot decide on a dress because they are all so pretty and appealing. I can't choose just one favorite word because there are so many unique words out there and so many reasons to love them. I also enjoy thinking deeply and contemplating in various ways, so I guess being yujyufudan is an inevitable consequence of this habit.
I am hoping that when I enter college, my ampleness of curiosity and interest will give me an advantage rather than work against me. Naturally, I'm not sure about the details of my future career; but I'm hoping that college will be a place where I can use my yujyufudan nature to explore vast areas of study and discover where my strongest passions lie.
You know what? I'm beginning to feel like being a yujyufudan person isn't that much of a flaw after all. In fact, it might even be one of my fortes. Well, it looks like I'm going to have to opt for a different flaw to answer this essay prompt... Perhaps my stubbornness... or maybe my risk-taking tendency...