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[maisondetranger.livejournal.com]

What are the possible translation or equivalents of "чур"?
I seem to understand the word in context, but can't find one translation that fits all meanings..
Thanks

Comments

[oryx_and_crake]

can't find one translation that fits all meanings
----
You will not find it for most of the words. So, you have to specify the particular context in which you want a translation. In most cases probably no word will correspond to "чур" directly. This is how translation works.

[maisondetranger.livejournal.com]

good point)
what I heard yesterday was "я не это говорила чур" and when asked how "чур" would translate, I was given the example that when kids play hide-and-seek, they also use this word..

[oryx_and_crake]

"я не это говорила чур"

This does not sound very Russian to me. If I understand correctly what they meant, it should be something like "чур, я этого не говорила".

[oryx_and_crake]

Something like "I did not say that, you have not heard that"

[maisondetranger.livejournal.com]

So what would "чур, я этого не говорила" mean?

[anatolium.livejournal.com]

when you put "чур" in the beginning
it sounds more russian than putting it at the end of the sentence (in this particular case)

nevertheless you may put it at the end. the meaning is the same

[oryx_and_crake]

Maybe this will help
http://www.multitran.ru/c/m.exe?a=phr&s=%F7%F3%F0&sc=0&L1=2&L2=1

[yozhevich.livejournal.com]

None of those are remotely helpful to me. :) Perhaps they're translations into British English...

My good ol' Oxford 2000 gives me this definition:
чур: int. (coll.) keep away!, mind out!, чур меня! (in children's games, etc.) keep away from me!

From online.multilex.ru:
чур межд. разг.
mind!, keep away!; (в игре) keep away from me!
чур молчать! — keep mum about it!; mum's the word!

[oryx_and_crake]

That's more or less OK but your dictionary missed a whole lot of usage cases, all of which are covered by Multitran:

- Чур, моё!
- Чур, [не] я!
- Чур, не игра!

By the way, "Чур меня!" is NOT from children's games at all. It is an exclamation generally used by people when they were scared, especially with something supernatural. It means something like "Chur,[save] me!" and comes from the name of an ancient Slavonic god Chur (Shchur). In fact, when you say "Чур меня!" or "Чур, моё!" - you ask this god for protection or call him to witness that the thing in question (possibly found by you together with someone else) is rightfully yours. (This second usage is what Multitran translates as "Bags!" - short, I daresay, from "I bag it!")

[taraslive.livejournal.com]

Chur is not a god!! Chur is shortage of prashur - ancestor.

[oryx_and_crake]

Gods and ancestors were practically the same thing then.

[staring-frog.livejournal.com]

AFAIK, Chur is not a shortened version of prashur. It is just a "grand" shur, like "ded" and "pra-ded". So shur/chur is ancestor and prashur is "great-grand-ancestor" :)

[geish-a.livejournal.com]

Does "bags it!" sound familiar?

[maisondetranger.livejournal.com]

not at all :) but thank you, anyway

[geish-a.livejournal.com]

That's something school kids used to say. It means something like "I said it first", or "I'm safe" (in hide-and-seek games).

[arvi.livejournal.com]

"away" is the closest.

[oryx_and_crake]

Definitely not. How would you translate "Чур, моё" or "Чур, не я!" with "away"? It just does not make sense.

[arvi.livejournal.com]

"Away, (its) mine!" and "Away, not me!" aren't exact translations. But makes some sence...

No other single word has closer meaning. And thats was the question.

[oryx_and_crake]

For practically any Russian word, it is not possible to find a single English equivalent covering all its meanings. So, any attempt to do that is just a waste of time.

[maisondetranger.livejournal.com]

Thanks
really the aim of the post was maybe not to get an actual unique translation, but as you point out to have some understanding of what the word means generally. So that I can then apply it to different situations

[wire-shock.livejournal.com]

In games, and in phrases like Чур, я этого не говорил "чур" means we're agreed. So it's something like Let's think/pretend/agree that I haven't said that.

In the phrase Чур меня! "чур" is close to "forbid" like in God forbid, only here there is no talk of God, it is said as a magical phrase (often ironically) against charms.
For example you see something horrendous and you say Чур меня jokingly - as if the thing you've seen is a ghost/hallucination/nightmare.

It took me a lot of words - hope not in vain :-)

[maisondetranger.livejournal.com]

not in vain :) thank you very much, it is actually much more clear now

[arvi.livejournal.com]

> Чур, я этого не говорил

Here is also separation. You and a person you talk to are separated from all other people. Or you separate yourself with your words.

[oryx_and_crake]

Nothing even close. As many people have said already, Чур is a name of a pagan god/ancestor, so when you say "Чур, моё!" or "Чур меня!", you in fact call this god to witness that the thing in question is yours or ask him to save you from some peril. There is no "separation" meaning whatsoever.