what it means
Arcane knowledge is not just hard. It is kept. The Latin behind it is arca, a chest — the thing you lock — and the drawing gives you the rest: a book on a stand with a padlock through it, an old scholar who can open it, and a boy who cannot. So arcane is difficulty with a door on it, understood by a small number of people and closed to everyone else. It fits tax law, chess openings and the settings menu of an old camera equally well. Calling something arcane is half admiration and half complaint: somebody in there knows, and they are not telling you.
Arcane no es solo difícil: es guardado. Detrás está el latín arca, el cofre que se cierra con llave. En el dibujo hay un libro con candado, un sabio que puede abrirlo y un niño que no. Dificultad con puerta: lo entienden unos pocos y el resto se queda fuera. Decirlo es medio elogio y medio queja.
Arcane não é só difícil: é guardado. Atrás vem o latim arca, o baú que se tranca. No desenho há um livro com cadeado, um sábio que consegue abri-lo e um menino que não. Dificuldade com porta: poucos entendem, o resto fica de fora. Dizer isso é meio elogio, meio queixa.
Arcane n'est pas seulement difficile : c'est gardé. Derrière, le latin arca, le coffre que l'on ferme à clé. Sur le dessin : un livre cadenassé, un vieux savant qui sait l'ouvrir, un enfant qui ne sait pas. Une difficulté avec une porte — quelques-uns comprennent, les autres restent dehors. Le dire, c'est à moitié un éloge.
Arcane bukan sekadar sulit, melainkan disimpan. Akarnya bahasa Latin arca, peti yang dikunci. Di gambar ada buku bergembok, orang tua yang bisa membukanya, dan anak yang tidak. Kesulitan yang berpintu: hanya sedikit orang paham, sisanya tinggal di luar.
Arcane yalnızca zor değildir; saklanmıştır. Kökeni Latince arca, kilitlenen sandık. Resimde asma kilitli bir kitap, onu açabilen yaşlı bir bilgin ve açamayan bir çocuk var. Kapısı olan zorluk: birkaç kişi anlar, geri kalan dışarıda kalır.
arcane は、ただ難しいのではなく、しまい込まれているということです。語源はラテン語の arca、鍵をかける櫃。絵では、南京錠のかかった本と、それを開けられる老学者と、開けられない少年が描かれています。扉のついた難しさ。分かるのは少数で、ほかの人は外に置かれたままです。
adjective
understood by only a few people
“The voting rules are arcane and nobody can explain them.”
adjective
mysterious, and kept that way on purpose
“He had an arcane filing system that only he could use.”
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The book in the drawing has a padlock through it. Arcane means —
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