Connotation of "May you live in interesting times" "May you live in interesting times" is well-known to be a Chinese curse (and this may even be true).

The English translation is interesting because, at least in the culture I was raised in, 'interesting' usually has a positive connotation, and so the phrase sounds like a blessing if you don't know what it's getting at.

I'm curious if the same is true in the original Chinese.



For those unfamiliar with the phrase, "interesting times" are times where interesting things happen like war, famine, unrest, et cetera.
I am a native chinese,and I had never ever heard or read this before you typed it.I cant get it...what does it mean?I mean there is on chinese would say that,it make no sense at all