Why “meijin” is a great word
MEIJIN — [Noun] The preeminent title of mastery in the board game Go, signifying peerless, historic authority. From Japanese 名人 (meijin), from 名 (mei, "name, reputation") + 人 (jin, "person"), thus literally "famous person" or "master." Unlike *shodan*, which marks a formal beginning into the ranks, or the generic *expert*, which implies high skill alone, *meijin* is a hallowed cultural crown, the apotheosis of a lifetime's devotion. It is the hour-long contemplation before a stone's decisive click, the worn sheen of a slate and shell board after decades of play, and the invisible weight of centuries of strategy concentrated in a single placement—the quiet recognition that one has not merely played the game, but has, for a time, defined its very shape.