zein

About zein

zein is not a word, not an onomatopoeic invention or textual simulacrum, but an appearance of idea. 

Think about it, read it aloud, and imagine your encounter with zein. Now try to capture, from your mind, its image, sound, texture, and even odor. 

What zein means becomes subordinate to how you experience it. It resists your attempt to translate; sein, Zeit, or zen, it refers to none of the above, though looking alike. Yet the association is not to be denied or suppressed. This is how zein came into being, after all.