putterings 061 < 062 > 063 index
wan... detached and idle, certain
...or puttering. Lastly, the transitory and relaxing sweetness of moonlight is suggested, the pleasure of a boat ride on a limpid lake or the prolonged contemplation of a waterfall.
— Roger Caillois (1913-1978), in his (“orientalizing”) discussion of the Chinese concept of wan, and its relationship to ludus and paidia (not to be confused with paideia), in Man, Play, and Games (1958; Meyer Barash, trans., 1961) : 34
some more, from the preceding page (33) —
...This is the place to return to the term wan. According to some, it would etymologically designate the act of indefinitely caressing a piece of jade while polishing it, in order to savor its smoothness or as an accompaniment to reverie. Perhaps this origin clarifies another purpose of paidia. The reservoir of free movement that is part of its original definition seems in this case to be oriented not toward process, calculation, or triumph over difficulties but toward calm, patience, and idle speculation. The term wan basically designates all kinds of semiautomatic activities which leave the mind detached and idle, certain complex games which are part of ludus, and at the same time, nonchalant meditation and lazy contemplation.
for a skeletal summary of the book (which is available here and there as a pdf), consult wikipedia
I have not yet seen more than the preview pages of Tara Fickle, her discussion of Caillois and others, in chapter 4, “West of the Magic Circle : The Orientalist Origins of Game Studies,” in The Race Card : From Gaming Technologies to Model Minorities (2019) : 112-137, with discussion of wan at pp 129-130