wāku (wā·ku {dig; gouge [→ [scratch]]} · {to be bitter → [to be causing suffering]} → [speak sarcastically/ironically; make cutting remarks] 挖苦) ← Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”
[Notes: Tap/click on a Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) expression to reveal its “flashcard”; tap/click on a “flashcard” or its Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) expression to hide the “flashcard”. 📖 📄 📘 icons mean 📖 Reveal All, 📄 Reveal Advanced, and 📘 Reveal None re all the “flashcards” in the heading, paragraph, etc. that they are placed at the beginning of.]
The Shēngmìng Láizì Chuàngzào Ma? ((Shēngmìng Life 生命) (Lái·zì Came · From 来自 來自) (Chuàng·zào Initiating · {Making, Creating} → [Creating] 创造 創造) (Ma [? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)? → [Was Life Created? (lc)]) (Was Life Created? (lc)) brochure and the Shēngmìng de Qǐyuán—Zhíde Sīkǎo de Wǔ Ge Wèntí ((Shēngmìng Life 生命) (de ’s 的) (Qǐ·yuán {Rising → [Starting]} · Source → [Origin] 起源/原)—(Zhí·de Worth · Getting → [Worth] 值得) (Sī·kǎo {Thinking About} · Examining 思考) (de ’s 的) (Wǔ Five 五) (Ge [mw] 个 個/个) (Wèn·tí Asking · Subjects → [Questions] 问题 問題) → [The Origin of Life—Five Questions Worth Asking (lf)]) (The Origin of Life—Five Questions Worth Asking (lf)) brochure were originally published back in 2010, but relatively recently, the English version of the Was Life Created? brochure was updated to the December 2022 Printing, and the Mandarin version of it was updated to the February 2023 Printing. Also, the Was Life Created? brochure and the Origin of Life brochure are now in the Teaching Toolbox section in the JW Library app. So, it would be good to consider some of the expressions used in the Mandarin versions of these publications that can be so helpful when discussing whether life was created.
“Not the Purpose of This Material”
This week’s MEotW, which appears in the section of the Mandarin Was Life Created? brochure entitled “Nǐ (You 你) Xiāngxìn (Xiāng·xìn It · {Do Believe} → [Do Believe] 相信) Shénme (Shén·me What · [suf] 什么 什/甚麼) Ne ([? ptcl] 呢)?” (“What Do You Believe?”), is “wāku (wā·ku {dig; gouge [→ [scratch]]} · {to be bitter → [to be causing suffering]} → [speak sarcastically/ironically; make cutting remarks] 挖苦)”:
It is not the purpose of this material to ridicule the views either of fundamentalists or of those who choose not to believe in God.
Mandarin (WOL; Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus)
📖 📄 📘 Wǒmen (wǒ·men we · [pl] 我们 我們) chūbǎn (chū·bǎn {have put out} · {printing block of → [edition of]} → [have published] 出版) zhèi (this 这 這) běn ({root or stem of a} → [mw for books, etc.] 本) cèzi (cè·zi brochure · [suf for nouns] 册子 冊子), bìng (actually 并 並/竝/并) bú (not 不) shì (are 是) yào (wanting 要) wāku (wā·ku {to gouge → [to scratch]} · {to be bitter → [to be causing suffering to]} → [to speak sarcastically about] 挖苦) yǐshàng (yǐ·shàng at · above’s 以上) àn ({in accordance with} 按) zìmiàn (zì·miàn characters’ · {face → [surface]} → [being literal] 字面) lǐjiě (lǐ·jiě {(with) reason} · {untie → [solve]} → [understand] 理解) Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng (the) Holy · Scriptures → [the Bible] 圣经 聖經) de (’s 的) rén (persons 人), yě (also 也) bú (not 不) shì (are 是) yào (wanting 要) jīqiào (jī·qiào {to ridicule} · {to criticize} 讥诮 譏誚) bú (not 不) xìn ({do believe in} 信) Shàngdì (Shàng·dì Above’s · {Emperor → [God]} → [God] 上帝) de (’s 的) rén (persons 人).
As can be seen from the above quotes, the Mandarin Was Life Created? brochure uses “wāku (wā·ku {dig; gouge [→ [scratch]]} · {to be bitter → [to be causing suffering]} → [speak sarcastically/ironically; make cutting remarks] 挖苦)” (along with “jīqiào (jī·qiào ridicule; mock; satirize · reproach; blame; criticize 讥诮 譏誚)”) to correspond with “ridicule”.
Don’t Dig a Hole for Yourself
The “wā (dig; excavate; {scoop out}; gouge [→ [scratch]] 挖)” in “wāku (wā·ku {dig; gouge [→ [scratch]]} · {to be bitter → [to be causing suffering]} → [speak sarcastically/ironically; make cutting remarks] 挖苦)” can literally mean “dig”, “excavate”, or “gouge”, and can effectively mean “scratch”. This morpheme also appears in the expression “wājué (wā·jué dig; excavate · dig 挖掘)”, which is used in the “SHĒNRÙ (SHĒN·RÙ DEEPLY · {GOING IN} 深入) WĀJUÉ (WĀ·JUÉ EXCAVATE · DIG 挖掘)” (“DIG DEEPER”) headings in the Enjoy Life Forever! book.
As for “kǔ (bitter | {being bitter → [hardship; suffering; pain | painstakingly]} 苦)”, this expression literally means “bitter”, and it can also be used to effectively mean “pain” or “suffering”, as it does in “shòukǔ (shòu·kǔ receive · {being bitter → [hardship; suffering; pain]} 受苦)”.
So, the morphemes in “wāku (wā·ku {dig; gouge [→ [scratch]]} · {to be bitter → [to be causing suffering]} → [speak sarcastically/ironically; make cutting remarks] 挖苦)” come together to, on a certain level of literalness, mean something like “gouge or scratch to the point of bitterness”, and to effectively mean “speak sarcastically/ironically about; make cutting remarks about”.
It may be tempting to ridicule or be sarcastic towards those who have not yet studied and accepted the information from God’s organization about evolution and creation as we have, especially if we happen to be able to relatively quickly or easily see how illogical and erroneous their viewpoints are. However, our doing so may contribute to escalating discussions in negative directions. It’s true that we should bear witness to the truth like Jesus did, and that Jesus at times spoke quite forcefully and condemned those who opposed him, but he could be far more certain than we can be about what’s really in people’s hearts, and also, his position and authority are not the same as ours.—John 18:37.
“East is East, and West is West”
In the Mandarin field, we should also especially keep in mind the backgrounds of those we speak to. Many of these Mandarin-speakers grew up and were educated in a society that is in some ways even more materialistic and atheistic than modern Western society. While many in the West have at least heard of and thought of the Bible and its teachings and accounts, many Mandarin-speakers may not even have gotten that far with regard to Bible knowledge. To many of them, the Bible’s accounts are not only myths and stories, they are other people’s myths and stories.
So, let us seek to follow the example of the Was Life Created? brochure by trying our best to avoid either purposefully or inadvertantly ‘gouging to the point of bitterness’ as we seek to present to Mandarin-speakers information about the Bible’s account of creation.
For convenience:
The direct link for the current generation Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus resource for the Was Life Created? brochure is:
The short link for Chinese field language-learning links for the Was Life Created? brochure is:
More Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) and Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus web material based on the Mandarin Was Life Created? brochure will be made available in the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus web resource as time allows.