Category: Current Events

Categories
Culture Current Events Experiences Technology Theocratic

qiānqiū‐wàndài

qiānqiū (qiān·qiū thousand · autumns 千秋)‐wàndài (wàn·dài {ten thousand} · {replacings → [generations]} 万代 萬代) 👈🏼 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.]

Rather than dismissively thinking to ourselves that the songs produced by the organization are “just songs”, we should remember that the slave class takes seriously its responsibility to provide spiritual food to God’s people, and so it is going to make sure that the lyrics in its songs are spiritually correct, while also being emotionally moving.—Ezekiel 33:32; Matthew 24:45.

“In Ev’ry Generation”

“qiānqiū” _Pīnyīn_ Plus info, Song 2 (music+_Pīnyīn_), on iPhone 13 mini (landscape orientation)

This week’s MEotW, “qiānqiū (qiān·qiū thousand · autumns 千秋)‐wàndài (wàn·dài {ten thousand} · {replacings → [generations]} 万代 萬代)”, comes from the first verse of song 2, which is entitled “Jehovah Is Your Name” in English and “Nǐ de ((Nǐ You 你) (de ’s 的) → [Your]) Míng (Name 名) Shì (Is 是) Yēhéhuá (Jehovah 耶和华 耶和華)” in Mandarin:

English:

In ev’ry generation—
Jehovah is your name.

Mandarin (WOL, Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus):

📖 📄 📘 Nǐ de ((Nǐ you 你) (de ’s 的) → [your]) míng (name 名) cóngbù (cóng·bù ever · not → [never] 从不 從不) gēnggǎi (gēng·gǎi {does change} · {does alter} 更改),
Liúchuán (Liú·chuán {flows → [circulates]} · {is handed down} (for) 流传 流傳) qiānqiū (qiān·qiū thousand · autumns 千秋)‐wàndài (wàn·dài {ten thousand} · {replacings → [generations]} 万代 萬代).

“Qiānqiū (Qiān·qiū thousand · autumns 千秋)‐wàndài (wàn·dài {ten thousand} · {replacings → [generations]} 万代 萬代)” literally means “thousand autumns ten thousand replacings”. However, as explained in the MEotW post on “dài ({take the place of}; replace; subsitute | replacing; substituting → [acting; substitute | generation [→ [period; era; age]]] 代)”, this expression, while literally meaning “replacing”, can effectively mean “generation”:

Yes, the Chinese concept of a “generation” is that it is something that takes the place of or replaces what was there before—the emphasis seems to be on continuation, and a new generation is viewed as having done well if it lived up to or maintained what came before it. In contrast, in the English-speaking world, a “generation” is something new that is generated—the emphasis seems to be more on innovation, progress, and a new generation is viewed as having done well if it improved upon what came before it, and moved things ahead. For example, the English expression “next generation” indeed implies innovation and progress compared to previous generations, such as when applied to vehicles, computers, and other technology.

So, on a certain level of literalness, “qiānqiū (qiān·qiū thousand · autumns 千秋)‐wàndài (wàn·dài {ten thousand} · {replacings → [generations]} 万代 萬代)” means “thousand autumns ten thousand generations”. As shown in the example above from song 2, this is basically a poetic way to refer to “ev’ry generation”, or “forever”. Another expression that means basically the same thing is “qiānqiū (qiān·qiū thousand · autumns 千秋)‐wànshì (wàn·shì {ten thousand} · generations 万世 萬世)”.

Also, another example of “wàn ({ten thousand} [→ [all; a very great number of]] 万 萬/万)” (“ten thousand”) being used in Mandarin to effectively mean “all” or “every” occurs in “wànwù (wàn·wù {ten thousand → [all]} · things 万物 萬物)”, which literally means “ten thousand things” and effectively means “all things”.

Is Everyone Replaceable?

This talk of replacing reminds me: It’s a pet peeve of mine that people sometimes use the expression “no one is irreplaceable”. While it’s true that each of us should maintain appropriate modesty and humility, I suspect that this expression really reflects worldly human corporate culture that treats people like fungible, disposable widgets instead of as individual human beings that each have different qualities and abilities. Such thinking that justifies exploiting people for small-minded short-term profit without having to appropriately recognize and reward them for their individual contributions and potential is in stark contrast to the Bible’s depiction of how Jehovah God knows and values each one of us as individuals. As Jesus said at Matthew 10:29–31:

Two sparrows sell for a coin of small value, do they not? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. So have no fear; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Musical Notation 🎼 and the Mandarin Field

In this post about a Mandarin expression found in our songbook, another subject that I want to touch on is: Is musical notation too hard to be worth the trouble of using it? Are fewer and fewer people able to read it? I was fortunate enough to have been taught how to read musical notation in school, and I have never thought of musical notation as being particularly difficult to use, but I did meet an older brother a while ago who told me he didn’t know how to read musical notation. Some people have also expressed concern that education systems in this old world have been cutting back on music education for younger ones.

Mandarin field language learners used to have available to them official material from the organization containing musical notation with Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) in the lyrics. However, as of this writing, late in 2024, there is no official material from the organization that shows Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) and musical notation on the same page or screen.

For those who find it helpful in their Mandarin field activities to put musical notation together with Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音), the unofficial Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus resource “Sing Out Joyfully” Bk. (Pīnyīn+Music, Pīnyīn Plus, Web) exists and is continuing to be improved. In its Tips: section at the bottom of its home page, it contains these links that some may find helpful:

For convenience:

The direct link for the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus resource for the “Sing Out Joyfully” book is:

The short link for Chinese field language-learning links for the “Sing Out Joyfully” book 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 “Sing Out Joyfully” book will be made available in the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus web resource as time allows.

Categories
Culture Current Events Experiences Language Learning

zǒuxiàn

zǒuxiàn (zǒu·xiàn walk · {[(on)] thread → [line]} → [take the journey taken by Chinese migrants, esp. across the Darién Gap to reach the USA] 走线 走線/綫) 👈🏼 Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

I recently listened to an episode of the Drum Tower podcast entitled “Why Chinese migrants are crossing dangerous jungle to reach America” (posted on Oct. 8, 2024). In it, Alice Su, senior China correspondent for The Economist, explains that “zǒuxiàn (zǒu·xiàn walk · {[(on)] thread → [line]} → [take the journey taken by Chinese migrants, esp. across the Darién Gap to reach the USA] 走线 走線/綫)”, this week’s MEotW (which has its very own Wikipedia page), is the expression used by certain Chinese migrants to refer to their intended journey, which for many involves flying to Ecuador in South America, crossing the wild stretches of the Darién Gap, and carrying on to the United States of America. As said in the podcast:

News anchor [00:01:03] The infamous Darien Gap on the border between Colombia and Panama is the only route between South and North America. Those attempting to cross it risk robbery and death.

Alice Su [00:01:17] This route is taken by many desperate migrants from countries torn apart by war, crime, and poverty. But in the last few years, more and more Chinese people have been taking this route to reach the U.S. too. Last year, there were more than 37,000. That’s nearly ten times more than the year before, and 50 times more than the year before that. And that surprised me, because China is a superpower. It’s the second largest economy in the world. It’s at peace, and it’s strong enough to challenge America for global dominance. I wanted to understand who are these Chinese migrants? What is driving them out of China, and what awaits them in America?

[Note 2024-12-19: As SB points out in the comments below, evidently “zǒuxiàn (zǒu·xiàn walk · {[(on)] thread → [line]} → [take the journey taken by Chinese migrants, esp. across the Darién Gap to reach the USA] 走线 走線/綫)” “can also apply to other illegal immigration routes into other countries”, and so this post has been revised accordingly. Still, apparently people are mostly using it to refer to taking the journey through the Darién Gap to reach the USA, to the point that the Wikipedia page about this phenomenon currently only mentions this route. Of course, as many know, while Wikipedia often provides a useful starting point for research, it is neither completely comprehensive nor always right.]

The Same Words, Different Meanings

On a certain level of literalness, the morphemes in “zǒuxiàn (zǒu·xiàn walk · {[(on)] thread → [line]} → [take the journey taken by Chinese migrants, esp. across the Darién Gap to reach the USA] 走线 走線/綫)” mean “walk (the) line”. This may remind country music fans of the Johnny Cash song “I Walk the Line”, in which the protagonist sings of his determination to remain faithful to his wife. This accords with one of the English meanings of “walk the line”:

To behave in an authorized or socially accepted manner, especially as prescribed by law or morality; to exercise self-control.

The contrast of this meaning with that given by the above-mentioned Chinese migrants to “zǒuxiàn (zǒu·xiàn walk · {[(on)] thread → [line]} → [take the journey taken by Chinese migrants, esp. across the Darién Gap to reach the USA] 走线 走線/綫)” is a classic example of how the same words can have different meanings in different cultural and historical contexts. That’s one reason why communicating with Mandarin-speaking people and reaching their hearts involves more than just learning vocabulary words and memorizing characters.

“Sheep Without a Shepherd”

As a Mandarin field language learner, listening to some of the experiences of the Chinese migrants interviewed in the above-mentioned podcast may remind you of Jesus’ words at Matthew 9:36:

On seeing the crowds, he felt pity for them, because they were skinned and thrown about like sheep without a shepherd.

Whether they know it or not, these people need to hear the good news of God’s Kingdom! Let us continue to do our best, then, to join in and to help answer the call that Jesus included in his next words, recorded in verses 37 and 38 of the same chapter:

Then he said to his disciples: “Yes, the harvest is great, but the workers are few. Therefore, beg the Master of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.”

Categories
Culture Current Events Experiences Technology Theocratic

jūnduì

jūnduì (jūn·duì {armed forces}; army · {row of people → [team; group; unit]} → [armed forces; army; troops] 军队 軍隊) 👈🏼 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.]

Recently, jw.org featured the video “I Put Down My Rifle”, perhaps at least partially due to the increasing military activity in the world. The person whose experience the video recounts is shown to be in Canada, so another factor may be that Canada, along with other Commonwealth member states, recently observed Rememberance Day on November 11.

A significant expression that appears in the Mandarin version of this video is this week’s MEotW, “jūnduì (jūn·duì {armed forces}; army · {row of people → [team; group; unit]} → [armed forces; army; troops] 军队 軍隊)”. For example, this passage begins at around the 0:18 mark:

English:

I lived the army 24/7. The clothes I wore, the people I associated with—everything was military.

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Wǒ (I 我) shēnshang (shēn·shang {body → [self]} · upon 身上) chuān ({pierced through} → [was dressed in] 穿) de ({’s (clothes)} 的), wǒ (my 我) shēnbiān (shēn·biān {body → [self]} · beside → [beside me] 身边 身邊) de (’s 的) rén (people 人)—yíqiè (yí·qiè {one (whole)} · {corresponding (set)} → [everything] 一切) dōu (all 都) gēn (with 跟) jūnduì (jūn·duì {armed forces} · {row of people → [team]} → [armed forces] 军队 軍隊) yǒuguān (yǒu·guān had · {closing with → [connection]} 有关 有關). Jūnduì (Jūn·duì army · {row of people → [team]} → [the army] 军队 軍隊) jiùshì (jiù·shì exactly · was 就是) wǒ (my 我) shēnghuó (shēng·huó life · living 生活) de (’s 的) quánbù (quán·bù entire · part → [all] 全部).

Screenshot of “Jūnduì” from around 0:26 of the Mandarin version of the video “I Put Down My Rifle”

(By the way, on a technical note, the Mandarin version of this video is the first from the organization that I have come across that doesn’t have a usual type of subtitle track, that users can choose to have superimposed on top of the video picture by apps, etc. that play the video. Instead, the subtitles, rendered in Chinese characters, seem to be “baked into” the actual video picture—there is no way to choose whether to display the Chinese subtitles or not. Perhaps this was done to ensure that viewers of the Mandarin video would be able to see the subtitles without first having to look for a setting that they would have to set.)

“We Are Jehovah’s Army!”

Interestingly, song 71 in our current songbook is called, in English, “We Are Jehovah’s Army!”. The Mandarin (WOL, Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus) title, “Yēhéhuá (Jehovah 耶和华 耶和華) de (’s 的) Yīngyǒng (Yīng·yǒng {Are Flowers → [Are Outstanding Persons]} · Valiant → [Valiant] 英勇) Zhànshì (Zhàn·shì War · Soldiers → [Soldiers] 战士 戰士)”, is not a direct translation, but rather translates more like “Jehovah’s Valiant Soldiers”.

It’s an often-used illustration that our efforts in Jehovah’s service can be likened to spiritual warfare. (2 Corinthians 10:3–5; Ephesians 6:11–18) The experience highlighted in the video mentioned above emphasizes to us that while training for physical warfare in the service of the human nations of this world encourages crudeness and aggression, serving Jehovah God and fighting for peace and for the truth means showing kindness and being motivated by love. And while some say that part of the appeal of joining a human worldly jūnduì (jūn·duì army · {row of people → [team]} → [army] 军队 軍隊) is the fulfilment that comes from being part of something bigger than yourself, no family is bigger than Jehovah’s universal family, and no purpose is greater than that of doing God’s will as one of his valiant soldiers.—Ecclesiastes 12:13.