Category: Science

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Culture Experiences History Language Learning Science Theocratic

jǐngrán‐yǒuxù

jǐngrán+ (jǐng·rán neat; orderly · right; correct [→ [tidy; methodical; shipshape]] 井然)‐yǒuxù+ (yǒu·xù having · order; sequence [→ [methodical; systematic; in good order; regular]] 有序) 👈🏼 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 + Symbols re all the “flashcards” in the heading, paragraph, etc. that they are placed at the beginning of.]

We in the Mandarin field should keep in mind that many Mandarin-speaking people were taught to believe in evolution, and thus tend to not believe in God. 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 they are still considered current publications, and 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. So, it would be good for us to consider some of the expressions used in the Mandarin versions of the Was Life Created? and Origin of Life brochures, which can be so helpful when discussing the fundamentally important question of whether life was created.

In Good Order

This week’s MEotW, “jǐngrán (jǐng·rán neat; orderly · right; correct [→ [tidy; methodical; shipshape]] 井然)‐yǒuxù (yǒu·xù having · order; sequence [→ [methodical; systematic; in good order; regular]] 有序)”, occurs in paragraph 12 of the QUESTION 2 section of the Origin of Life brochure, which section is entitled, in English, “Is Any Form of Life Really Simple?”:

English:

Imagine that you have been allowed past the “security guard” and are now inside the cell. The interior of a prokaryotic cell is filled with a watery fluid that is rich in nutrients, salts, and other substances. The cell uses these raw ingredients to manufacture the products it needs. But the process is not haphazard. Like an efficiently run factory, the cell organizes thousands of chemical reactions so that they take place in a specific order and according to a set timetable.

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

📖 📄 ➕ Jiǎshè (Jiǎ·shè {being artificial} · {set up} → [suppose] 假设 假設) nǐ (you 你) dédào (dé·dào {have gotten} · {arriving at} 得到) “ménwèi (mén·wèi door/entrance · {guarding (person’s)} 门卫 門衛)” yǔnxǔ (permitting 允许 允許), kěyǐ (kě·yǐ {are able} · [suf] 可以) jìnrù ({to enter} 进入 進入) xìbāo (xì·bāo tiny · womb → [cell] 细胞 細胞) “gōngchǎng (gōng·chǎng work · factory → [factory] 工厂 工廠)” le ([(at the end of a phrase/sentence) indicates a change] 了). Nǐ (you 你) huì (will 会 會) fāxiàn (fā·xiàn {send out → [develop]} · {appearing of} → [find] 发现/见 發現/見) yuánhé+ (yuán·hé primitive · {pit (of a fruit) → [nucleus]} → [prokaryotic] 原核) xìbāo (xì·bāo tiny · womb → [cell] 细胞 細胞) nèi (inside 内 內) mǎn ({filled with} 满 滿) shì (is 是) xiàng (like 像/象) shuǐ (water 水) yíyàng (yí·yàng {(of) one} · form → [the same] 一样 一樣) de (’s 的) yètǐ+ (yè·tǐ fluid · {bodies → [substances]} → [fluids] 液体 液體), zhèixiē (zhèi·xiē this · {indefinite number of} → [these] 这些 這些) yètǐ (yè·tǐ fluid · {bodies → [substances]} → [fluids] 液体 液體) hányǒu (hán·yǒu {hold in the mouth → [contain]} · have 含有) fēngfù (fēng·fù rich · abundant 丰富 豐富) de (’s 的) yǎngfèn+ (yǎng·fèn supporting · components → [nutrients] 养分 養分), yán (salts 盐 鹽), hé ({(together) with} → [and] 和 和/龢) qítā (qí·tā them · otherwise’s → [other] 其他) wùzhì (wù·zhì matter · substances → [substances] 物质 物質). Xìbāo (Xì·bāo tiny · womb → [cell] 细胞 細胞) yòng (uses 用) zhèixiē (zhèi·xiē this · {indefinite number of} → [these] 这些 這些) “yuán+ (original → [raw] 原) cáiliào (cái·liào {timber → [material]} · materials → [materials] 材料)” zhìzào (zhì·zào {to manufacture} · {to make} → [to manufacture] 制造 製造) suǒxū (suǒ·xū {those which} · {are needed} 所需) de (’s 的) dōngxi (dōng·xi easts · wests → [things] 东西 東西), dàn (but 但) guòchéng (guò·chéng {to be passed through} · {journey → [procedure]} → [process] 过程 過程) bìng (definitely 并 並/竝/并) bú (not 不) shì (is 是) záluàn+ (zá·luàn mixed · random → [disorderly] 杂乱 雜亂)‐wú (without 无 無/无)‐zhāng (sections → [structure] 章) de ({’s (process)} 的). Xìbāo (Xì·bāo tiny · womb → [cell] 细胞 細胞) hǎoxiàng (hǎo·xiàng {well → [very much]} · {is like} 好像/象) yùnzuò (yùn·zuò transports · does → [operates] 运作 運作) shùnchàng+ (shùn·chàng {being following → [being suiting]} · {being smooth} → [smoothly] 顺畅 順暢) de (’s 的) gōngchǎng (gōng·chǎng work · factory → [factory] 工厂 工廠) nàyàng (nà·yàng that · {form → [way]} 那样 那樣), zài (in 在) xìbāo (xì·bāo tiny · womb → [cell] 细胞 細胞) li (inside 里 裡/裏) jìnxíng (jìn·xíng {are advanced} · {are walked → [are carried out]} 进行 進行) de (’s 的) wúshù (wú·shù without · number 无数 無數) huàxué+ (huà·xué {transforming → [chemistry]} · studying → [chemical] 化学 化學) fǎnyìng (fǎn·yìng {in the reverse direction} · respondings → [reactions] 反应 反應) quándōu (quán·dōu completely · all 全都) ànshí (àn·shí {according to} · {(particular) times} → [on schedule] 按时 按時) jìnxíng (jìn·xíng {are advanced} · {are walked → [are carried out]} 进行 進行), érqiě (ér·qiě and · moreover 而且) jǐngrán+ (jǐng·rán {are orderly} · {are correct} 井然)‐yǒuxù+ (yǒu·xù {are having} · sequence 有序).

In the above examples, “jǐngrán (jǐng·rán neat; orderly · right; correct [→ [tidy; methodical; shipshape]] 井然)‐yǒuxù (yǒu·xù having · order; sequence [→ [methodical; systematic; in good order; regular]] 有序)” is used to translate the English phrase “in a specific order”. In contrast, past MEotW “záluàn (zá·luàn miscellaneous; mixed · {in disorder}; chaotic; random; arbitrary → [disorderly; mixed; in a jumble/mess; chaotic] 杂乱 雜亂)‐wú ({not having}; without; no 无 無/无)‐zhāng (sections [→ [order | rules; regulation; constitution | composition; structure; system; pattern]] 章)”, which occurs earlier in the example paragraph above, is used to translate the English word “haphazard”.

Yes, in contrast to the haphazard mess that any system generated by random chance would be (if anything even resembling a system gets generated at all), the system inside our cells for manufacturing needed products actually operates with a very high degree of organization, orderliness, and efficiency. This is strong evidence that our cells were actually not produced by the random processes of evolution, but rather, by an organized and orderly intelligent Creator.

Not in Good Order, in Good Order

Of particular interest to Mandarin field language learners, if we look at Chinese characters, which were designed by imperfect humans, it would be fair to describe the way they were designed as being haphazard, even compared to other human-designed systems. For example, the book The Chinese Language: Fact and Fantasy, on page 111, says:

Comparatively speaking, the Japanese syllabaries are quite simple and efficient. Their forty-seven symbols do a reasonably good job of representing the sound system of Japanese with its mere 113 different syllables. In contrast, the Chinese syllabary, which must cope with a far more complex syllabic system (3,877 syllables in earlier Chinese and 1,277 in current standard Chinese if tones are included, 398 if tones are excluded), is not only appallingly large but also quite unstandardized and hence extremely inefficient—all this of course due to the fact that it has not been manipulated and refined like the Japanese syllabaries but throughout its history right down to today has evolved in a more or less haphazard manner.

One of the ways in which Chinese characters are relatively haphazard is in how they represent their pronunciations. Even though many characters have phonetic (relating to speech sounds) elements that supposedly relate to how they are to be pronounced, ultimately, there is no consistent, overall system such that if a character is like this, then its pronunciation must thus be that—if you bump into a Chinese character that you never learned, or that you learned but forgot (this character amnesia actually happens all the time, even to experienced native Mandarin speakers), then ultimately you can only guess at how to pronounce it!

Speaking of phonetic elements, characters are so old that the phonetic elements of characters that have them may actually be based on old pronunciations that are different from the modern day pronunciations that these phonetic elements appear to modern readers to indicate. So, even the supposedly phonetic elements of characters are not reliable indicators of the modern Mandarin pronunciations of these characters, adding to the overall haphazard nature of characters.

Another haphazard aspect of characters is the many homographs among them, that is, different words that are written with the same characters, but that have different possible pronunciations and meanings, such that one must examine the context to deduce which pronunciation and meaning are actually the intended ones in any given situation.

In marked contrast, Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) is a simple, elegant, consistent system of representing modern Mandarin speech, such that if Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) expressions are written a certain way, then they must be pronounced a certain way—well-designed, neat, and orderly, not having “evolved in a more or less haphazard manner” like Chinese characters!

For convenience:

The direct link for the current-generation Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus / Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音)+ resource for the Origin of Life brochure is:

The short link for Chinese field language-learning links for the Origin of Life 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 / Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音)+ web material based on the Mandarin Origin of Life brochure will be made available in the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus / Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音)+ web resource as time allows.

Categories
Culture Experiences Language Learning Science Theocratic

nándào

nándào+ (nán·dào {is (it) difficult} · {to say [→ [to suppose]] (that)} → [can/could it be that; is it possible that; do you really mean to say that; don’t tell me that] 难道 難道) 👈🏼 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 + Symbols re all the “flashcards” in the heading, paragraph, etc. that they are placed at the beginning of.]

One of the publications that is now recommended to be used on Bible studies is the Yǒngyuǎn Xiǎngshòu Měihǎo de Shēngmìng—Hùdòng Shì Shèngjīng Kèchéng ((Yǒng·yuǎn Eternally · {Far (in Time)} 永远 永遠) (Xiǎng·shòu Enjoy · Receive 享受) (Měi·hǎo Beautiful · Good 美好) (de ’s 的) (Shēngmìng Life 生命)—(Hù·dòng {Each Other} · Moving → [Interactive] 互动 互動) (Shì (Type 式) (Shèng·jīng Holy · Scriptures → [Bible] 圣经 聖經) (Kè·chéng Lessons · Procedure → [Course] 课程 課程) → [Enjoy Life Forever!—An Interactive Bible Course (lff)]) (Enjoy Life Forever! (lff)) book. This week’s MEotW, “nándào+ (nán·dào {is (it) difficult} · {to say [→ [to suppose]] (that)} → [can/could it be that; is it possible that; do you really mean to say that; don’t tell me that] 难道 難道)”, appears in subtitle 35 of the video used in point 5 of lesson 15 of this book:

English:

[Jesus’] mother, Mary, lived in Nazareth.
Could he tell her while in the womb,
‘Please take me to Bethlehem because the scriptures say
I must be born there’?

Mandarin (Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音)+ 🔗):

34
00:02:05,141 → 00:02:08,812
📖 📄 ➕ Yēsū (Jesus 耶稣 耶穌) de (’ 的) mǔqin (mǔ·qin mother · relative 母亲 母親) Mǎlìyà (Mary 马利亚 馬利亞) yuánběn+ (yuán·běn originally · {root or stem → [originally]} 原本) zhù (lived 住) zài (in 在) Násālè+ (Nazʹa·reth 拿撒勒).

35
00:02:08,812 → 00:02:12,882
📖 📄 ➕ Nándào+ (Nán·dào {is (it) difficult} · {to say → [to suppose] (that)} → [could it be that] 难道 難道) Yēsū (Jesus 耶稣 耶穌) nénggòu (néng·gòu {was able} · enough 能够 能夠) zài (in 在) māma (mā·ma ma·ma 妈妈 媽媽) de (’s 的) dùzi+ (dù·zi belly · [suf for nouns] 肚子) li (inside 里 裡/裏) gēn (with 跟) māma (mā·ma ma·ma 妈妈 媽媽) shuō ({to say} 说 說/説),

Lesson 15 point 5 video subtitle 36

36
00:02:12,882 → 00:02:14,651
📖 📄 ➕ “Nǐ (you 你) yào (must 要) qù ({go to} 去) Bólìhéng (Bethʹle·hem 伯利恒 伯利恆) shēng+ ({to give birth to} 生) wǒ (me 我),

37
00:02:14,651 → 00:02:17,220
📖 📄 ➕ wǒ (I 我) cái ({only then} 才 才/纔) néng ({will be able} 能) yìngyàn+ (yìng·yàn {to respond to} · verifying (regarding) → [to fulfil] 应验 應驗) Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng Holy · Scriptures → [Bible] 圣经 聖經) yùyán (yù·yán {in advance} · saying → [prophecy] 预言 預言)” ma ([? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)?

It’s Hard to Say?

Over the years, I would occasionally encounter “nándào (nán·dào {is (it) difficult} · {to say [→ [to suppose]] (that)} → [can/could it be that; is it possible that; do you really mean to say that; don’t tell me that] 难道 難道)” in my Mandarin field activities, and I would find it hard to say whether my initial impression was correct, that its morphemes literally translated to “is (it) difficult” “to arrive at (that)”. When I finally got around to looking up this expression and analyzing it, it turned out that I was right about the first morpheme, but wrong about the second one—the first morpheme “nán ({[is] difficult}; {[is] hard} | difficultly | {make difficult/difficulties} 难 難)” is indeed the one that means “difficult” or “hard”, and that also appears in “nántí (nán·tí difficult · topic → [problem] 难题 難題)”, but the second morpheme is actually not the “dào ({arrive [at/in/etc.]}; reaching [→ [[up/out/etc.] to; until]] 到)” that means “to arrive at”. Rather, it is the “dào (way; path; road [→ [mw]] | say; speak; talk; chat | think; suppose 道)” that is used in “chuándào (chuán·dào spreading · way → [preaching] 传道 傳道)” and in “dàoli (dào·li way; path; road · reasoning; logic; doctrine [→ [principle]] 道理)”, where it means “way; path; road”. When it’s used in “nándào (nán·dào {is (it) difficult} · {to say [→ [to suppose]] (that)} → [can/could it be that; is it possible that; do you really mean to say that; don’t tell me that] 难道 難道)” though, it seems to have a different meaning that I was not familiar with before, that of “say; speak”.

When the morphemes of “nándào (nán·dào {is (it) difficult} · {to say [→ [to suppose]] (that)} → [can/could it be that; is it possible that; do you really mean to say that; don’t tell me that] 难道 難道)” are put together, then, they literally mean “is (it) difficult” “to say [or, to suppose] (that)”, and they can effectively mean “can/could it be that; is it possible that; do you really mean to say that; don’t tell me that”. As Pleco’s built-in dictionary says, this enigmatic expression is used for “giving force to a rhetorical question”.

A Usage Example From the Bible

Here is another example of “nándào (nán·dào {is (it) difficult} · {to say [→ [to suppose]] (that)} → [can/could it be that; is it possible that; do you really mean to say that; don’t tell me that] 难道 難道)” in use, from a familiar Bible account:

English:

You are not greater than our forefather Jacob, who gave us the well and who together with his sons and his cattle drank out of it, are you?”

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

📖 📄 ➕ Zhèi (this 这 這) kǒu ({mouth of a} → [mw for things with mouths/openings] 口) jǐng+ (well 井) shì (is 是) wǒmen de ((wǒ·men us · [pl] 我们 我們) (de ’s 的) → [our]) zǔxiān (zǔ·xiān forefather · {earlier (person) → [ancestor]} → [forefather] 祖先) Yǎgè+ (Jacob 雅各) liúgěi (liú·gěi {left behind} · {to be given to} 留给 留給) wǒmen (wǒ·men us · [pl] 我们 我們) de ({’s (well)} 的), tā (he 他) zìjǐ (himself 自己) hé ({(together) with} → [and] 和 和/龢) érzi (ér·zi {(his) children → [his sons]} · [suf for nouns] 儿子 兒子), jiāchù+ (jiā·chù (his) household · livestock → [his cattle] 家畜) dōu (all 都) hē (drank 喝) zhèi (this 这 這) kǒu ({mouth of a} → [mw for things with mouths/openings] 口) jǐng (well 井) de (’s 的) shuǐ (water 水), nándào+ (nán·dào {is (it) difficult} · {to say → [to suppose] (that)} → [can it be that] 难道 難道) nǐ (you 你) bǐ ({compared to} 比) tā (him 他) hái ({still more} 还 還) dà ({are big} → [are great] 大) ma ([? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)?”

A Question for the Mandarin Field

Here is a rhetorical question for Mandarin field language learners to consider:

English:

Is learning Chinese characters really the most important aspect of learning Mandarin?

Mandarin:

📖 📄 ➕ Nándào+ (Nán·dào {is (it) difficult} · {to say → [to suppose] (that)} → [can it be that] 难道 難道) xué (learning 学 學) Hànzì+ (Hàn·zì {Han (Chinese)} · Characters 汉字 漢字) zhēnde (zhēn·de {being real} · {’s (thing)} → [really] 真的) shì (is 是) xué (learning 学 學) pǔtōng‐huà+ ((pǔ·tōng common · {through(out) → [common]} 普通)‐(huà speech 话 話) → [(Modern Standard) Mandarin (term commonly used in China)]) de (’s 的) zuì (most 最 最/㝡) zhòngyào (zhòng·yào weighty · important 重要) de (’s 的) yì (one 一) fāngmiàn (fāng·miàn {direction → [side]} · face → [aspect] 方面) ma ([? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)?

For an answer to this question that’s based, not on human tradition or cultural pride, but rather on the Bible, The Watchtower, and linguistics (language science), check out the article “SPEECH is Top Priority, Not Characters”.

Here is an excerpt:

Just like it’s an established fact that the earth is round, according to modern linguistics (the scientific study of language) this is also an established fact: “Speech is primary, writing is secondary and is always derivative of speech.” This scientific truth about language, that Jehovah built us and wired us to primarily communicate meaning through speech, supports what 1 Corinthians 14:8–11 (quoted above) says about understandable speech being of prime importance to Christian evangelizers.

For convenience:

The direct link for the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus / Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音)+ resource for the Enjoy Life Forever! book is:

The short link for Chinese field language-learning links for the Enjoy Life Forever! book is:

More Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音)+ web material based on the Mandarin Enjoy Life Forever! book will be made available in the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus / Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音)+ web resource as time allows.

Categories
Culture History Language Learning Science

Pīnyīn

Pīnyīn+ (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) 👈🏼 Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

[To accompany last week’s repost on “Zhùyīn (Zhù·yīn {Annotating of} · Sounds → [Zhuyin] 注音 註/注音)”, here is a repost of the MEotW post on “Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音)”.]

“Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音)” is the expression commonly used to refer to the phonetic alphabet introduced by China in 1958. This system is also known by longer, more official names:

  • Hànyǔ (Hàn·yǔ {Han (Chinese)} · Language → [(Modern Standard) Mandarin] 汉语 漢語) Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音)
  • Hànyǔ (Hàn·yǔ {Han (Chinese)} · Language → [(Modern Standard) Mandarin] 汉语 漢語) Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Fāng’àn+ (Fāng’·àn {Direction → [Method]} · {Long, Narrow Table or Desk → [Plan]} 方案)

When thinking of Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) and its predecessor Zhùyīn (Zhù·yīn Annotating · Sounds → [Zhuyin] 注音 註/注音) (last week’s MEotW), some focus on the superficial differences between them. However, it’s perhaps even more important to note what they have in common, as indicated by the fact that the names of both systems end in “yīn+ (sound [→ [musical note/sound; tone; pronunciation | syllable | news; tidings]] 音)”: Both systems focus on representing the sounds of Mandarin, sounds which make up Mandarin speech and thus represent meanings. In fact, Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音)’s literal meaning tells us that this system helps people to “piece together sounds” to make up Mandarin speech, and thus convey the meanings that Mandarin speech represents.

汉字 / 漢字? Pīnyīn?

In contrast, many people believe that the Hànzì+ (Hàn·zì {Han (Chinese)} · Characters 汉字 漢字), the Chinese characters, represent meanings more directly through their own visual design, as opposed to primarily being a system that represents Mandarin, Cantonese, etc., speech sounds which represent meaning. This view of Chinese characters, however, is actually a myth, which has been called the ideographic myth—God designed our brains and bodies to primarily represent meaning through speech, some humans in their hubris presumed that it would be better for us humans to represent meaning directly through visual symbols, and of course God was right and these humans were wrong.

There are actually many myths and misconceptions that people believe regarding Chinese characters, and sadly, that is also the case regarding Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音).

Common Myths and Misconceptions

  • “Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) is just a pronunciation aid. It’s not really a writing system like the characters are.”

    • But, is Pīnyīn even really a writing system? Interestingly, the Chinese national standard Zhōngguó Mángwén (中国盲文/中國盲文, Chinese Braille) is basically a transliteration or conversion of Pīnyīn into braille letters. Braille is obviously a writing system, so Pīnyīn must also be a writing system, not just a pronunciation aid.

  • “Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) is just training wheels. Characters are real wheels.”

    • Since Pīnyīn is not just a pronunciation aid, but a full writing system, it is not “training wheels”—it’s regular wheels. On the other hand, Chinese characters are like non-round wheels—more difficult than necessary.

  • “Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) on its own can’t be understood because there are too many homophones (words that sound the same, but have different meanings) in Mandarin.”

    • When people are just speaking Mandarin, with no characters in sight to help them, do they have problems understanding each other because of all the homophones? Can blind Mandarin-speakers, who cannot see characters, still “see” what people mean when those people speak Mandarin? Native Mandarin-speakers have confirmed to me that no, homophones are not a significant problem in spoken Mandarin—people can use the context and understand each other okay. So, people can use the context and understand each other okay when using Pīnyīn too, since Pīnyīn directly represents the sound of spoken Mandarin.

      • The above quote is from the article “Pīnyīn Was Plan A”. Check it out for more on this subject.

  • “Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) is less accurate than Zhùyīn (Zhù·yīn Annotating · Sounds → [Zhuyin] 注音 註/注音).”

    • Some people say that Zhuyin is more accurate or correct than Pinyin. Actually, both Zhuyin and Pinyin represent the same Mandarin sounds, just with different symbols. In fact, it’s not difficult to find tables that directly map the corresponding Zhuyin and Pinyin expressions to each other—a simple Google search for “pinyin zhuyin table” turns up many, many results. Pinyin and Zhuyin are just like different codes for encoding the same Mandarin message, so basically, neither is more accurate or correct than the other.

      • The above quote is from the tiandi.info post “Pinyin and Zhuyin”. (If you need login information for the parts of tiandi.info that require it, request it by email, and include information on who referred you and/or what group/cong. you are in.)
  • “Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) makes your Mandarin sound like English.”
    • This is only true if you are using it wrong. For example, if you read a French word and you make it sound like English when you read it out, the problem is not that the French word is written using the Latin alphabet like English is—the problem is that you are thinking of English sounds when you see the French word, when you should be thinking of French sounds. Similarly, you shouldn’t blame Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) if you are thinking of English sounds when you see it, because it’s up to you to understand that Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) represents Mandarin sounds, not English sounds.
    • Don’t worry, it becomes second nature to properly associate Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) with Mandarin sounds after you get familiar with Mandarin sounds and used to the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) system. However, if you, say, prematurely stop using Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) and instead turn to characters in an effort to avoid the baggage of English sounds, you may actually never really get the hang of Mandarin sounds. Seriously, I’ve seen people who focus on characters remain in this speech Twilight Zone for years and years! That’s because while characters do represent Mandarin speech sounds, they’re just bad at it—it’s just not what characters focus on. In stark contrast, Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) is all about the sounds of Mandarin. It literally spells out in a simple way how a Mandarin syllable sounds at the beginning, at the end, and in between. Characters, though, represent the complex sound of a Mandarin syllable as one coarse lump, in a complex and often unrelated way—you either get it or you don’t, and many don’t.
      • Yes, characters are like a conceited jerk who convinces you with grand promises to jump from a high place, doesn’t bother to catch you, and then makes you think it’s your fault that you can’t fly. Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音), though, is like a modest and straightforward person who clearly explains each step for you so that you can dependably and confidently get to where you want to go.

For more information regarding Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) and how we in the Mandarin field should view it, check out these articles:

“Pīnyīn is a Good, Workable Writing System On Its Own”
This article is a brief overview of why it’s important for those of us in the Mandarin field to recognize that Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) is a full writing system, not just a pronunciation aid.

“Pīnyīn Was Plan A”
This extensively researched in-depth article discusses how we in the Mandarin field should view Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音).

(Short link: tiandi.info/articles)