Category: Science

Categories
Culture Experiences History Science Theocratic

shùnxù

shùnxù (shùn·xù {following [of]} · order; sequence [→ [order; sequence | in proper order; in turn]] 顺序 順序) 👈🏼 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 None re all the “flashcards” in the heading, paragraph, etc. that they are placed at the beginning of.]

A few years back, I wrote up a brief web page listing reasons for producing Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音), etc. material for the Imitate (ia) book. Some, especially some who grew up in the West, may have felt that this book is made up of “just stories”, and ones that they were already quite familiar with, at that. However, we must remember that Chinese Bible students may often have a different perspective regarding the Bible accounts that are made to come to life in the Imitate book. As that web page said:

  • Many Chinese people in the world have not been exposed to Bible accounts the way many Westerners have.
  • Also, I have heard that some, perhaps many, Chinese Bible students tend to approach their Bible studies like intellectual exercises for accumulating chōuxiàng (abstract) head knowledge as if for a school exam, rather than as training for their hearts for their own real lives.

Later, the web page touches on how some of the real-world benefits of good storytelling like that found in the Imitate book involve empathy:

  • …
    • The actress Natalie Portman once said, “I love acting. I think it’s the most amazing thing to be able to do. Your job is practicing empathy. You walk down the street imagining every person’s life.”
  • The Imitate book helps build Bible students’ empathy towards Bible characters, which in turn helps Bible students realize that others would feel empathy towards them as well if they imitated these Bible characters—not everyone will just think they’re crazy, like many worldly friends or family members might think.

While even fictional stories can have the benefits described in the links and the quote above, true stories from the Bible can have even greater benefits, including spiritual ones.

Besides the Imitate book, another book from Jehovah’s organization that relates Bible accounts is the Learn From the Bible (lfb) book. The letter from the Governing Body in this book says that, similarly to the Imitate book, the Learn From the Bible book also “brings the Bible accounts to life and captures the feelings of those depicted”, while, unlike the Imitate book, it “tells the story of the human family from creation onward”. While the Learn From the Bible book is especially suitable for children, the letter from the Governing Body in this book says that “it can also be used to help adults who desire to learn more about the Bible”. So, it would be good to consider on this blog some of the expressions used in the Mandarin Learn From the Bible book.

‘In Time Order’

This week’s MEotW, “shùnxù (shùn·xù {following [of]} · order; sequence [→ [order; sequence | in proper order; in turn]] 顺序 順序)”, appears in the section of the Mandarin Learn From the Bible book entitled, in English, “A Letter From the Governing Body”:

English:

Using accounts from the Bible, this book tells the story of the human family from creation onward. Every effort has been made to present the Bible accounts in a clear and simple manner and, as far as possible, in the order in which they occurred.

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

📖 📄 📘 Běn ({root or stem of a} → [this] 本) shū (writing → [book] 书 書) yǐ (uses 以) Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng Holy · Scriptures → [Bible] 圣经 聖經) jìzǎi (jì·zǎi recorded · writings → [accounts] 记载 記載) wéi (as 为 為/爲) gēnjù (gēn·jù root · evidence → [basis] 根据 根據), jiǎngshùle (jiǎng·shù·le {speaks of} · relates · {to completion} 讲述了 講述了) Shàngdì (Shàng·dì Above’s · {Emperor → [God]} → [God] 上帝) chuàngzào (chuàng·zào initiated · {made, created} → [created] 创造 創造) wànwù (wàn·wù {ten thousand → [all]} · things 万物 萬物) yǐlái (yǐ·lái {from that point} · coming → [since then] 以来 以來) rénlèi (rén·lèi human·kind’s 人类 人類) dà (big 大)‐jiātíng (jiā·tíng family · courtyard → [family] 家庭) fāshēng (fā·shēng {has had issue forth} · {has had come to life} → [has had happen] 发生 發生) de (’s 的) gùshi (gù·shi events · things → [story] 故事). Běn ({root or stem of a} → [this] 本) shū (writing → [book] 书 書) lìqiú (lì·qiú strongly · seeks 力求) jiǎndān (jiǎn·dān {to be simple} · {to be single → [to be simple]} → [to be simple] 简单 簡單) yìmíng (yì·míng {to be easy} · {to be bright (about) → [to understand]} 易明), bìng (simultaneously 并 並/竝/并) jìnliàng (jìn·liàng {expends to the limit} · amount → [tries as much as possible] 尽量 盡量) jiāng ({to take} 将 將) Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng (the) Holy · Scriptures → [the Bible] 圣经 聖經) de (’s 的) jìzǎi (jì·zǎi recorded · writings → [accounts] 记载 記載) ànzhào ({according to} 按照) shíjiān (shí·jiān {(particular) times} · between → [(the concept of) time] 时间 時間) shùnxù (shùn·xù {following of} · order → [order] 顺序 順序) biānpái (biān·pái {to be woven → [to be arranged]} · {to be put in order} 编排 編排).

The Mandarin Learn From the Bible book here uses “shíjiān (shí·jiān {(particular) times} · between → [(the concept of) time] 时间 時間) shùnxù (shùn·xù {following of} · order → [order] 顺序 順序)” to correspond with the English expression “the order in which they occurred”.

Morphemic Breakdown

The “shùn (obeying; following [→ [[is] suiting; smooth; handy; convenient; favourable; agreeable]] 顺 順)” in “shùnxù (shùn·xù {following [of]} · order; sequence [→ [order; sequence | in proper order; in turn]] 顺序 順序)” basically means “obey; follow”, and it can be combined with a variety of other morphemes to produce a variety of meanings. For example, this expression appears in expressions as varied as “shùnfú ({submit to}; obey 顺服 順服)”, “shùnlì (shùn·lì {[is] following → [[is] suiting]} · {[is] favourable} → [[is] smooth; going smoothly | smoothly] 顺利 順利)”, and “shùn’ěr (shùn’·ěr {following → [suiting]} · ear → [pleasing to the ear] 顺耳 順耳).”

As for the “xù (order; sequence | preface | introductory; initial | {arrange in order} 序)” in “shùnxù (shùn·xù {following [of]} · order; sequence [→ [order; sequence | in proper order; in turn]] 顺序 順序)”, in this context it means “order; sequence”. Other expressions that use “xù (order; sequence | preface | introductory; initial | {arrange in order} 序)” include “cìxù (cì·xù occurrence · order; sequence 次序)”, “xùyán (xù·yán introductory · words → [preface; foreword; introduction] 序言 序/敘言)”, and “yìngyòng chéngxù ((yìng·yòng applied · used (instance) → [application] 应用 應用) (chéng·xù {journey → [procedure]} · order; sequence → [(computer) programme] 程序) → [application programme])”.

These morphemes that make up “shùnxù (shùn·xù {following [of]} · order; sequence [→ [order; sequence | in proper order; in turn]] 顺序 順序)” combine to form an expression that literally means a “following of order”, and that effectively means an “order” or “sequence”.

A Simple But Valuable Concept

This “following of order” of listing Bible accounts chronologically from creation onward is a distinctive feature of the Learn From the Bible book. It’s a simple concept, but one that contributes to the Learn From the Bible book being an unusual and beneficial publication to have available. This is particularly true in the Mandarin field, in which, as mentioned above, many people are not as familiar as we may be with the people mentioned in the Bible, what happened to them and when, etc.

For convenience:

The direct link for the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus resource for the Learn From the Bible book is:

The short link for Chinese field language-learning links for the Learn From the Bible 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 Learn From the Bible 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 Experiences History Language Learning Science Technology Theocratic

jídù

jídù ({being jealous [of]}; envying 嫉妒) 👈🏼 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.]

I have long especially liked 1 Corinthians 13. It contains counsel on what really does and doesn’t matter in life, an extensive description and definition of the most important kind of love, and a sublime discussion about the need to become complete, mature, as a person. As these apply to life in general, so too do they apply to our lives as Mandarin field language learners.

As Mandarin field language learners, it can benefit us greatly to consider what we can learn from 1 Corinthians 13, and along the way, we can also consider some of the Mandarin expressions used in that chapter in the current version of the Mandarin New World Translation Bible (nwtsty).

Two Ways About It

This week’s MEotW, “jídù ({being jealous [of]}; envying 嫉妒)”, is used in verse 4 (WOL) of 1 Corinthians 13:

Screenshot of “_jídù_” in 1 Co. 13:4 (nwtsty, CHS+_Pīnyīn_ WOL)

(Dark mode for the Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY (WOL) website, as shown in the above image, can be enabled in the Safari web browser by using the Noir Safari extension. Other web browsers may also have extensions with similar functionality.)

For comparison, here are the current English and Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus renderings of 1 Corinthians 13:4:

English:

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous. It does not brag, does not get puffed up,

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

📖 📄 📘 Ài (love 爱 愛), yǒu (has 有) nàixīn (nài·xīn {being (of/with) enduring} · heart → [patience] 耐心), yòu (also 又) réncí (rén·cí {is kind} 仁慈). Ài (love 爱 愛), bù (not 不) jídù ({is jealous} 嫉妒), bù (not 不) chuīxū (chuī·xū {does puff → [does brag]} · {does sigh → [does praise]} → [does brag] 吹嘘 吹噓), bú (not 不) zìdà (zì·dà {(does consider) self} · {to be big → [to be great]} 自大),

Both of the morphemes in “jídù ({being jealous [of]}; envying 嫉妒)” mean “be jealous of” or “envy”. Interestingly, these morphemes can be reversed to produce “dùjí ({being jealous [of]}; envying 妒嫉)”, which means the same thing as “jídù ({being jealous [of]}; envying 嫉妒)”. In this respect, these expressions are like “fǎlǜ (law 法律)” and “lǜfǎ (law 律法)”. The MEotW post on “fǎlǜ (law 法律)” had this to say about this situation:

But, Why?

If “lǜfǎ (law 律法)” and “fǎlǜ (law 法律)” both mean basically the same thing, why did the world’s Mandarin-speaking population bother to switch the order of “lǜ (law; statute; rule; regulation 律)” and “fǎ (law | method; way; mode | standard; model | {magic arts} | {follow; model after} 法)” in popular usage? Who knows? Appendix A2 of the Mandarin NWT Bible, probably wisely, does not get into the why of it, just mentioning that “fǎlǜ (law 法律)” is now the more common usage. Even if it turns out that there was a reason, it may not be what most would consider a good reason. Sometimes people are just weird, and, speaking as a Chinese person myself, that includes Chinese people—just look at some of the arbitrary ways in which Chinese characters have been designed, that have turned trying to figure out the pronunciations and meanings of unfamiliar Chinese characters into a guessing game.

Speaking of what’s commonplace or popular and why, I am reminded of this quote from William Goldman, who wrote the screenplay for The Princess Bride as well as the screenplays for several other successful, well-known movies:

Nobody knows anything…Not one person in the entire motion picture field knows for a certainty what’s going to work. Every time out it’s a guess

Regarding which Mandarin expression for “be jealous of” is better to use in the Mandarin field, in the Chinese Mandarin (Simplified) version of the Watchtower Online Library (WOL), searching yielded only 6 occurrences of “妒嫉” (“dùjí ({being jealous [of]}; envying 妒嫉)”), occurring between 1960 and 1974 and fitting on a single page, while there were multiple pages of results for “嫉妒” (“jídù ({being jealous [of]}; envying 嫉妒)”), including many occurrences in the current Mandarin New World Translation Study Bible (nwtsty). So, clearly, the organization now uses “jídù ({being jealous [of]}; envying 嫉妒)” regularly, and no longer uses “dùjí ({being jealous [of]}; envying 妒嫉)”.

No Way to Live, or Love

While there may be two ways of saying “being jealous” in Mandarin, being jealous is no way to live, or love. Regarding jealousy, the recent MEotW post on “shíjí (shí·jí ten · {(stair)step [→ [level; rank; grade; class]]} [→ [master/expert level (coll)]] 十级 十級)” said:

Speaking of being an expert, is that a bad thing? Some of those around us, perhaps out of insecurity or jealousy, may seek to “keep us in our place” if we get “uppity”, exhibit “pretensions of grandeur”, and actually try to be good at something, perhaps better at it than they are. (Matthew 13:54–58)…

However, God’s Word…encourages us to actually give Jehovah the best “sacrifice of praise” that we can. (Malachi 1:6–8; Hebrews 11:4; 13:15) So, ignore any insecure or jealous naysayers around you, and as Jesus said, “let your light shine” in the Mandarin field, even at shíjí (shí·jí ten · {(stair)step → [level]} → [expert level (coll)] 十级 十級) if you can, not to glorify yourself, but to glorify our heavenly Father Jehovah.—Matthew 5:16.

Also, the MEotW post on “guīju (guī·ju [([is] following)] {compasses; dividers → [rules; regulations]} · {carpenter’s squares → [rules; regulations]} → [[[is] following] rules; customs; established practices/standards | [[is] following] social etiquette; manners | [is] well-behaved; well-disciplined] 规矩 規矩)” contains the following:

“Strife and Jealousy”

In the New World Translation Bible in the Watchtower Online Library, one of the scriptures linked to 1 Corinthians 13:5 with regard to “indecently” is Romans 13:13:

Let us walk decently as in the daytime, not in wild parties and drunkenness, not in immoral intercourse and brazen conduct, not in strife and jealousy.

Note that among the things that God’s Word lists as being indecent, along with things like drunkenness and sexual immorality, are “strife and jealousy”.

If someone makes an issue of a Mandarin field language learner who, say, uses Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) instead of following tradition and exclusively focusing on characters, is that person not being like those who made an issue of Jesus healing on the Sabbath? Instead of being happy and joyful because of the good that Jesus was doing, those opposers of Jesus were jealous of how “the entire crowd began to rejoice at all the glorious things he did”. (Luke 13:17) Opposers of Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) use today may similarly be jealous of how those who make good use of Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) can accomplish much in Jehovah’s service without having to put the kind of blood, sweat, and tears into learning characters the traditional way that they did. In their tradition-loving eyes, breaking from tradition and using innovative and game-changingly effective new tools like Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) may seem “indecent”, but in God’s eyes, it is the jealousy-motivated strife such ones cause over people doing good in his service that is truly indecent.

In God's organization, our unity is based on God's truth, not on human tradition.

[image or embed]

— tiandi, Links News (@tiandilinksnews.bsky.social) February 2, 2025 at 8:27 AM

Those who are motivated by true Christian love, as described in 1 Corinthians 13, would rejoice over how Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) helps Mandarin field language learners to bear witness to the truth more effectively, instead of considering it “cheating”, since love “rejoices with the truth”. (John 18:37; 1 Corinthians 13:6) Also, those who are motivated by true Christian love would not be jealous of how game-changing tools like Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) help Mandarin field language learners to more easily get more done, since “love is not jealous”. (1 Corinthians 13:4)…

The Needs of the Many, the Needs of the One

Interestingly, the collectivism of worldly Chinese culture may tend to drive people to be jealous, to hold zero-sum beliefs (that one person’s gain must mean another person’s loss), and to “feel bad about themselves when their friends succeed”. In contrast, real Christian love and true empathy move people to “rejoice with those who rejoice”. (Romans 12:15) The MEotW post on “jítǐ zhǔyì ((jí·tǐ gathered; collected · {body [→ [style; form]]} → [collective] 集体 集體) (zhǔ·yì master · meaning → [-ism] 主义 主義) → [collectivism; community spirit])” touched on this:

Self-Identity and Balanced Self-Love

Self-identity is one thing that can particularly be a struggle for those raised in collectivistic societies, since the self is relatatively often neglected in such societies. It’s perhaps not surprising then, that, as mentioned above, in the relatively collectivistic Chinese societies, with their relative paucity, or scarcity, of more healthy ways to build and maintain self-identity, so many have such an unhealthy, obsessive attachment to Chinese characters, as something to desperately hang their neglected self-identities on.

Categories
Culture Science Technology Theocratic

jiéjīng

jiéjīng (jié·jīng {tied (into a knot) → [formed]} · crystal → [crystallized | crystal; crystallization | crystalline] 结晶 結晶) 👈🏼 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.

It’s Crystal Clear

This week’s MEotW, “jiéjīng (jié·jīng {tied (into a knot) → [formed]} · crystal → [crystallized | crystal; crystallization | crystalline] 结晶 結晶)”, occurs in the box at the end of the QUESTION 1 section of the Origin of Life brochure, which section is entitled, in English, “How Did Life Begin?”:

English:

Question: What takes greater faith—to believe that the millions of intricately coordinated parts of a cell arose by chance or to believe that the cell is the product of an intelligent mind?

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

📖 📄 📘 Qǐng (please 请 請) xiǎngxiang (xiǎng·xiang {think about} · {think about} 想想): Xìbāo (Xì·bāo tiny · womb → [cell] 细胞 細胞) de (’s 的) wúshù (wú·shù without · number 无数 無數) bùfen (parts 部分) cuòzōng (cuò·zōng {are interlocked → [are intricate]} · {are combined → [are composite]} → [are intricate] 错综 錯綜)‐fùzá (fù·zá {are turned around → [are compound]} · {are mixed} → [are complex] 复杂 複雜), xiānghù ({with each other} 相互) xiétiáo (xié·tiáo {assisting → [coordinatedly]} · {are regulated → [fit in perfectly]} → [coordinate] 协调 協調), nǐ (you 你) rènwéi (rèn·wéi {do identify} · {(it) to be} (that) 认为 認為) xìbāo (xì·bāo tiny · womb → [cell] 细胞 細胞) shì (is 是) pèngqiǎo (pèng·qiǎo {having bumped into} · {being coincidental} → [by chance] 碰巧) chǎnshēng (chǎn·shēng {given birth to → [produced]} · {given birth to → [caused to exist]} → [brought into being] 产生 產生) de ({’s (thing)} 的), háishi (hái·shi {still more → [or]} · {is (it)} 还是 還是) zhìhuì (zhì·huì wisdom · intelligence → [wisdom] 智慧) de (’s 的) jiéjīng (jié·jīng {tied (into a knot) → [formed]} · crystal → [crystallization] 结晶 結晶) ne ([? ptcl] 呢)? Nǎ (which 哪) yí (one 一) yàng (form → [way] 样 樣) cái ({only then} 才 才/纔) shì (is 是) bùkě (bù·kě (one) not · can → [(one) cannot] 不可) zhìxìn (zhì·xìn place · {believing in} → [believe (usually used in the negative)] 置信) de ({’s (way)} 的) ne ([? ptcl] 呢)?

It’s Really Crystal Clear

The MEotW post on “cuòzōng (cuò·zōng {[is] interlocked and jagged → [[is] intricate]} · {[is] combined → [[is] composite]} → [[is] intricate; complex; tangled] 错综 錯綜)‐fùzá (fù·zá {[is] turned around → [[is] compound; complex]} · {[is] mixed} → [[is] complicated; complex] 复杂 複雜)”, which occurs a bit before this week’s MEotW “jiéjīng (jié·jīng {tied (into a knot) → [formed]} · crystal → [crystallized | crystal; crystallization | crystalline] 结晶 結晶)” in the above-quoted paragraph, contains this sentence:

In “cuòzōng (cuò·zōng {[being] interlocked and jagged → [[being] intricate]} · {[being] combined → [[being] composite]} → [[being] intricate; complex; tangled | (mental) complex (n)] 错综 錯綜)”, “cuò ({[is] alternating; staggered} [→ [[is] wrong; mistaken; incorrect; erroneous | missed | grinding; rubbing | moving to the side | mistake; error; blunder [→ [fault]]]] | {[is] interlocked and jagged} [→ [intricate]] 错 錯)” literally means “interlocked and jagged”, and it effectively means “intricate”.

“Interlocked and jagged” and “intricate” may bring to mind a clockwork mechanism, like this:

Closeup of a clockwork mechanism

To people who see such a clockwork mechanism, it would generally be really crystal clear that such a mechanism is a product of intelligence, and it is interesting to consider how “jiéjīng (jié·jīng {tied (into a knot) → [formed]} · crystal → [crystallized | crystal; crystallization | crystalline] 结晶 結晶)” works as a Mandarin translation for “product”, as it does in the above example from the Origin of Life brochure.

The “jié ({tie [(a knot of)]}; knit; weave [→ [congeal; form; forge; cement | join together; bind; connect; unite | settle; conclude]] | {tying (of a knot)} → [knot | (electrical) junction | node | written guarantee; affidavit; bond] 结 結)” in “jiéjīng (jié·jīng {tied (into a knot) → [formed]} · crystal → [crystallized | crystal; crystallization | crystalline] 结晶 結晶)” literally means “tie (into a knot)”, and in this context it effectively means “form” (used as a verb). (This “jié ({tie [(a knot of)]}; knit; weave [→ [congeal; form; forge; cement | join together; bind; connect; unite | settle; conclude]] | {tying (of a knot)} → [knot | (electrical) junction | node | written guarantee; affidavit; bond] 结 結)” also appears in well-known expressions like “jiéguǒ (jié·guǒ {tied (into a knot) → [formed]} · fruit → [result | as a result] 结果 結果)”, “jiélùn (jié·lùn {tying up → [concluding]} · determining → [conclusion; verdict] 结论 結論)”, and “jiéhūn (jié·hūn {tie (a knot of)} · {marrying → [marriage]} → [marry; get married] 结婚 結婚)”.) The other morpheme “jīng (crystal [→ [clear; brilliant; bright; radiant; glittering; sparkling]] 晶)” means “crystal”. Being put together this way, “jiéjīng (jié·jīng {tied (into a knot) → [formed]} · crystal → [crystallized | crystal; crystallization | crystalline] 结晶 結晶)” on one level of literalness can mean “formed crystal”, and it can effectively mean “crystallization”. This word literally refers to something that has solidified into a crystal, and it can metaphorically refer to “a mental synthesis that becomes fixed or concrete by a process resembling crystal formation”. Similary, a product is something that is produced, that previously was not fixed, concrete, or solid, but that is made to become so, by, for example, intelligence—a crystallization is a product of the process of crystal formation, and a product is a crystallization, a solid result, of the production process.

It’s Really, Really Crystal Clear

If it’s crystal clear that a clockwork mechanism like the one in the image above must have been the product, or crystallization, of intelligence, then what about “the millions of intricately coordinated parts of a cell”? To give us an idea of how some of the parts of a cell function, here is a video I came across that uses computer animation to help us visualize how tiny molecular machines (discussed in the MEotW post on “fēnzǐ jùhé‐tǐ ((fēn·zǐ {divided (off)} · {small and hard thing} → [molecular] 分子) (jù·hé assembled · {closed → [combined]} → [polymerized] 聚合)‐(tǐ body 体 體/体/躰) → [(protein) molecular machine])”) inside our cells copy DNA:

Surely, it’s really, really crystal clear that the tiny molecular machines inside our cells must have been, even more so than any clockwork mechanism, the product, or crystallization, of intelligent design! For example, human-made clockwork mechanisms cannot make copies of themselves, but the molecular machines in our cells can, while being way smaller and more intricate! That is solid evidence that our cells and the molecular machines in them were produced by a higher intelligence than that of humans (a superintelligence, in the terminology of the artificial intelligence field), rather than some subhuman force like mindless blind chance.

The Real Thing Is Even Better

If one came across a wooden doll like Pinocchio that looks like a boy, would that person assume that that wooden doll somehow came into being by chance? Hardly anyone would make that assumption—it would be crystal clear that someone must have made that doll. In the story of Pinocchio, that someone who made Pinocchio was named Geppetto. (By the way, according to the Chinese Wikipedia page for Pinocchio, in Mandarin, “Pinocchio” is “Pǐnuòcáo (Pinocchio 匹诺曹 匹諾曹)”, and “Geppetto” is “Jiépèituō (Geppetto 杰佩托 傑/杰佩/珮托/託)”.)

It would have been dismissively insulting to Geppetto to suggest that all the skill, care, and craftsmanship that he put into making Pinocchio was unnecessary, and that Pinocchio just somehow came into existence from a pile of wood scraps without any help from Geppetto. Similarly, people are dismissively insulting Jehovah God when they suggest that real boys (and girls, and men, and women, and plants, and animals, etc.) just somehow evolved, and did not need any of Jehovah’s skill, care, and craftsmanship to come into existence.

Screenshot of Pinocchio from the trailer for the film Pinocchio (1940).

The real thing is even better!

Let us, then, not hesitate to make good use of the Origin of Life brochure in the Mandarin field, to help ensure that our loving and wise Creator gets the praise and honour he deserves in this field in which many were taught that there is no Creator.—Revelation 4:11.

For convenience:

The direct link for the current-generation Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus 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 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 web resource as time allows.