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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.

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Culture History Language Learning Science Technology Theocratic

zìdà

zìdà (zì·dà {(consider) self} · {to be big → [to be great]} 自大) 👈🏼 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).

How Do We View Ourselves?

This week’s MEotW, “zìdà (zì·dà {(consider) self} · {to be big → [to be great]} 自大)”, is used in verse 4 (WOL) of 1 Corinthians 13:

Screenshot of “_zìdà_” 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),

The individual morphemes in “zìdà (zì·dà {(consider) self} · {to be big → [to be great]} 自大)”, which are relatively simple and well-known, literally mean “self” and “big”. When these morphemes are put together in “zìdà (zì·dà {(consider) self} · {to be big → [to be great]} 自大)”, the resulting expression effectively means “(consider) self to be great”, corresponding, in 1 Corinthians 13:4 in the current English and Mandarin versions of the New World Translation Bible, with the English expression “puffed up”.

A Nation That Calls Itself “Central Nation”

As discussed in the MEotW post on “Zhōngguó (Zhōng·guó Central · Nation → [China | Chinese] 中国 中國)”, “the people of China have long viewed their nation as central to the world that they knew, or cared most about, to the point that ‘China was the only culture to use the concept for its name’ ”:

The English translation of Zhongyuan as the “Middle Kingdom” entered European languages through the Portuguese in the 16th century and became popular in the mid-19th century. By the mid-20th century, the term was thoroughly entrenched in the English language, reflecting the Western view of China as the inward-looking Middle Kingdom, or more accurately, the Central Kingdom or Central State. Endymion Wilkinson points out that the Chinese were not unique in thinking of their country as central, although China was the only culture to use the concept for its name.[source]

This cultural trait is such a thing that there are several words and concepts related to it, including “Sinocentrism”.

While many worldly Chinese people think nothing of calling their nation “Central Nation”, or think that this is only natural considering China’s history, many cultures consider calling oneself the centre of the world to be puffed up, overly and offputtingly self-important. As a Chinese person, I find this proud, self-centred aspect of worldly Chinese culture to be regrettable. Note that this characteristic should not be taken as a stereotype to be applied to all individual Chinese people, since each individual is different. However, it does tell us something about part of the true nature of worldly Chinese culture.

The Mark of B Players and Bozos

When it comes to writing systems, the zìdà (zì·dà {(consider) selves} · {to be big → [to be great]} 自大) attitudes of many people in China unfortunately motivated them to act as B players, as described by Steve Jobs. The MEotW post on “gāo’ào (gāo’·ào {[is] (considering self to be of) high (status)} · {[is] proud; haughty; arrogant} 高傲)” discusses this:

The below quote was recently added to the article “Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Was Plan A”:

This tendency of many to prioritize their own pride and position over what’s really better for everyone is also described in this quote from Guy Kawasaki about something he learned from Steve Jobs:

A players hire A+ players. Actually, Steve believed that A players hire A players—that is people who are as good as they are. I refined this slightly—my theory is that A players hire people even better than themselves. It’s clear, though, that B players hire C players so they can feel superior to them, and C players hire D players. If you start hiring B players, expect what Steve called “the bozo explosion” to happen in your organization.

Yes, Pīnyīn was Plan A, but China unfortunately let the proud, self-serving B players have their way.

Note that what makes someone a B player or worse is not necessarily that person’s level of intelligence, skill, talent, etc. What characterizes B players or worse is their proud, self-serving rejection of others who are better in some way, their need to feel superior to others.

Yes, rather than embracing Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) as the way forward for the benefit of all, as it deserves to be embraced based on its technical merits, many worldly Chinese people showed a zìdà (zì·dà {(consider) selves} · {to be big → [to be great]} 自大) attitude and stuck with the characters that they had personally invested heavily in, and that brought them status and glory in the status quo.

Jesus Loves Those Who Are Humble Like Children

At Luke 22:25, 26, Jesus himself explained what it takes for one to be viewed by him and his Father as a truly great A player, and not an inferior B player:

But he said to them: “The kings of the nations lord it over them, and those having authority over them are called Benefactors. You, though, are not to be that way. But let the one who is the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the one taking the lead as the one ministering.

Also, Luke 9:46–48 says this about Jesus:

Then a dispute arose among them about which one of them was the greatest. Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a young child, stood him beside him, and said to them: “Whoever receives this young child on the basis of my name receives me also; and whoever receives me also receives the One who sent me. For the one who conducts himself as a lesser one among all of you is the one who is great.”

Chinese character chauvinists often say that Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) is for children. Well, according to Jesus’ words above, that would be fine with him, even if that were true! When this matter is examined in the light of first principles of linguistics (language science), though, it becomes obvious that it’s categorically not true that Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) is just for children—Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) works fine for people of all ages as a full writing system for Modern Standard Mandarin, including its most complex and advanced expressions. So, anything that can be spoken and understood in Modern Standard Mandarin can be written and understood in Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音), regardless of the ages of those involved.

As Mandarin field language learners who are dedicated to, and who glorify, the true God Jehovah, let us not unthinkingly adopt the thinking and attitudes of proud, self-centred, self-glorifying worldly people, regardless of what human nation they come from. Remember, we are here in the Mandarin field, not to be gullible, unquestioningly admiring tourists (email me for login information, and include information on who referred you and/or what group/cong. you are in), but to be missionaries and spiritual rescue workers in this world that Jehovah God views as a spiritual disaster area.

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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.