Category: Technology

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Science Technology Theocratic

yǎnshēng

yǎnshēng (yǎn·shēng {spread [out]}; develop; amplify; overflow; {spill over} · {give birth/life to}; grow → [derive | develop; evolve; produce; give rise to] 衍生) ← 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.

“The Product of Random, Undirected Events?”

This week’s MEotW, which appears in the section of the Mandarin Was Life Created? brochure entitled “Jiǎnjiè (Jiǎn·jiè {Simple → [Brief]} · {Being Situated Between → [Introduction]} 简介 簡介)” (“Introduction”), is “yǎnshēng (yǎn·shēng {spread [out]}; develop; amplify; overflow; {spill over} · {give birth/life to}; grow → [derive | develop; evolve; produce; give rise to] 衍生)”:

English:

Was life created, or are you purely the product of random, undirected events?

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

📖 📄 📘 Shēngmìng (life 生命) láizì (lái·zì came · from 来自 來自) chuàngzào (chuàng·zào initiating · {making, creating} → [creating] 创造 創造) ma ([? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)? Háishi (Hái·shi {still more → [or]} · {is (it a)} 还是 還是) chúncuì ({being pure} → [purely] 纯粹 純粹) yóu ({due to} 由/繇) yìxiē (yì·xiē one · {indefinite number of} → [some] 一些) suíjī (suí·jī {coming along with} · chance → [random] 随机 隨機), bú (not 不) shòu ({having received} 受) zhǐhuī (zhǐ·huī {(pointing with) finger → [pointing]} · {spraying → [directing]} → [directing] 指挥 指揮) de (’s 的) shìjiàn (shì·jiàn events · [mw] 事件) yǎnshēng (yǎn·shēng {having been spilled over} · {having been given birth to} → [having been produced] 衍生) chulai (chu·lai out · {to come} 出来 出來) de ({’s (thing)} 的) ne ([? ptcl] 呢)?

As can be seen from the above quotes, the Mandarin Was Life Created? brochure uses “yǎnshēng (yǎn·shēng {spread [out]}; develop; amplify; overflow; {spill over} · {give birth/life to}; grow → [derive | develop; evolve; produce; give rise to] 衍生)” to effectively mean “having been produced”.

Did Life Just Randomly “Spill Over” into Existence?

The “yǎn ({spread [out]}; develop; amplify; overflow; {spill over} [→ [[is] redundant; [is] superfluous]] 衍)” in “yǎnshēng (yǎn·shēng {spread [out]}; develop; amplify; overflow; {spill over} · {give birth/life to}; grow → [derive | develop; evolve; produce; give rise to] 衍生)” can mean “overflow” or “spill over”, so it well gives the impression of something that happens as a result of random, undirected processes, when there is not an intelligent person paying attention and directing things.

For comparison, consider three expressions that the Pleco app’s built-in dictionary uses as examples of expressions that include “yǎn ({spread [out]}; develop; amplify; overflow; {spill over} [→ [[is] redundant; [is] superfluous]] 衍)”:

  • yǎnjìn (yǎn·jìn {spread [out]}; develop; amplify; overflow; {spill over} · advance → [evolve] 衍进 衍進)
  • yǎnbiàn (yǎn·biàn {spread [out]}; develop; amplify; overflow; {spill over} · change → [develop; evolve] | {spreading [out]}; developing; amplifying; overflowing; {spilling over} · changing → [transformation; development; evolution; progressive change] 衍变 衍變)
  • yǎnwén (yǎn·wén {spread [out]; overflowed; spilled over → [redundant; superfluous]} · writing → [duplication/redundancy due to misprinting or miscopying] 衍文)

So, since “yǎnshēng (yǎn·shēng {spread [out]}; develop; amplify; overflow; {spill over} · {give birth/life to}; grow → [derive | develop; evolve; produce; give rise to] 衍生)” accurately expresses the randomness and passiveness of how supporters of evolution say life came to be, we should not use it when referring to how our Creator actually brought life into existence—with loving care and heaps of active intelligent direction.

For convenience:

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

The short link for Chinese field language-learning links for the Was Life Created? brochure is:

More Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) and Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus web material based on the Mandarin Was Life Created? brochure will be made available in the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus web resource as time allows.

Categories
Culture Experiences History Language Learning Science Technology Theocratic

jiànshi

jiànshi (jiàn·shi [(getting to be)] {seeing → [meeting with; being exposed to]} · knowing [→ [[widening/enriching] knowledge/experience/sensibleness/insight]] 见识 見識) ← 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.

“I Will Make Them Know”

This week’s MEotW, “jiànshi (jiàn·shi [(getting to be)] {seeing → [meeting with; being exposed to]} · knowing [→ [[widening/enriching] knowledge/experience/sensibleness/insight]] 见识 見識)”, appears in the current Mandarin version of the New World Translation Bible in Jeremiah 16:21, which is quoted in Lesson 19 of the Mandarin Learn From the Bible book (WOL), entitled “Tóu (Head → [First] 头 頭) Sān (Three 三) Chǎng ([mw for recreational, sports, or other activities] 场 場/塲) Zāiyāng (Calamities → [Plagues] 灾殃 災殃)” (“The First Three Plagues”):

English:

“So I will make them know,
At this time I will make them know my power and my might,
And they will have to know that my name is Jehovah.”

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

📖 📄 📘 “Suǒyǐ (Suǒ·yǐ {that which} · {is the reason} → [so] 所以) wǒ (I 我) yào (will 要) ràng (make 让 讓) tāmen (tā·men him/her · [pl] → [them] 他们 他們) zhīdào (zhī·dào know · {(the) way (of it)} → [know] 知道),
Zhè (this 这 這) yí (one 一) cì (time 次), wǒ (I 我) yào (will 要) ràng (make 让 讓) tāmen (tā·men him/her · [pl] → [them] 他们 他們)
Jiànshi (Jiàn·shi {see → [be exposed to]} · know 见识 見識) wǒ de ((wǒ me 我) (de ’s 的) → [my]) dà (big → [great] 大)‐néng (ability 能)‐dà (big → [great] 大)‐lì (power 力),
Tāmen (Tā·men he/she · [pl] → [they] 他们 他們) jiù (then 就) zhīdào (zhī·dào {will know} · {(the) way (of)} → [will know] 知道)
Wǒ de ((Wǒ me 我) (de ’s 的) → [my]) míngzi (míng·zi name · word → [name] 名字) shì (is 是) Yēhéhuá (Jehovah 耶和华 耶和華).”

The “jiàn (see [→ [meet with; be exposed to]] | seeing → [view (opinion)] 见 見)” in “jiànshi (jiàn·shi [(getting to be)] {seeing → [meeting with; being exposed to]} · knowing [→ [[widening/enriching] knowledge/experience/sensibleness/insight]] 见识 見識)” is a well-know expression that basically means “see”. It some contexts, it can effectively mean “be exposed to”. The other morpheme in “jiànshi (jiàn·shi [(getting to be)] {seeing → [meeting with; being exposed to]} · knowing [→ [[widening/enriching] knowledge/experience/sensibleness/insight]] 见识 見識)” also appears in the well-known expression “rènshi (rèn·shi [(get)] {to recognize} · {to know} 认识 認識)”, and it means “know”. In the context of Jeremiah 16:21, it seems that “jiànshi (jiàn·shi [(getting to be)] {seeing → [meeting with; being exposed to]} · knowing [→ [[widening/enriching] knowledge/experience/sensibleness/insight]] 见识 見識)” effectively means “be exposed to, know”.

Imaginary vs. Real Power

The verse just before Jeremiah 16:21 tells us that the false gods that humans make for themselves were at issue:

Can a man make gods for himself
When they are not really gods?

In Moses time, the gods of the Egyptians were powerful in the imaginations of the Egyptian people, but through the plagues that he brought upon the Egyptians, Jehovah showed that actually, he was powerful in reality.

As Mandarin field language learners, we are exposed to the worldly admonition to devote ourselves to Chinese characters, those intricate visible avatars of Chinese language and culture. However, modern linguistics (language science), along with God’s Word the Bible, expose Chinese characters as false linguistic “gods”, mere secondary players at best, compared to speech, which is the true primary aspect of any human language.—1 Corinthians 14:8–11.

Jehovah’s Powerful Gift of Speech

Let us in a positive way get to know Jehovah’s power, including the power he put into his creations, such as the gift of speech. In contrast, writing is merely a human invention that’s based on Jehovah’s gift of speech:

Lauren: I think that is one of the things that makes it really hard for people who grow up in highly literate, highly educated societies to tease writing and reading apart from language. But actually, when you step back, you realise that writing is actually super weird.

Gretchen: It’s so weird! It’s this interesting – it really is a technology. It’s a thing you do on top of language to do stuff with language, but it’s not the language itself. There are thousands and possibly millions of languages that have never been written down in the history of humanity. We have no idea. We’ve never met a society of humans, or heard of a society of humans, without language. But those are spoken and signed languages, which are just kind of there. Writing, by contrast, was invented somewhere between 3 and 4 times in the history of humanity.

Human inventors sometimes have the humility to admit that they were standing on the shoulders of giants. Well, Jehovah, who created human speech, is indeed a giant, upon whose shoulders the puny human inventors of writing were standing!

As an example of the power of Jehovah’s gift of speech, consider what Matthew 7:28 says about how powerfully Jesus spoke to those he taught in his ministry:

When Jesus finished these sayings, the effect was that the crowds were astounded at his way of teaching,

Yes, while the human-invented Chinese characters have captured the imaginations of many people, and while these people imagine characters to be powerful, what most powerfully praises Jehovah and moves people’s hearts in reality is Jehovah’s gift of speech, when wielded skilfully as Jesus wielded it.

Purposefully Focusing on Speech

How can we similarly speak powerfully in Mandarin to those we meet in the Mandarin field? We can be helped to directly and purposefully reach this goal, to personally jiànshi (jiàn·shi {see → [be exposed to]} · know 见识 見識) or know the power of Jehovah’s gift of speech, if we focus on developing the invisible but powerful skill of speaking well in Mandarin, rather than allowing ourselves to fall for the alluring but silencing diversion of the visible Chinese characters.

(Of course, the current reality is that some spiritual information is still only available in characters, although Jehovah’s organization has been making more and more material available with Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音). From my experience, I recommend in general that Mandarin field language learners use Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) when they can, and that they just use characters when they have to.)

While as a writing system, characters do ultimately represent Mandarin speech, they do so in such an unnecessarily complex and hard-to-deal-with way that the characters end up actually stifling and stultifying Mandarin speech. In contrast, unlike the Chinese characters that demand attention for themselves so that people can admire—and be able to cope with—their complexity and fancy visual designs, Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) simply and directly helps us to actually focus on the Mandarin manifestation of Jehovah’s powerful gift of speech, and it helps us without distraction to develop our ability to use it well.

So, don’t just privately study Chinese characters. Listen closely to the Mandarin speech of those who speak it well. Try to get a sense of the sound and “feel” of good spoken Mandarin. Practise speaking Mandarin out loud when you can. (It may feel strange and uncomfortable at first, but if you stick with it, you’ll get used to it.) Don’t ignore or neglect Mandarin tones, which are as essential to Mandarin as vowels sounds are to English. Ask for and accept advice from those who speak Mandarin well about how to improve your spoken Mandarin. Don’t let yourself be intimidated by character snobs and traditionalists into not using Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音). Instead, make good use of this modern alphabetic full writing system that lets you focus on Mandarin speech itself. As you take purposeful and practical steps such as these, you will be helped to in the Mandarin field imitate Jesus’ way of using Jehovah’s powerful gift of speech.

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 History Language Learning Science Technology Theocratic

zìkuā

zìkuā (zì·kuā {[(about)] self} · {exaggerate; overstate; boast; brag | praise; compliment} 自夸 自誇) ← 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).

“…So That I May Boast”

This week’s MEotW, “zìkuā (zì·kuā {[(about)] self} · {exaggerate; overstate; boast; brag | praise; compliment} 自夸 自誇)”, is used in verse 3 (WOL, Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus) of 1 Corinthians 13:

Screenshot of “_zìkuā_” in 1 Co. 13:3 (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.)

In “zìkuā (zì·kuā {[(about)] self} · {exaggerate; overstate; boast; brag | praise; compliment} 自夸 自誇)”, “zì (self | from; since 自)” can mean “(about) self”. (In other expressions, such as “zìjǐ (self[’s] 自己)” or “zìyóu (zì·yóu self-·determining → [free | freedom] 自由)”, it just means “self”.) As for “kuā ({exaggerate; overstate; boast; brag | praise; compliment} 夸 誇/夸)”, it means “exaggerate; overstate; boast; brag” or “praise; compliment”. So, “zìkuā (zì·kuā {[(about)] self} · {exaggerate; overstate; boast; brag | praise; compliment} 自夸 自誇)” can effectively mean “boast/brag/etc. about oneself”.

Below are English and Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus renditions showing how “zìkuā (zì·kuā {[(about)] self} · {exaggerate; overstate; boast; brag | praise; compliment} 自夸 自誇)” is used in 1 Corinthians 13:3 in the current version of the Mandarin NWT Bible to correspond to “boast”, which is used in that verse in the current version of the English NWT Bible:

English:

And if I give all my belongings to feed others, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I do not benefit at all.

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Wǒ (I 我) jiùsuàn (jiù·suàn {even if} · {figuring → [considering]} 就算) biànmài (biàn·mài changing · sell → [sell off] 变卖 變賣) yíqiè (yí·qiè {one (whole)} · {corresponding (set of)} → [all] 一切) cáiwù (cái·wù wealth · things → [belongings] 财物 財物), ràng ({to allow} 让 讓) rén (people 人) yǒu ({to have} 有) shíwù (shí·wù eating · matter → [food] 食物) chī ({to eat} 吃 吃/喫), hái (also 还 還) shěshēn (shě·shēn {give up} · {(my) body} 舍身 捨身) juānqū (juān·qū {relinquish → [contribute]} · {(my) human body} 捐躯 捐軀), yǐcǐ (yǐ·cǐ using · this 以此) zìkuā (zì·kuā {(about) self} · {to boast} 自夸 自誇), què (but 却 卻) méiyǒu (méi·yǒu not · {do have} 没有 沒有) ài (love 爱 愛), zhè (this 这 這) duì (towards → [to] 对 對) wǒ (me 我) yě (even 也) háowú (háo·wú {(even) a fine hair (of)} · {does not have} → [does not have even a little] 毫无 毫無) yìchu (yì·chu beneficial · place → [benefit] 益处 益處).

“Your Boasting Is Not Good”

Jehovah designed us, including specific parts of our bodies, such that the primary way we use language to communicate is with speech. (1 Corinthians 14:8–11) In contrast, writing is a human-invented technology, useful in some ways, but secondary at best compared to the gift of speech that Jehovah gave us.

So, if you are boasting, whether out loud or to yourself in your heart, about your knowledge of Chinese characters, which are particularly deeply problematic products of a worldly human culture, while neglecting to praise and appreciate Jehovah’s gift of speech, is it not so that, as 1 Corinthians 5:6 says, “your boasting is not good”? This is especially so because, as 1 John 2:15–17 tells us, we should “not love either the world or the things in the world”.

That scripture also warns us about “the desire of the eyes”. Chinese characters certainly have visually intricate designs that dazzle the eyes of many. The thing is, though, that language is not primarily about what’s visible to the eye. Rather, speech, the actual primary aspect of human language, is something that’s invisible to the eye. If we were to prioritize or even glamourize fancy visible writing over invisible speech that is actually what really matters language-wise, that could be considered linguistic idolatry—literal idolatry similarly involves worshipping visible idols of false gods rather than properly only worshipping the invisible true God.

Sure, in some situations characters are still the only form in which certain spiritually relevant information is written, so in such situations we must use characters to access and use that information in Jehovah’s service. However, that doesn’t mean that we need to love the characters for their own sake, or boast about our knowledge of them. Indeed, it is entirely appropriate to be dismayed by how the unnecessarily extraordinarily complex Chinese characters can make accessing and using important spiritual information much harder than necessary! While it’s still true that Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) is not yet everywhere that characters are in the Mandarin field, we should ask ourselves why Jehovah’s organization—which we understand to be directed by Jehovah and Jesus—has over time been making Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) available in more and more places that used to be characters-only.

Similarly, for a long time, the only Bibles available in England were ones written in Latin. While it was not totally impossible for people who lived in England at that time to learn Latin so as to be able to read and understand the Bible for themselves, it was very difficult for most, and practically impossible for many. (Many today similarly find Chinese characters very difficult, or even practically impossible, to deal with, and so they never join a Chinese field, or they may feel forced to leave after a time even if they do join a Chinese field.) In that not-so-merry old England, a privileged few may have boasted about their knowledge of Latin, but Jehovah’s organization has expressed clearly how it views that dark time.

“Glory from One Another”

Something to consider about boasting about characters is: Whom is one doing such boasting trying to impress? Is it Jehovah God? Is Jehovah really impressed by deep worldly knowledge of the culture of the proudly named “Zhōngguó (Zhōng·guó Central · Nation → [China] 中国 中國)” (“Central Kingdom”) that he will soon destroy and replace with his own Kingdom? (Daniel 2:44) Really, one who boasts about his knowledge of characters is generally boasting before other humans, is that not so? That being the case, such a one should take care to avoid becoming like the ones to whom Jesus directed the words at John 5:41–44:

I do not accept glory from men, but I well know that you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in the name of my Father, but you do not receive me. If someone else came in his own name, you would receive that one. How can you believe, when you are accepting glory from one another and you are not seeking the glory that is from the only God?

Jesus’ words above join the words at 1 Corinthians 13:3 to tell us that if certain ones do things so that they may boast, so that they may receive “glory from men”, “glory from one another”, such ones “do not have the love of God” in them, and so, they “do not benefit at all”.

“Boast in Jehovah”

Especially as ones who are dedicated to Jehovah God, we should focus on what brings glory to him, and on what brings us “the glory that is from the only God”. We should not seek the fading glories of some worldly human culture, even if that culture is as old and storied—from a human viewpoint, at least—as Chinese culture is. (To Jehovah, for whom ‘a thousand years is as one day’, Chinese civilization has only been around for a few days.—2 Peter 3:8.)

As 1 Corinthians 1:26–31 says, we should boast in Jehovah, not in needlessly and self-indulgently complex knowledge relating to a mere worldly human culture:

For you see his calling of you, brothers, that there are not many wise in a fleshly way, not many powerful, not many of noble birth, but God chose the foolish things of the world to put the wise men to shame; and God chose the weak things of the world to put the strong things to shame; and God chose the insignificant things of the world and the things looked down on, the things that are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, so that no one might boast in the sight of God. But it is due to him that you are in union with Christ Jesus, who has become to us wisdom from God, also righteousness and sanctification and release by ransom, so that it may be just as it is written: “The one who boasts, let him boast in Jehovah.”