Category: Theocratic

Categories
Language Learning Science Technology Theocratic

lìjīng

lìjīng (lì·jīng {go through}; experience; undergo · {pass through; undergo; experience [→ [bear; endure]]} 历经 歷經) ← Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

One of the unique features of Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus material at this time is Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus video transcripts. These should help us Mandarin field language learners to analyze and understand the Mandarin speech used in the many videos referenced in the Mandarin Enjoy Life Forever! book, for example. This in turn should help us make more effective use of these videos while participating in Mandarin Bible discussions using this book. Hopefully in the future, Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus transcripts will also be available for other publications that use videos.

lff Lesson 01 - Video Transcripts - Enjoy Life Forever! Bk. (Pīnyīn Plus, Web)

The Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus transcript for the video used in lesson 04 point 5 of the Mandarin Enjoy Life Forever! book contains the expression “lìjīng (lì·jīng {go through}; experience; undergo · {pass through; undergo; experience [→ [bear; endure]]} 历经 歷經)”, which is this week’s MEotW:

51
00:03:12,542 → 00:03:14,344
📖 📄 📘 Lìjīng (Lì·jīng {having gone through} · {having experienced → [having endured]} 历经 歷經) qiānxīn‐wànkǔ ((qiān·xīn {a thousand} · {(things) being hot in taste → [sufferings]} 千辛)‐(wàn·kǔ {ten thousand} · {(things) being bitter → [hardships]} 万苦 萬苦) → [innumerable trials and tribulations (an interweaving of qiānwàn and xīnkǔ)]),

“Lìjīng (Lì·jīng {go through}; experience; undergo · {pass through; undergo; experience [→ [bear; endure]]} 历经 歷經)” is noteworthy especially because of the meanings of the morphemes that make it up, and because of some of the other expressions that these morphemes are used in.

Mirrors, Histories, and Calendars

First, note that when written in Chinese characters, “lìjīng (lì·jīng {go through}; experience; undergo · {pass through; undergo; experience [→ [bear; endure]]} 历经 歷經)” (历经) is an anadrome (a word which is a different word spelled backwards, its mirror image, if you will) of “jīnglì (jīng·lì {pass/go through}; undergo; experience · {experience (v)} | {passed/gone through; undergone; experienced (thing)} · {experience (n)} → [experience (n)] 经历 經歷)” (经历), which in its verb form seems to mean basically the same thing as “lìjīng (lì·jīng {go through}; experience; undergo · {pass through; undergo; experience [→ [bear; endure]]} 历经 歷經)”. (A “jīnglì (jīng·lì {experienced (thing)} · {experience (n)} → [experience (n)] 经历 經歷)” (noun) is an “experience”, but in contrast, it seems that “lìjīng (lì·jīng {go through}; experience; undergo · {pass through; undergo; experience [→ [bear; endure]]} 历经 歷經)” is not used as a noun.)

Interestingly, the “lì ({pass/go through}; experience; undergo | {experienced (thing[s])} → [experience[s]; record; history] | experienced → [all previous] | calendar 历 歷)” in “lìjīng (lì·jīng {go through}; experience; undergo · {pass through; undergo; experience [→ [bear; endure]]} 历经 歷經)” is also used in “lìshǐ (lì·shǐ {experienced (things) → [history; record[s]} · history → [history; record[s]] 历史 歷史)”, and in “Lìdàizhì Shàng ((Lì·dài·zhì {Experienced → [All Previous]} · {Replacings → [Generations]} · Records 历代志 歷代志) (Shàng Upper 上) → [1 Chronicles])” and “Lìdàizhì Xià ((Lì·dài·zhì {Experienced → [All Previous]} · {Replacings → [Generations]} · Records 历代志 歷代志) (Xià Lower 下) → [2 Chronicles])”.

In its meaning as “calendar”, this “lì ({pass/go through}; experience; undergo | {experienced (thing[s])} → [experience[s]; record; history] | experienced → [all previous] | calendar 历 歷)” also appears in, for example, “gōnglì (gōng·lì {common → [Gregorian]} · calendar 公历 公曆)”, meaning “Gregorian calendar”. Connected to this, the Referenced Theo. Expressions (RTE) resource has an interesting entry on “Gōnglì (Gōng·lì {Common → [Gregorian]} · Calendar 公历 公曆) Jìyuán (Jì·yuán Era · Unit → [Era] 纪元 紀元)”:

common era; wtl09 index sync. Lit. “Gregorian-calendar beginning-of-era”. Often abbreviated to 公元 gōngyuán (see 2001 NWT’s table of books). Note that in Chinese you put 公元 and 公元前 BEFORE the year number, not after it as in English. E.g. 公元29年 = 29C.E.

Warp, Weft, and Scriptures

The “jīng ({pass through; undergo; experience [→ [bear; endure]]} | scripture; canon; classics | constant; regular | {warp (textiles)} [→ [longitude]] 经 經)” in “lìjīng (lì·jīng {go through}; experience; undergo · {pass through; undergo; experience [→ [bear; endure]]} 历经 歷經)” also appears in some noteworthy expressions. Since it can mean “pass through; undergo; experience”, it’s no surprise that “jīng ({pass through; undergo; experience [→ [bear; endure]]} | scripture; canon; classics | constant; regular | {warp (textiles)} [→ [longitude]] 经 經)” appears in “jīngguò (jīng·guò {pass through} · pass; cross [→ [go through; undergo]] 经过 經過)” and in “jīngyàn (jīng·yàn {having passed through} · testing → [experience] 经验 經驗)”. (Jīngyàn (Jīng·yàn {having passed through} · testing → [experience] 经验 經驗) (experience) is what one gains after going through jīnglì (jīng·lì {experienced (things)} · experiences → [experiences] 经历 經歷) (experiences), although an experience can also be called a jīngyàn (jīng·yàn {having passed through} · testing → [experience] 经验 經驗).)

“Jīng ({pass through; undergo; experience [→ [bear; endure]]} | scripture; canon; classics | constant; regular | {warp (textiles)} [→ [longitude]] 经 經)” also has a meaning—possibly its root meaning—of “warp”, a term from weaving. As summarized by Wikipedia:

Warp and weft are the two basic components used in weaving to turn thread or yarn into fabric. The lengthwise or longitudinal warp yarns are held stationary in tension on a frame or loom while the transverse weft (sometimes woof) is drawn through and inserted over and under the warp.[source]

Thus, in the picture below, the warp is the threads that are mounted on the loom, that go up and down, and the weft is the threads that go left and right.

Diagram of a loom, in a Chinese museum
Public Domain Dedication (CC0) Some rights reserved by Gary Lee Todd, Ph.D.

Note that the quote above from Wikipedia calls the warp the longitudinal threads. Mandarin takes this comparison to the place of actually using “jīng ({pass through; undergo; experience [→ [bear; endure]]} | scripture; canon; classics | constant; regular | {warp (textiles)} [→ [longitude]] 经 經)” to also mean “longitude”, as used in geography. So, “jīngwěi (jīng·wěi {warp (textiles) [→ [longitude]]} · {weft; woof [→ [latitude]]} [→ [logical planning; plan; orderliness | situation; state of affairs | manage; administer]] 经纬 經緯)”, which means “warp and weft” in weaving, also means “longitude and latitude” in geography.

Of course, as students of the Bible, we Mandarin field language learners should also be aware that the “jīng ({pass through; undergo; experience [→ [bear; endure]]} | scripture; canon; classics | constant; regular | {warp (textiles)} [→ [longitude]] 经 經)” in “lìjīng (lì·jīng {go through}; experience; undergo · {pass through; undergo; experience [→ [bear; endure]]} 历经 歷經)” can mean “scripture”. So, it appears in expressions that we see and hear a lot, like “Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng (the) Holy · Scriptures → [the Bible] 圣经 聖經)”, “jīngwén (jīng·wén scripture · writing → [scripture] 经文 經文)”, and jīngjuàn (jīng·juàn scripture · volume [→ [Bible book]] 经卷 經卷).

For convenience:

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

Categories
Current Events Theocratic

shìjiè mòrì

shìjiè (shì·jiè {generation → [world]} · extent’s → [world’s] 世界)
mòrì (mò·rì end · {sun → [day]} 末日) ← Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

[Notes: Tap/click on a Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) expression to reveal its “flashcard”; tap/click on a “flashcard” or its Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · 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.]

At the time of this writing, jw.org was featuring the article “Politicians Warn of Armageddon—What Does the Bible Say?”. Where the English version of this article uses the word “Armageddon”, the Mandarin version often uses this week’s MEotW, “shìjiè (shì·jiè {generation → [world]} · extent’s → [world’s] 世界) mòrì (mò·rì end · {sun → [day]} 末日)” (which basically means “the end of the world”), with the first occurrence of “Hāmǐjíduōdùn (Armageddon 哈米吉多顿 哈米吉多頓)”, the direct Mandarin translation of “Armageddon”, occurring in parentheses after an occurrence of “shìjiè (shì·jiè {generation → [world]} · extent’s → [world’s] 世界) mòrì (mò·rì end · {sun → [day]} 末日)”.

This shows that the expression “Hāmǐjíduōdùn (Armageddon 哈米吉多顿 哈米吉多頓)” is not considered by the organization to be commonly known by householders in the Mandarin field. The English word “Armageddon”, which refers to something mentioned in the Bible, may be relatively well known in the English-speaking world, but compared to the English-speaking world, the Mandarin-speaking world is significantly less familiar with the Bible and the things mentioned in it.—Revelation 16:14, 16.

[Not taking for granted that Mandarin-speaking people are familiar with the Bible includes not taking for granted that they are familiar with Bible characters and Bible stories. In this regard, some publishers find it helpful to refer their Mandarin-speaking Bible students to publications like the Learn From the Bible (lfb) book. (Mandarin-learning publishers may find it helpful to follow along with the resources at the following links: official CHS+Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) 🔗; unofficial Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus 🔗).]

Related Expressions

The “shì (generation [→ [life; lifetime | world | age; era; epoch]] 世)” in “shìjiè (shì·jiè {generation → [world]} · extent → [world] 世界)” has an original meaning of “generation”, from which is often derived the meaning “world”, since the current generation of people makes up the current world of people. “Dài ({take the place of}; replace; subsitute | replacing; substituting → [acting; substitute | generation [→ [period; era; age]]] 代)”, a past MEotW, is also used to mean “generation”. So, it is no surprise that “shìdài (shì·dài generation · {replacing → [generation]} [→ [generation | generation after generation | period; epoch; era; age]] 世代)”, which could mean “generation”, is a thing. “Shì (generation [→ [life; lifetime | world | age; era; epoch]] 世)” also occurs in past MEotW “shìsú (shì·sú {generation’s → [world’s]} · customs | {(of the) generation → [world]} · secular | {generation → [world]} · {secular (world)} 世俗)”, which is used in 1 Corinthians 3:1 (Mandarin NWT (nwtsty)) to effectively mean “fleshly”, “worldly”, or “secular”.

The “mò (tip; end [→ [last/final stage]] 末)” in “mòrì (mò·rì end · {sun → [day]} 末日)” also appears in “mòqī (mò·qī end · period 末期)”, and indeed, in “mòshì (mò·shì {end of → [last stage/phase of]} · {generation → [world | age; era]} 末世)”. Some who have been in the Mandarin field for a while may also remember the expression “mòhòu (mò·hòu end · last 末后 末後) de (’s 的) rìzi (rì·zi {suns → [days]} · [suf for nouns] 日子)”. However, note that in the current version of the Mandarin New World Translation Bible (nwtsty), this expression has been replaced with “zuìhòu (zuì·hòu most · afterwards → [final] 最后 最後) de (’s 的) shíqī (shí·qī {(particular) time} · period 时期 時期)” in scriptures such as Ezekiel 38:16.

Ezekiel 38:16 (WOL CHS+Pinyin Parallel Translations)

Usage Examples

Here are a couple of examples of “shìjiè (shì·jiè {generation → [world]} · extent’s → [world’s] 世界) mòrì (mò·rì end · {sun → [day]} 末日)” in use, taken from the above-mentioned article:

English:

Politicians [warn] that we may be facing Armageddon.

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Zhèngzhì (Zhèng·zhì political · governing → [political] 政治) lǐngxiù (lǐng·xiù leading · sleeves → [leaders] 领袖 領袖)…fāchū (fā·chū sent · out 发出 發出) jǐnggào (jǐng·gào warning · declarings → [warnings] 警告), shìjiè (shì·jiè {generation → [world]} · extent → [world] 世界) jiāng ({is going to} 将 將) miànlín (miàn·lín {be facing} · {be drawing near to} 面临 面臨) mòrì (mò·rì end · {sun → [day]} 末日).

English:

Will the possible use of nuclear weapons lead to Armageddon? What does the Bible say?

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Shǐyòng (using 使用) hé ({pit (of a fruit)} → [nuclear] 核 核/覈) wǔqì (wǔ·qì military · instruments → [weapons] 武器) huì (will 会 會) dǎozhì (dǎo·zhì lead · {to extend to} 导致 導致) shìjiè (shì·jiè {generation → [world]} · extent’s → [world’s] 世界) mòrì (mò·rì end · {sun → [day]} 末日) ma ([? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)? Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng (the) Holy · Scriptures → [the Bible] 圣经 聖經) zěnme (zěn·me what · [suf] 怎么 怎麼/麽) shuō ({does say} 说 說/説)?

Categories
Culture Theocratic

zuì’è

zuì’è (zuì’·è {crime | sin} · evil 罪恶 罪惡) ← Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

Appendix A2 of the English New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition), entitled “Features of This Revision”, discusses vocabulary changes that have been made in the current revision, words that have been translated differently than before. As noted in various entries in the excellent resource Referenced Theo. Expressions (RTE), Appendix A2 of the current Mandarin version of the New World Translation Bible (nwtsty) correspondingly discusses words that have been translated differently in the current revision of the Mandarin NWT Bible, compared to how they had been translated before.

Since we base what we say in Jehovah’s service on his Word the Bible, the vocabulary used in it—and the way those vocabulary words are translated—should be reflected in how we speak in our ministry, at our meetings, etc. So, it is beneficial for us Mandarin field language learners to be familiar with the latest thinking from the organization on how Bible terms should be translated into Mandarin.

Different “Sins” in Mandarin

As Appendix A2 of the current Mandarin version of the New World Translation Bible (nwtsty) points out, this current version builds on the previous version’s efforts to avoid expressions that could easily be associated with false religious concepts.

One example that it points to is that in scriptures such as Psalm 103:10 (English, Mandarin), “zuì’è (zuì’·è {crime | sin} · evil 罪恶 罪惡)” is now used instead of “zuìniè (zuì·niè {sin | crime} · evil [→ [wrongdoing that brings retribution]] 罪孽)” to correspond with the word “sins” that is used in the English version:

Psalm 103:10 (WOL CHS+Pinyin Parallel Translations)

A Buddhist Concept?

So, what’s the deal with “zuìniè (zuì·niè {sin | crime} · evil [→ [wrongdoing that brings retribution]] 罪孽)”? A dictionary of Chinese Buddhist terms that is available to be installed in the Pleco app contains an entry for “zuìniè (zuì·niè {sin | crime} · evil [→ [wrongdoing that brings retribution]] 罪孽)”, with the following sparse definition:

Sins, crimes.

Pleco’s own built-in dictionary lists “wrongdoing that brings retribution” as one of the definitions of “zuìniè (zuì·niè {sin | crime} · evil [→ [wrongdoing that brings retribution]] 罪孽)”. If that definition is connected to the Buddhist concept of “zuìniè (zuì·niè {sin | crime} · evil [→ [wrongdoing that brings retribution]] 罪孽)”, then presumably the retribution that “zuìniè (zuì·niè {sin | crime} · evil [→ [wrongdoing that brings retribution]] 罪孽)” supposedly brings is supposedly brought about by humans, or by some abstract force of justice, since Buddhists do not believe in a God who is a Person.

Anyway, if the expression “zuìniè (zuì·niè {sin | crime} · evil [→ [wrongdoing that brings retribution]] 罪孽)” makes some people think of some Buddhist concept, instead of, for example, the sins referred to in Psalm 103:10 that Jehovah God—not some abstract, impersonal force—would be justified to deal out punishment for, then that seems like a good reason not to continue to use that particular expression in the Mandarin version of the NWT Bible.