Category: Theocratic

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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.

Categories
Culture Experiences Theocratic

rénwù shēngpíng

rénwù shēngpíng ((rén·wù person · thing → [personage] 人物) (shēng·píng life · {(being) level} → [whole life] 生平) → [life story]) ← Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

The new format of the Enjoy Life Forever! book, which incorporates post-paper technologies like video, enables the inclusion of a type of content that past publications used for Bible studies could not include—life stories. For example, the video for Lesson 04, point 5 of the Enjoy Life Forever! book, entitled My Search for the True God, contains the life story of Soten Yoeun, who endured many hardships but eventually found the true God Jehovah.

In the Mandarin version of this video, the expression “rénwù shēngpíng ((rén·wù person · thing → [personage] 人物) (shēng·píng life · {(being) level} → [whole life] 生平) → [life story])” is used to correspond with the expression “life story” that is used in the English version of the video. (A Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus transcript for the Mandarin version of this video is available here.)

A Mandarin Personage

“Rénwù (Rén·wù person · thing → [character; personage; figure] 人物)”, which literally means “person thing”, can mean “character; personage; figure”. For example, “Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng Holy · Scriptures → [Bible] 圣经 聖經) rénwù (rén·wù person · thing → [character] 人物)” has been used to correspond with “Bible character”, that is, a person depicted in the Bible. For example, “A Letter From the Governing Body” in the Mandarin version of the Learn From the Bible book uses this expression in this way.

What, though, shall we make of “shēngpíng (shēng·píng life · {(being) level} → [[one’s] whole life] 生平)”? While “shēng ({give birth to}/{was given birth to}; {give life to} | grow | exist; live | {[is] living}; {[is] alive} | {[is] unripe} | {[is] raw}; {[is] uncooked} | {[is] unfamiliar}; {[is] strange} | {[is] unprocessed}; {[is] crude} | existence; life; living | {be afflicted with}; get; have | very; keenly; much | pupil; student; scholar | [n suf used in names of occupations] 生)” can mean many different things, here it obviously means “life”, that is, a life or lifetime. It’s less obvious, though, how “píng ({[being] flat, level, even} [→ [[being] peaceful; calm | peace | [being] equal; fair; just | standard; level]] | {make [to be] flat, level, even} [→ [make peace; pacify; calm down]] 平)” fits into this expression.

On the Level

The “píng ({[being] flat, level, even} [→ [[being] peaceful; calm | peace | [being] equal; fair; just | standard; level]] | {make [to be] flat, level, even} [→ [make peace; pacify; calm down]] 平)” in question literally means “[is] flat; level; even”. What, though, does that have to do with one’s rénwù shēngpíng ((rén·wù person · thing → [personage] 人物) (shēng·píng life · {(being) level} → [whole life] 生平) → [life story]), one’s life story?

Perhaps we can get some clues by considering how “píng ({[being] flat, level, even} [→ [[being] peaceful; calm | peace | [being] equal; fair; just | standard; level]] | {make [to be] flat, level, even} [→ [make peace; pacify; calm down]] 平)” is used in other expressions. For example, another expression that contains “píng ({[being] flat, level, even} [→ [[being] peaceful; calm | peace | [being] equal; fair; just | standard; level]] | {make [to be] flat, level, even} [→ [make peace; pacify; calm down]] 平)” is “tiānpíng (tiān·píng heaven’s · {(being) level} → [balance; scales (to weigh things)] 天平)”, which means a balance or a set of scales used to weigh things.

Yet another expression with “píng ({[being] flat, level, even} [→ [[being] peaceful; calm | peace | [being] equal; fair; just | standard; level]] | {make [to be] flat, level, even} [→ [make peace; pacify; calm down]] 平)” in it, that may help us understand how “píng ({[being] flat, level, even} [→ [[being] peaceful; calm | peace | [being] equal; fair; just | standard; level]] | {make [to be] flat, level, even} [→ [make peace; pacify; calm down]] 平)” functions in “shēngpíng (shēng·píng life · {(being) level} → [[one’s] whole life] 生平)”, is “shuǐpíng (shuǐ·píng water · {(being) level} → [standard; level; proficiency] 水平)”. This word is used to refer to a standard or level (of quality, achievement, etc.).

Considering the above examples, it seems that “shēngpíng (shēng·píng life · {(being) level} → [[one’s] whole life] 生平)” is used to mean the “level” achieved over the entire course of a life. From a negative point of view, this could involve passing judgment or competitively comparing achievements as if life were but a game. However, from a more positive and charitable point of view, considering one’s “shēngpíng (shēng·píng life · {(being) level} → [[one’s] whole life] 生平)” could involve recognition of what one was able to accomplish over the course of one’s life.

(By the way, it may also be worth noting that the “píng ({[being] flat, level, even} [→ [[being] peaceful; calm | peace | [being] equal; fair; just | standard; level]] | {make [to be] flat, level, even} [→ [make peace; pacify; calm down]] 平)” in “rénwù shēngpíng ((rén·wù person · thing → [personage] 人物) (shēng·píng life · {(being) level} → [whole life] 生平) → [life story])” is also used in “píng’ān (píng’·ān {[is] flat, level, even → [[is] peaceful]} · {[is] safe, secure} (nwtsty-CHS Appx. A2 says this term mainly refers to things being smooth and stable, safe and secure, free of danger) 平安)” and in “hépíng (hé·píng {[is/being] (together) with (one another)} · {[is/being] flat, level, even} → [peace | [is] peaceful | peacefully (nwtsty-CHS Appx. A2 says this term mainly refers to the absence of war or conflict)] 和平)”. These expressions were discussed in the MEotW post on “hémù ({[is] harmonious} 和睦)”.)

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

kèchéng

kèchéng (kè·chéng lessons · procedure → [course; curriculum] 课程 課程) ← 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.]

As covered in the recent MEotW post on “āijiā‐āihù ((āi·jiā {one after another} · households 挨家)‐(āi·hù {one after another} · doors 挨户 挨戶) → [door[-/ ]to[-/ ]door; house[-/ ]to[-/ ]house])”, on September 1, we Jehovah’s Witnesses resumed house-to-house preaching. It is appropriate, then, that as of this writing, jw.org is featuring the article “What Is the Bible Study Course Offered by Jehovah’s Witnesses?”. The Mandarin version of this article makes use of the expression “kèchéng (kè·chéng lessons · procedure → [course; curriculum] 课程 課程)”, perhaps preceded by “Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng Holy · Scriptures → [Bible] 圣经 聖經)”, to correspond with the English expressions “Bible study course”, “Bible study program”, “Bible study”, “study”, “course”, “Bible course”, “Bible lessons” (from the title of the referenced Enjoy Life Forever!—Introductory Bible Lessons brochure), “study course”, “Bible study lessons”, and “lessons”.

Interestingly, “[Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng Holy · Scriptures → [Bible] 圣经 聖經)] yánjiū (yán·jiū {grinding → [studying]} · {studying carefully} → [study] 研究)”, an expression that has long been used in the past to mean “[Bible] study”, does not appear at all in the above-mentioned article.

Related Expressions

The “kè (subject; course; class | lesson 课 課)” in “kèchéng (kè·chéng lessons · procedure → [course; curriculum] 课程 課程)” may be familiar to those who have used the Mandarin versions of publications like the Good News brochure and the Enjoy Life Forever! brochure/book, since that is the Mandarin word used to correspond with the English word “lesson”. For example, “Lesson 10” is “Dì‐10 ((Dì [pref to form ordinal numbers] 第)‐(Shí Ten 10) → [10th]) Kè (Lesson 课 課)”.

Besides “kèchéng (kè·chéng lessons · procedure → [course; curriculum] 课程 課程)”, another word that “kè (subject; course; class | lesson 课 課)” appears in is “kèběn (kè·běn {course | lessons} · {root or stem → [mw for books, etc.]} → [textbook; coursebook] 课本 課本)”, which the above-mentioned article uses in reference to the Enjoy Life Forever! book that is now officially recommended for use on Bible studies. (Interestingly, the English version of the article does not use the word “textbook”, which is the main dictionary definition for “kèběn (kè·běn {course | lessons} · {root or stem → [mw for books, etc.]} → [textbook; coursebook] 课本 課本)”. It does, though, refer to the Enjoy Life Forever! book as an “interactive Bible course”. So, “coursebook” may be a better match for “kèběn (kè·běn {course | lessons} · {root or stem → [mw for books, etc.]} → [textbook; coursebook] 课本 課本)” in this case.)

As for the second morpheme in “kèchéng (kè·chéng lessons · procedure → [course; curriculum] 课程 課程)”, it is also used, perhaps unexpectedly, in “gōngchéng (gōng·chéng work · {procedure → [journey]} → [engineering | [engineering/work] project] 工程)” and in “gōngchéngshī (gōng·chéng·shī {work · {procedures → [journeys]} → [engineering]} · {master → [skilled person; expert; specialist]} → [engineer] 工程师 工程師)”.

Usage Examples

Here are a couple of examples of “kèchéng (kè·chéng lessons · procedure → [course; curriculum] 课程 課程)” in use, taken from the above-mentioned article:

English:

Our Bible study program can help you to:

  • Have a happy life
  • Become God’s friend
  • Learn what the Bible promises for the future

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Wǒmen de ((Wǒ·men us · [pl] 我们 我們) (de ’s 的) → [our]) Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng Holy · Scriptures → [Bible] 圣经 聖經) kèchéng (kè·chéng lessons · procedure → [course] 课程 課程) kěyǐ (kě·yǐ can · [suf] 可以) bāngzhù (help 帮助 幫助) nǐ (you 你):

  • 📖 📄 📘 Guò ({to pass} 过 過) kuàilè (happy 快乐 快樂) de (’s 的) shēnghuó (shēng·huó life · living 生活)
  • 📖 📄 📘 Gēn (with 跟) Shàngdì (Shàng·dì Above’s · {Emperor → [God]} → [God] 上帝) jiànlì (jiàn·lì {to build} · {to make to stand} → [to establish] 建立) yǒuyì (yǒu·yì friendly · friendship → [friendship] 友谊 友誼)
  • 📖 📄 📘 Liǎojiě (Liǎo·jiě {to understand} · {to untie → [to solve]} → [to understand] 了解 了/瞭解) Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng (the) Holy · Scriptures → [the Bible] 圣经 聖經) gěi (gives 给 給) rén (people 人) de (’s 的) xīwàng (xī·wàng hoping · {gazing (into the distance) → [hoping]} → [hope] 希望)

English:

These interactive lessons answer some of life’s most important questions.

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Zhèige (Zhèi·ge this · [mw] 这个 這個) hùdòng (hù·dòng {each other} · moving → [interactive] 互动 互動) shì (type 式) Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng Holy · Scriptures → [Bible] 圣经 聖經) kèchéng (kè·chéng lessons · procedure → [course] 课程 課程) huì (will 会 會) huídá (huí·dá {circle back} · {to answer} 回答) yìxiē (yì·xiē one · {indefinite number of} → [some] 一些) zhòngyào (zhòng·yào weighty · important 重要) wèntí (wèn·tí asking · subjects → [questions] 问题 問題).