Categories
Science Technology Theocratic

fēnzǐ jùhé tǐ

fēnzǐ jùhé tǐ ((fēn·zǐ {divided (off)} · {small and hard thing} → [molecular] 分子) (jù·hé assembled · {closed → [combined]} → [polymerized] 聚合) (tǐ body體/体/躰) [(protein) molecular machine]) ← 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.]

At the time of this writing, jw.org was featuring the article “A Microbiologist Explains Her Faith”. It turns out that this microbiologist is from Taiwan, so this article may especially be of interest to Mandarin-speaking people. In this article, microbiologist Yáng Fènglíng ((Yáng {Poplar (surname)}) (Fèng·líng Phoenix · {Tinkling of Jade Pieces} 凤玲 鳳玲) (microbiologist interviewed in g 1/14 p. 8–9)) explains:

English:

A professor of biochemistry in the United States published a book arguing that the molecular machines in living cells are so complex that they could not have originated randomly. I agreed. I felt that life must have been created.

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Měiguó (Měi·guó American · Nation’s → [USA’s] 美国 美國) (one 一) wèi ({place of a} → [mw for persons] 位) shēnghuà (shēng·huà {living → [bio-] (abbr. for shēngwùxué)} · {transforming → [chemistry] (abbr. for huàxué)} [biochemistry] 生化) ({tied (things)} → [department (in a college/university)] 系) jiàoshòu (jiào·shòu teaching · {conferring → [instructing]} (person) → [professor] 教授) xiěle (xiě·le wrote · {to completion} 写了 寫了) (one 一) běn ({root or stem of a} → [mw for books, etc.] 本) shū (book), (he 他) rènwéi (rèn·wéi identifies · {(it) to be} (that) 认为 認為) huó (living 活) xìbāo (xì·bāo tiny · wombs → [cells] 细胞 細胞) zhōng (within 中) de (’s 的) fēnzǐ jùhé tǐ ((fēn·zǐ {divided (off)} · {small and hard thing} → [molecular] 分子) (jù·hé assembled · {closed → [combined]} → [polymerized] 聚合) (tǐ bodies體/体/躰) [(protein) molecular machines]) rúcǐ (rú·cǐ {are like} · this 如此) fùzá (fù·zá {turned around → [complex]} · mixed → [complex] 复杂 複雜), jué ({being cut off} → [absolutely]絕/絶) (not 不) kěnéng (could 可能) shì (be 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 (things)} 的). (I 我) tóngyì (tóng·yì {(had the) same} · thought (about) → [agreed with] 同意) tā de ((tā him 他) (de ’s 的) [his]) guāndiǎn (guān·diǎn {looking at → [view]} · point → [viewpoint] 观点 觀點). (I 我) rènwéi (rèn·wéi identified · {(it) to be} 认为 認為), shēngmìng (life 生命) bìdìng (bì·dìng certainly · {(it) has been set} 必定) shì (is 是) bèi ([passive signifier] [got] 被) chuàngzào (chuàng·zào initiated · {made, created} → [created] 创造 創造) chulai (chu·lai out · {to come} 出来 出來) de ({’s (thing)} 的).

As shown in the above quote, the Mandarin version of this article (which, perhaps because it’s from an issue of Awake! magazine, provides the option to show Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音)) uses this week’s MEotW, “fēnzǐ jùhé tǐ ((fēn·zǐ {divided (off)} · {small and hard thing} → [molecular] 分子) (jù·hé assembled · {closed → [combined]} → [polymerized] 聚合) (tǐ body體/体/躰) [(protein) molecular machine])”, to translate “molecular machines”.

Polymers and Crystals

The Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus “flashcard” for “fēnzǐ jùhé tǐ ((fēn·zǐ {divided (off)} · {small and hard thing} → [molecular] 分子) (jù·hé assembled · {closed → [combined]} → [polymerized] 聚合) (tǐ body體/体/躰) [(protein) molecular machine]) specifies that this expression—for example, as used in the above-mentioned Awake! article—refers to a molecular polymerized body that is a protein molecular machine because proteins are polymers made up of amino acid subunits (monomers), but apparently, as summarized in the Wikipedia article on molecular machines, artificial molecular machines that are crystalline exist, or have been conceptualized, in addition to those that are polymeric:

A wide range of applications have been demonstrated for AMMs [artificial molecular machines], including those integrated into polymeric, liquid crystal, and crystalline systems for varied functions

Inspiration and Attribution

As the above-mentioned Wikipedia article on molecular machines summarizes, biological molecular machines have served as inspiration for artificial, or man-made, molecular machines:

Biological molecular machines have been known and studied for years given their vital role in sustaining life, and have served as inspiration for synthetically designed systems with similar useful functionality.[source][source]

(This kind of human imitation of living things in nature is called biomimetics, or biomimicry. More examples of this can be found in the section of the Was Life Created? brochure entitled “Who Designed It First?”.)

If one came across an artificial molecular machine, one would undoubtedly conclude with certainty that it had been intelligently designed—something that tiny yet exquisitely complex and functional obviously could not have developed by chance! As microbiologist Yáng Fènglíng ((Yáng {Poplar (surname)}) (Fèng·líng Phoenix · {Tinkling of Jade Pieces} 凤玲 鳳玲) (microbiologist interviewed in g 1/14 p. 8–9)) concluded, the tiny yet exquisitely complex and functional biological molecular machines that inspired humans to create artificial molecular machines similarly must have had an intelligent Creator.

Categories
Culture Language Learning Science Theocratic

suíjī

suíjī (suí·jī {coming along with} · chance → [random[ly]; stochastic[ly]] 随机 隨機) ← Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

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])? [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]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 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.

How It Started?

“In the beginning, some random, undirected events took place that somehow led to life as we know it on earth today.” That is basically the story that evolutionists tell about how life came to be. So, it’s good for us Mandarin field language learners to know that in its Introduction, the Mandarin Was Life Created? brochure uses this week’s MEotW, “suíjī (suí·jī {coming along with} · chance → [random[ly]; stochastic[ly]] 随机 隨機)”, where the English version of this brochure uses the word “random”.

How It Breaks Down

The “suí (follow; {[come/go] along with}; {vary according to} [→ [comply with; adapt to]]) in “suíjī (suí·jī {coming along with} · chance → [random[ly]; stochastic[ly]] 随机 隨機) basically means “follow”, or “come/go along with”. Some of the other Mandarin expressions that it appears in include “gēnsuí (follow 跟随 跟隨)”, “suíbiàn (suí·biàn following; {[going] along with} · convenience → [[is] casual; random; informal | [is] as one pleases | [is] careless; negligent | [is] wanton; arbitrary] 随便 隨便)”, and “suíshí (suí·shí {coming/going along with} · {(particular) time} → [at any time; anytime; at all times] 随时 隨時)suídì (suí·dì {coming/going along with} · {ground → [place]} → [any place; anywhere; everywhere] 随地 隨地)”.

The “jī ({machine; mechanism [→ [airplane; aircraft | being organic]]} | {incipient moment; crucial point} | chance; opportunity; occasion | intention; idea機/机) in “suíjī (suí·jī {coming along with} · chance → [random[ly]; stochastic[ly]] 随机 隨機) can mean “chance; opportunity; occasion”, and it is also the “jī ({machine; mechanism [→ [airplane; aircraft | being organic]]} | {incipient moment; crucial point} | chance; opportunity; occasion | intention; idea機/机) in “jīhuì (opportunity 机会 機會) and in “wēijī (wēi·jī {ridge of a roof → [dangerous | endangering]} · {incipient moment; crucial point | occasion} | {(for) ridge of a roof → [(for) danger]} · occasion; opportunity → [crisis] 危机 危機) (which, as a past MEotW post emphasizes, does NOT mean that there is opportunity in danger).

How It Comes Together

When put together, the morphemes in “suíjī (suí·jī {coming along with} · chance → [random[ly]; stochastic[ly]] 随机 隨機) literally mean “coming along with chance/opportunity”, and effectively mean “random” or “randomly”. Yes, while the Bible speaks of a loving Creator, evolution’s adherents, in holding that life is the result of suíjī (suí·jī {coming along with} · chance/opportunity → [random] 随机 隨機) events, thus portray evolution as a mere opportunist.

Those who bet on evolution may say that it’s not totally impossible that life came to exist suíjī (suí·jī {coming along with} · chance/opportunity → [randomly] 随机 隨機), by chance, but they may not realize—or they may have no faith—that their bet is not merely academic—they are ultimately unnecessarily betting their very lives. As John 17:3 says, coming to know God and Jesus leads to everlasting life, whereas those who continue to deny their Creator will eventually just die. So, let us continue to do our best to learn how to use the Mandarin language to help Mandarin-speaking ones to understand that they should bet their lives on Jehovah God, our Creator, not on the empty falsehoods of evolution.

How the Py+ Material Is Going

A while ago, I got the feeling that I should shift focus to get to work on producing current-generation Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus material for the Was Life Created? brochure, which I had last produced older-style material for several years earlier. The official material for this brochure had also not been changed for several years, with the last Mandarin printing of it being dated 2016-12. However, not long after I had started working on new Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus material for this brochure, I noticed that a new printing, dated 2022-12, had been put out for the English version of the Was Life Created? brochure, and then, a new printing, dated 2023-02, appeared in the JW Library app for the Mandarin version of this brochure. Also, the Was Life Created? brochure and the Origin of Life brochure were added to the Teaching Toolbox section in the JW Library app at around this time. It seems that Jehovah had decided that the time had come for renewed focus on these brochures, and it seems that the work of producing Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus material for the Was Life Created? brochure is privileged to be part of this renewed focus.

At the time of this writing, the old 3-line files (iPad-Letter-A4, XLP-iPhone-A5) together with the new Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus web resource cover the entire Was Life Created? brochure. (The 3-line files were based on an older version of the brochure, though.) Also, the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus web resource (which can be used offline in supporting browsers) contains no more Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音)-only material that has only been partially proofread—all the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音)-only material has now been fully proofread.

Additionally, there is now a similar Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus web resource for the Origin of Life brochure as well.


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 Language Learning Science Technology Theocratic

tiānzhēn

tiānzhēn (tiān·zhēn {(of) heaven → [natural]} · {(following) natural instincts} → [innocent; naive; simple and unaffected | (human) nature] 天真) ← 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])? [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]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 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.

Only Natural?

This week’s MEotW, “tiānzhēn (tiān·zhēn {(of) heaven → [natural]} · {(following) natural instincts} → [innocent; naive; simple and unaffected | (human) nature] 天真)”, occurs in Proverbs 14:15, which is quoted in the introductory section of the Origin of Life brochure, entitled, in English, “A Student’s Dilemma”. While the Origin of Life brochure, published in 2010, quotes older versions of the New World Translation Bible in its text, let us consider how this scripture is rendered in the current English and Mandarin translations of the NWT Bible:

English:

The naive person believes every word,
But the shrewd one ponders each step.

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

📖 📄 📘 Tiānzhēn (Tiān·zhēn {(of) heaven → [natural]} · {(following) natural instincts} → [naive] 天真) wúzhī (wú·zhī without · {knowing → [knowledge]} → [ignorant] 无知 無知) de (’s 的) rén (person 人), fán (every凡/凢) huà (word) dōu ({every one} 都) xìn (believes 信);
Jīngmíng (Jīng·míng shrewd · {bright → [understanding]} → [shrewd] 精明) shěnshèn (shěn·shèn {examining → [careful]} · cautious 审慎 審慎) de ( 的) rén (person 人), bùbù (bù·bù step · step → [at every step] 步步) liúxīn (liú·xīn {makes to stay} · {heart} → [is careful] 留心).

Looking at the morphemes in “tiānzhēn (tiān·zhēn {(of) heaven → [natural]} · {(following) natural instincts} → [innocent; naive; simple and unaffected | (human) nature] 天真)”, “tiān ({[(of)] heaven [→ [nature | natural; inborn; innate]]} | {heavenly → [celestial]} | {sky [→ [day | overhead | weather]]} 天) literally means “heaven”, but it can also have a derived meaning of “natural”, as it seems to in the context of “tiānzhēn (tiān·zhēn {(of) heaven → [natural]} · {(following) natural instincts} → [innocent; naive; simple and unaffected | (human) nature] 天真)”. As for “zhēn (true; real; genuine | truly; really | {natural instincts/character/disposition; nature; inherent quality (literary)} 真)”, these days it’s generally used to mean “true; real; genuine”, but in the context of “tiānzhēn (tiān·zhēn {(of) heaven → [natural]} · {(following) natural instincts} → [innocent; naive; simple and unaffected | (human) nature] 天真)”, it seems to have its literary meaning of “(following) natural instincts”. Taken together then, the morphemes in “tiānzhēn (tiān·zhēn {(of) heaven → [natural]} · {(following) natural instincts} → [innocent; naive; simple and unaffected | (human) nature] 天真) are used to effectively mean “innocent; naive; simple and unaffected | (human) nature”.

What’s Natural?

Speaking of natural, different people have different views on what is natural, especially in this world of ever-changing technology. I am reminded of this Douglas Adams quote:

I’ve come up with a set of rules that describe our reactions to technologies:

  1. Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works.
  2. Anything that’s invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.
  3. Anything invented after you’re thirty-five is against the natural order of things.

As an example, I remember a brother who, a few years ago, felt that exchanging email addresses with brothers and sisters one meets at a convention is ‘not natural’, unlike, say, exchanging mailing addresses or phone numbers. Actually, of course, phones and houses, apartments, PO boxes, etc. don’t exist in nature any more than email inboxes do—these are all just human technologies that came along at different times in history, and thus at different times in people’s lives, causing younger ones to find them natural and older ones to find them unnatural.

If we can maintain balanced, open minds, though, we can eventually get used to new technologies that come along, benefit from them, and perhaps find them useful—and occasionally even invaluable—in Jehovah’s service. A recent outstanding example is that Zoom videoconferencing, a relatively new development at the time, enabled many of us to attend meetings during the recent pandemic when we were stuck at home. Many of us may have found it unnatural at first, but over time, we eventually got used to it, and even came to appreciate the spiritual benefits that it enables in certain situations.

What’s Naive?

Getting back to the matter of being naive, as referred to in the above-mentioned scripture, the Origin of Life brochure quotes this scripture to make the following point:

[Students] need to examine the evidence for evolution and for creation and then decide for themselves which they will believe.

In fact, the Bible warns against blindly believing what others teach.

Supporters of evolution will say that people need to not unthinkingly believe the Bible’s creation account, but at the same time, it would also be naive of people to ‘believe every word’ that evolutionists say.

As Mandarin field language learners, we may have been told certain things by well-meaning Mandarin teachers, who were probably just passing on what they had learned. However, it would be naive to unthinkingly accept everything told to us that ultimately originates in the cultures and traditions of the world of imperfect humans that is under Satan’s influence. Instead, we should educate ourselves about the first principles involved with what it really takes to learn the Mandarin language and to use it in Jehovah’s service in the best way that we can.

What’s New with Py+ Material?

A while ago, I got the feeling that I should shift focus to get to work on producing current-generation Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus material for the Was Life Created? brochure, which I had last produced older-style material for several years earlier. The official material for this brochure had also not been changed for several years, with the last Mandarin printing of it being dated 2016-12. However, not long after I had started working on new Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus material for this brochure, I noticed that a new printing, dated 2022-12, had been put out for the English version of the Was Life Created? brochure, and then, a new printing, dated 2023-02, appeared in the JW Library app for the Mandarin version of this brochure. Also, the Was Life Created? brochure and the Origin of Life brochure were added to the Teaching Toolbox section in the JW Library app at around this time. It seems that Jehovah had decided that the time had come for renewed focus on these brochures, and it seems that the work of producing Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus material for the Was Life Created? brochure is privileged to be part of this renewed focus.

Now, I am happy to be able to report that, after much ongoing effort, Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus material for the Origin of Life brochure has become available as well. (Links can found below.) Hopefully, this material, along with the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus material for the Was Life Created? brochure, will help us to help our Mandarin-speaking Bible students to thoughtfully consider the evidence regarding how life came to exist, rather than just naively accepting what the world tells them about this.


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.