Tag: Enjoy Life Forever! Br./Bk.

Categories
Culture Experiences Language Learning Science Theocratic

nándào

nándào+ (nán·dào {is (it) difficult} · {to say [→ [to suppose]] (that)} → [can/could it be that; is it possible that; do you really mean to say that; don’t tell me that] 难道 難道) 👈🏼 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 + Symbols re all the “flashcards” in the heading, paragraph, etc. that they are placed at the beginning of.]

One of the publications that is now recommended to be used on Bible studies is the Yǒngyuǎn Xiǎngshòu Měihǎo de Shēngmìng—Hùdòng Shì Shèngjīng Kèchéng ((Yǒng·yuǎn Eternally · {Far (in Time)} 永远 永遠) (Xiǎng·shòu Enjoy · Receive 享受) (Měi·hǎo Beautiful · Good 美好) (de ’s 的) (Shēngmìng Life 生命)—(Hù·dòng {Each Other} · Moving → [Interactive] 互动 互動) (Shì (Type 式) (Shèng·jīng Holy · Scriptures → [Bible] 圣经 聖經) (Kè·chéng Lessons · Procedure → [Course] 课程 課程) → [Enjoy Life Forever!—An Interactive Bible Course (lff)]) (Enjoy Life Forever! (lff)) book. This week’s MEotW, “nándào+ (nán·dào {is (it) difficult} · {to say [→ [to suppose]] (that)} → [can/could it be that; is it possible that; do you really mean to say that; don’t tell me that] 难道 難道)”, appears in subtitle 35 of the video used in point 5 of lesson 15 of this book:

English:

[Jesus’] mother, Mary, lived in Nazareth.
Could he tell her while in the womb,
‘Please take me to Bethlehem because the scriptures say
I must be born there’?

Mandarin (Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音)+ 🔗):

34
00:02:05,141 → 00:02:08,812
📖 📄 ➕ Yēsū (Jesus 耶稣 耶穌) de (’ 的) mǔqin (mǔ·qin mother · relative 母亲 母親) Mǎlìyà (Mary 马利亚 馬利亞) yuánběn+ (yuán·běn originally · {root or stem → [originally]} 原本) zhù (lived 住) zài (in 在) Násālè+ (Nazʹa·reth 拿撒勒).

35
00:02:08,812 → 00:02:12,882
📖 📄 ➕ Nándào+ (Nán·dào {is (it) difficult} · {to say → [to suppose] (that)} → [could it be that] 难道 難道) Yēsū (Jesus 耶稣 耶穌) nénggòu (néng·gòu {was able} · enough 能够 能夠) zài (in 在) māma (mā·ma ma·ma 妈妈 媽媽) de (’s 的) dùzi+ (dù·zi belly · [suf for nouns] 肚子) li (inside 里 裡/裏) gēn (with 跟) māma (mā·ma ma·ma 妈妈 媽媽) shuō ({to say} 说 說/説),

Lesson 15 point 5 video subtitle 36

36
00:02:12,882 → 00:02:14,651
📖 📄 ➕ “Nǐ (you 你) yào (must 要) qù ({go to} 去) Bólìhéng (Bethʹle·hem 伯利恒 伯利恆) shēng+ ({to give birth to} 生) wǒ (me 我),

37
00:02:14,651 → 00:02:17,220
📖 📄 ➕ wǒ (I 我) cái ({only then} 才 才/纔) néng ({will be able} 能) yìngyàn+ (yìng·yàn {to respond to} · verifying (regarding) → [to fulfil] 应验 應驗) Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng Holy · Scriptures → [Bible] 圣经 聖經) yùyán (yù·yán {in advance} · saying → [prophecy] 预言 預言)” ma ([? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)?

It’s Hard to Say?

Over the years, I would occasionally encounter “nándào (nán·dào {is (it) difficult} · {to say [→ [to suppose]] (that)} → [can/could it be that; is it possible that; do you really mean to say that; don’t tell me that] 难道 難道)” in my Mandarin field activities, and I would find it hard to say whether my initial impression was correct, that its morphemes literally translated to “is (it) difficult” “to arrive at (that)”. When I finally got around to looking up this expression and analyzing it, it turned out that I was right about the first morpheme, but wrong about the second one—the first morpheme “nán ({[is] difficult}; {[is] hard} | difficultly | {make difficult/difficulties} 难 難)” is indeed the one that means “difficult” or “hard”, and that also appears in “nántí (nán·tí difficult · topic → [problem] 难题 難題)”, but the second morpheme is actually not the “dào ({arrive [at/in/etc.]}; reaching [→ [[up/out/etc.] to; until]] 到)” that means “to arrive at”. Rather, it is the “dào (way; path; road [→ [mw]] | say; speak; talk; chat | think; suppose 道)” that is used in “chuándào (chuán·dào spreading · way → [preaching] 传道 傳道)” and in “dàoli (dào·li way; path; road · reasoning; logic; doctrine [→ [principle]] 道理)”, where it means “way; path; road”. When it’s used in “nándào (nán·dào {is (it) difficult} · {to say [→ [to suppose]] (that)} → [can/could it be that; is it possible that; do you really mean to say that; don’t tell me that] 难道 難道)” though, it seems to have a different meaning that I was not familiar with before, that of “say; speak”.

When the morphemes of “nándào (nán·dào {is (it) difficult} · {to say [→ [to suppose]] (that)} → [can/could it be that; is it possible that; do you really mean to say that; don’t tell me that] 难道 難道)” are put together, then, they literally mean “is (it) difficult” “to say [or, to suppose] (that)”, and they can effectively mean “can/could it be that; is it possible that; do you really mean to say that; don’t tell me that”. As Pleco’s built-in dictionary says, this enigmatic expression is used for “giving force to a rhetorical question”.

A Usage Example From the Bible

Here is another example of “nándào (nán·dào {is (it) difficult} · {to say [→ [to suppose]] (that)} → [can/could it be that; is it possible that; do you really mean to say that; don’t tell me that] 难道 難道)” in use, from a familiar Bible account:

English:

You are not greater than our forefather Jacob, who gave us the well and who together with his sons and his cattle drank out of it, are you?”

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

📖 📄 ➕ Zhèi (this 这 這) kǒu ({mouth of a} → [mw for things with mouths/openings] 口) jǐng+ (well 井) shì (is 是) wǒmen de ((wǒ·men us · [pl] 我们 我們) (de ’s 的) → [our]) zǔxiān (zǔ·xiān forefather · {earlier (person) → [ancestor]} → [forefather] 祖先) Yǎgè+ (Jacob 雅各) liúgěi (liú·gěi {left behind} · {to be given to} 留给 留給) wǒmen (wǒ·men us · [pl] 我们 我們) de ({’s (well)} 的), tā (he 他) zìjǐ (himself 自己) hé ({(together) with} → [and] 和 和/龢) érzi (ér·zi {(his) children → [his sons]} · [suf for nouns] 儿子 兒子), jiāchù+ (jiā·chù (his) household · livestock → [his cattle] 家畜) dōu (all 都) hē (drank 喝) zhèi (this 这 這) kǒu ({mouth of a} → [mw for things with mouths/openings] 口) jǐng (well 井) de (’s 的) shuǐ (water 水), nándào+ (nán·dào {is (it) difficult} · {to say → [to suppose] (that)} → [can it be that] 难道 難道) nǐ (you 你) bǐ ({compared to} 比) tā (him 他) hái ({still more} 还 還) dà ({are big} → [are great] 大) ma ([? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)?”

A Question for the Mandarin Field

Here is a rhetorical question for Mandarin field language learners to consider:

English:

Is learning Chinese characters really the most important aspect of learning Mandarin?

Mandarin:

📖 📄 ➕ Nándào+ (Nán·dào {is (it) difficult} · {to say → [to suppose] (that)} → [can it be that] 难道 難道) xué (learning 学 學) Hànzì+ (Hàn·zì {Han (Chinese)} · Characters 汉字 漢字) zhēnde (zhēn·de {being real} · {’s (thing)} → [really] 真的) shì (is 是) xué (learning 学 學) pǔtōng‐huà+ ((pǔ·tōng common · {through(out) → [common]} 普通)‐(huà speech 话 話) → [(Modern Standard) Mandarin (term commonly used in China)]) de (’s 的) zuì (most 最 最/㝡) zhòngyào (zhòng·yào weighty · important 重要) de (’s 的) yì (one 一) fāngmiàn (fāng·miàn {direction → [side]} · face → [aspect] 方面) ma ([? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)?

For an answer to this question that’s based, not on human tradition or cultural pride, but rather on the Bible, The Watchtower, and linguistics (language science), check out the article “SPEECH is Top Priority, Not Characters”.

Here is an excerpt:

Just like it’s an established fact that the earth is round, according to modern linguistics (the scientific study of language) this is also an established fact: “Speech is primary, writing is secondary and is always derivative of speech.” This scientific truth about language, that Jehovah built us and wired us to primarily communicate meaning through speech, supports what 1 Corinthians 14:8–11 (quoted above) says about understandable speech being of prime importance to Christian evangelizers.

For convenience:

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

Categories
Culture Technology Theocratic

wú‐suǒwèi

wú‐suǒwèi+ ((wú {[(considers that)] there is not} 无 無/无)‐(suǒ·wèi {that which} · {is said to be} 所谓 所謂) → [does not matter | is indifferent; does not care]) 👈🏼 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 + Symbols re all the “flashcards” in the heading, paragraph, etc. that they are placed at the beginning of.]

One of the publications that is now recommended to be used on Bible studies is the Yǒngyuǎn Xiǎngshòu Měihǎo de Shēngmìng—Hùdòng Shì Shèngjīng Kèchéng ((Yǒng·yuǎn Eternally · {Far (in Time)} 永远 永遠) (Xiǎng·shòu Enjoy · Receive 享受) (Měi·hǎo Beautiful · Good 美好) (de ’s 的) (Shēngmìng Life 生命)—(Hù·dòng {Each Other} · Moving → [Interactive] 互动 互動) (Shì (Type 式) (Shèng·jīng Holy · Scriptures → [Bible] 圣经 聖經) (Kè·chéng Lessons · Procedure → [Course] 课程 課程) → [Enjoy Life Forever!—An Interactive Bible Course (lff)]) (Enjoy Life Forever! (lff)) book. This week’s MEotW, “wú‐suǒwèi ((wú {[(considers that)] there is not} 无 無/无)‐(suǒ·wèi {that which} · {is said to be} 所谓 所謂) → [does not matter | is indifferent; does not care])”, appears in lesson 14 of this book, in the “SOME PEOPLE SAY” section:

English:

SOME PEOPLE SAY: “It’s impossible to please God.”

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

📖 📄 ➕ RÚGUǑ (RÚ·GUǑ IF · {FRUIT → [IF INDEED]} 如果) YǑURÉN (YǑU·RÉN {(THERE) ARE HAVING → [(THERE) ARE]} · PEOPLE 有人) SHUŌ (SAYING 说 說/説): “Zhǐyào (Zhǐ·yào only · {requiring (that)} → [so long as] 只要) xīnli (xīn·li hearts · inside 心里 心裡/裏) yǒu ({(we) have} 有) Shàngdì (Shàng·dì Above’s · {Emperor → [God]} → [God] 上帝) jiù (then 就) xíng+ ({(it) goes} → [it’s alright] 行), zěnme (zěn·me however · [suf] 怎么 怎麼/麽) chóngbài (chóng·bài (we) {esteem → [worship]} · {do obeisance to → [worship]} → [(we) worship] 崇拜) Shàngdì (Shàng·dì Above’s · {Emperor → [God]} → [God] 上帝) dōu ({in all those cases} 都) wú‐suǒwèi+ ((wú {there is not} 无 無/无)‐(suǒ·wèi {that which} · {is said to be} 所谓 所謂) → [it does not matter]).”

As can be seen from the above, the English and Mandarin versions of this section of lesson 14 express different meanings—the Mandarin version actually means something like “As long as we have God in our hearts it’s alright, it doesn’t matter how we worship God.” Apparently, it was decided that the English and Mandarin fields have different needs in this regard. Anyway, in the above example, this week’s MEotW “wú‐suǒwèi ((wú {[(considers that)] there is not} 无 無/无)‐(suǒ·wèi {that which} · {is said to be} 所谓 所謂) → [does not matter | is indifferent; does not care])” effectively means “it does not matter”.

How do this expression’s morphemes work together to produce this effective meaning? The literal meaning of the morphemes is “{there is not} {that which} {is said to be}”, which kind of has the flavour of “there is nothing to speak of”. It’s not hard to see then, why this expression effectively means “does not matter | is indifferent; does not care”.

Playing It Cool?

Another place where I have seen “wú‐suǒwèi ((wú {[(considers that)] there is not} 无 無/无)‐(suǒ·wèi {that which} · {is said to be} 所谓 所謂) → [does not matter | is indifferent; does not care])” used is in the Faye Wong song “Shìyán (Shì·yán Pledging · Words → [Pledge] 誓言)”:

Mandarin:

📖 📄 ➕ Rúguǒ (Rú·guǒ if · {fruit → [if indeed]} 如果) nǐ (you 你) néng (could 能) gěi (give 给 給) wǒ (me 我) yí (one 一) ge ([mw] 个 個/个) zhēnchéng+ (zhēn·chéng true · sincere 真诚 真誠) de (’s 的) juéduì (jué·duì {being cut off → [absolutely]} · {facing → [being compared]} → [being definite] 绝对 絕對)…
Wú‐suǒwèi ((Wú {(I consider that) there is not} 无 無/无)‐(suǒ·wèi {that which} · {is said to be} 所谓 所謂) → [(I) don’t care]), wǒ (I 我) shénme (shén·me {(about) what → [(about) anything]} · [suf] 什么 什/甚麼) dōu ({in all those cases} 都) wú‐suǒwèi ((wú {(consider that) there is not} 无 無/无)‐(suǒ·wèi {that which} · {is said to be} 所谓 所謂) → [don’t care]).

English:

If you could give me a sincere certainty…
I don’t care, I don’t care about anything.

In this part of the song, she is trying to “play it cool,” saying that whatever he says or does doesn’t matter to her, that she doesn’t care. Ironically, though, those who tell such things to others and to themselves often do so precisely because they do care. Later in the song, she sings:

Mandarin:

📖 📄 ➕ Bié (don’t 别 別) yǐwéi (yǐ·wéi consider · {(the case) to be} (that) 以为 以為) zhízhuó+ (zhí·zhuó persisting · applying → [persevering] 执着 執著) de (’s 的) xīn (heart 心) jiù (then 就) búhuì (bú·huì not · can → [cannot] 不会 不會) bèi ({be covered by being → [passive signifier]} → [be] 被) pèngsuì (pèng·suì knocked · {to be broken to pieces} 碰碎).
Bié (don’t 别 別) yǐwéi (yǐ·wéi consider · {(the case) to be} (that) 以为 以為) wǒ (I 我) zhēnde (zhēn·de really · ’s 真的) wú‐suǒwèi ((wú {(consider that) there is not} 无 無/无)‐(suǒ·wèi {that which} · {is said to be} 所谓 所謂) → [don’t care]).

English:

Don’t think that a persevering heart can’t be shattered.
Don’t think that I really don’t care.

Lyrics for the Faye Wong song “Shìyán” (“Pledge”) in Apple Music, on an iPad

Lyrics for the Faye Wong song “Shìyán (Shì·yán Pledging · Words → [Pledge] 誓言)” (“Pledge”) in Apple Music, on an iPad (It’s great that they give the option of showing the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音), but it would have been even better if they included tone marks, even if the tones are not heard during singing.)

For convenience:

The direct link for the 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
Culture Language Learning Science Technology Theocratic

yǔzhòu

yǔzhòu+ (yǔ·zhòu universe · {all time, past, present, and future} → [[the] universe; cosmos; space | cosmic] 宇宙) 👈🏼 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 + Symbols 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 an article from the No. 3 2021 issue of Awake! magazine, about what the universe tells us about a Creator. The title of this article, in English and in Mandarin, is as follows:

English:

What the Universe Tells Us

Mandarin:

📖 📄 ➕ Yǔzhòu+ (Yǔ·zhòu Universe · {All Time, Past, Present, and Future} → [The Universe] 宇宙) Gàosu (Tells 告诉 告訴) Wǒmen (Wǒ·men Us · [pl] 我们 我們) Shénme (Shén·me What · [suf] 什么 什/甚麼)?

As can be seen from the above example, “yǔzhòu+ (yǔ·zhòu universe · {all time, past, present, and future} → [[the] universe; cosmos; space | cosmic] 宇宙)”, this week’s MEotW, is the Mandarin expression meaning “the universe”. And, as can be seen from this expression’s Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus “flashcard”, its constituent morphemes mean “[the] universe; all time, past, present, and future”.

Wiktionary’s entry for “yǔzhòu (yǔ·zhòu universe · {all time, past, present, and future} → [[the] universe; cosmos; space | cosmic] 宇宙)” contains the following comment about the etymology of this expression:

Meyer (2010) proposes that “eaves and roof beams” was a synecdoche for a domicile’s entire space; this figure of speech would later be appropriated by early authors and later Huainanziʼs contributors as “a metaphor for the cosmos, taking “eaves” [宇] and “roof beams” [宙] to represent the dimensions of space and time[, respectively] that compose the entire phenomenal universe.”[1]

Spacetime

Interestingly, these meanings of the morphemes in “yǔzhòu (yǔ·zhòu universe · {all time, past, present, and future} → [[the] universe; cosmos; space | cosmic] 宇宙)” match up with the morphemes in the English word “spacetime”. The Wikipedia article for this is introduced with the following:

In physics, spacetime, also called the space-time continuum, is a mathematical model that fuses the three dimensions of space and the one dimension of time into a single four-dimensional continuum. Spacetime diagrams are useful in visualizing and understanding relativistic effects, such as how different observers perceive where and when events occur.

Until the turn of the 20th century, the assumption had been that the three-dimensional geometry of the universe (its description in terms of locations, shapes, distances, and directions) was distinct from time (the measurement of when events occur within the universe). However, space and time took on new meanings with the Lorentz transformation and special theory of relativity.

In 1908, Hermann Minkowski presented a geometric interpretation of special relativity that fused time and the three spatial dimensions into a single four-dimensional continuum now known as Minkowski space. This interpretation proved vital to the general theory of relativity, wherein spacetime is curved by mass and energy.

“Because They Were Designed?”

“Yǔzhòu (Yǔ·zhòu universe · {all time, past, present, and future} → [[the] universe; cosmos; space | cosmic] 宇宙)” also appears in the concluding paragraph of the above-mentioned article from the No. 3 2021 issue of Awake!:

English:

Based on his scientific knowledge of the universe and its properties, physicist Paul Davies concluded: “I cannot believe that our existence in this universe is a mere quirk of fate, an accident of history, an incidental blip in the great cosmic drama. . . . We are truly meant to be here.” Davies does not teach that God created the universe and human life, but what do you think? The universe and the earth seem to be designed to make life possible. Could it be that they seem that way because they were designed?

Mandarin:

📖 📄 ➕ Wùlǐ‐xué‐jiā+ ((Wù·lǐ things’ · {logic → [laws]} → [physics] 物理)‐(xué studying 学 學)‐(jiā -ist 家) → [physicist]) Bǎoluó (Paul 保罗 保羅) Dàiwéisī (Davies 戴维斯 戴維斯) gēnjù (gēn·jù {(at) root} · {according to} → [based on] 根据 根據) zìjǐ (self 自己) duì (towards 对 對) yǔzhòu+ (yǔ·zhòu universe · {all time, past, present, and future} → [the universe] 宇宙) jí (and 及) tiānwén+ (tiān·wén heavens’ · {natural phenomena} → [astronomical] 天文) fǎzé (fǎ·zé laws · principles 法则 法則) de (’ 的) liǎojiě (liǎo·jiě understanding · {untying → [solving]} → [understanding] 了解 了/瞭解) zhèyàng (zhè·yàng this · {form → [way]} 这样 這樣) shuō (said 说 說/説): “Wǒ (I 我) wúfǎ (wú·fǎ {do not have} · {way to} → [cannot] 无法 無法) xiāngxìn (xiāng·xìn {each other → [it]} · believe → [believe] 相信), rénlèi (rén·lèi human·kind 人类 人類) zài (in 在) zhèige (zhèi·ge this · [mw] 这个 這個) yǔzhòu (yǔ·zhòu universe · {all time, past, present, and future} → [universe] 宇宙) de (’s 的) cúnzài (cún·zài existing · {being present} 存在), zhǐshì (zhǐ·shì merely · is 只是) qiǎohé+ (qiǎo·hé {being coincidental → [coincidentally]} · {closing → [fitting]} → [coincidental] 巧合) huò (or 或) xìjù‐xìng ((xìjù (having) drama 戏剧 戲劇)‐(xìng nature → [quality] 性) → [dramatic]) de (’s 的) tūfā+ (tū·fā {chimney → [dashing forward → [unexpectedly]]} · issued → [appeared unexpectedly] 突) shìjiàn (shì·jiàn incident · [mw] 事件)…wǒmen de ((wǒ·men us · [pl] 我们 我們) (de ’s 的) → [our]) cúnzài (cún·zài existing · {being present} 存在) kěndìng (kěn·dìng agreeing · certainly → [definitely] 肯定) shì (is 是) yǒu (having 有) yuányīn (yuán·yīn origin · reason 原因) de ({’s (thing)} 的).” Dàiwéisī (Davies 戴维斯 戴維斯) bìng (actually 并 並/竝/并) méiyǒu (méi·yǒu not · {has → [does]} → [does not] 没有 沒有) zhǔzhāng+ (zhǔ·zhāng advocate · spread (that) → [hold (that)] 主张 主張) yǔzhòu (yǔ·zhòu universe · {all time, past, present, and future} → [the universe] 宇宙) hé ({(together) with} → [and] 和 和/龢) rénlèi (rén·lèi human·kind 人类 人類) shì (are 是) Shàngdì (Shàng·dì Above’s · {Emperor → [God]} → [God] 上帝) chuàngzào (chuàng·zào initiated · {made, created} → [created] 创造 創造) de ({’s (things)} 的). Dàn (but 但) nǐ (you 你) juéde (jué·de {to wake to → [to feel]} · {(how do) get} → [how do feel] 觉得 覺得) ne ([? ptcl] 呢)? Jìrán (Jì·rán since · -ly 既然) yǔzhòu (yǔ·zhòu universe · {all time, past, present, and future} → [the universe] 宇宙) hé ({(together) with} → [and] 和 和/龢) dìqiú (dì·qiú earth · globe → [the earth] 地球) zhème (zhè·me {this (much)} · [suf for interrogatives and adverbs] 这么/末 這麼/末) shìhé (shì·hé {are suitable for} · {are closing with → [are fitting with]} 适合 適合) shēngmìng (life 生命) cúnzài (cún·zài existing · {being present} 存在), nàme (nà·me {(in) that (case) → [then]} · [suf] 那么/末 那麼/末) tāmen (tā·men it · [pl] → [they] 它们 它/牠們) shì (are 是) bèi ([passive signifier] → [were] 被) shèjì+ (shè·jì {set up} · planned → [designed] 设计 設計) chulai (chu·lai out · {to come} 出来 出來) de ({’s (things)} 的) ma ([? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)?

A Particular Need in the Mandarin Field

It’s worth noting that the No. 3 2021 issue of Awake! was recently in the Teaching Toolbox in the JW Library app. In fact, for a time, 3 out of the 6 books or brochures in the Teaching Toolbox—fully one half of them—were focused on the subject of creation/evolution. Additionally, the Enjoy Life Forever! book, which is still in the Teaching Toolbox, has an entire lesson on the subject “How Did Life Begin?”. This big presence in the Teaching Toolbox for a time of material focused on creation/evolution reflects a recent heavy emphasis on this issue on the part of the organization.

Indeed, for people in general to find real spiritual truth and make real spiritual progress, the question of the Creator’s existence is the first basic question that needs to be answered well in their minds, otherwise they are left with just the conflicting opinions, speculations, and platitudes of mere limited, imperfect humans. As Proverbs 9:10 says:

The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom,
And knowledge of the Most Holy One is understanding.

In the Mandarin field in particular, it is especially necessary to focus on the issue of the Creator’s existence, because current worldly Chinese culture has particularly heavily predisposed many Mandarin-speakers to not believe in a Creator.

At the same time, the worldwide Mandarin field is by far the largest language field in the world, and it’s likely that it is the largest language field ever in history.

Chart: Languages by First-Language Speakers—2019

So, the need is especially great for Mandarin field language learners to be able to help Mandarin-speakers overcome their cultural backgrounds and cultivate faith in the Creator!

Creation/Evolution, and Also the Great Wall of Characters

However, I suspect that even in their mother tongue, many Mandarin field language learners would be hesitant to discuss creation/evolution, since it is an especially deeply technical subject. Adding the requirement to conduct the discussion in Mandarin, which has traditionally been written using the extraordinarily complex Chinese characters, to many just makes an already daunting task seem even more undoable.

The Great Wall of China

In addition to the inherent technical difficulty of the subject of creation/evolution, Mandarin field language learners also face the Great Wall of characters.

To help with this formidable challenge, the organization’s official Mandarin digital material for the No. 3 2021 issue of Awake!, and for the Was Life Created? and Origin of Life brochures, is available with Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音). Additionally, unofficial Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus material—specifically designed, not to be spiritual food, but for helping Mandarin field language learners to get past the Great Wall of characters and actually learn to understand and speak the Mandarin they need—is available for the Was Life Created? and Origin of Life brochures, and should eventually be available for the No. 3 2021 issue of Awake! too. For updates on these Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus resources, keep an eye on this blog, on the Links News blog, and on the related account on the social network of your choice listed on this blog’s Contact page.