Tag: Evolution

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Culture Experiences History Science Technology Theocratic

chuàngzào

chuàngzào (chuàng·zào initiating · {making, creating} → [creating | creation; innovation] 创造 創造) 👈🏼 Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

[As of this writing, jw.org is featuring the article “Did God Use Evolution to Create the Different Types of Life?”. This article was linked to a few years ago in an MEotW post, with regard to theistic evolution. So, this is basically a reposting of that post.]

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 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

This week’s MEotW, which appears right in the title of the Mandarin Was Life Created? brochure, is “chuàngzào (chuàng·zào initiating · {making, creating} → [creating | creation; innovation] 创造 創造)”. While this is basically a verb meaning “create”, it can also be used as a noun meaning “creation”. Such verbal/gerundial nouns were discussed in the MEotW post on “jiàodǎo (jiào·dǎo teaching · {guiding [→ [instructing]]} 教导 教導)”:

One interesting thing to note about “jiàodǎo (jiào·dǎo teaching · {guiding [→ [instructing]]} 教导 教導)” (and about “jiàoxun (teaching → [reprimanding | knowledge gained from an error] 教训 教訓)”, for that matter) is that their component morphemes seem to basically be verbs. In certain contexts, however, they are used as nouns. An example of this being done in English is that “teach” and “teaching” are verbs (e.g. “Jesus was teaching the crowd.”), but in certain contexts, “teaching” is used as a noun (e.g. “The crowd was amazed at the teaching Jesus shared with them.”). When a word is used this way, it’s called a verbal noun, or a gerundial noun. Verbal nouns are quite common in Mandarin.

How It Breaks Down

The “chuàng (initiate; create; start; originate; {achieve (sth. for the first time)} 创 創/刱/剏/剙)” in “chuàngzào (chuàng·zào initiating · {making, creating} → [creating | creation; innovation] 创造 創造)” is also used in “Chuàngshìjì (Chuàng·shì·jì {Initiating, Creating of} · {Generation → [World]} · Record → [Genesis] 创世记 創世記)”, and is associated with originality and creativity. For example, this “chuàng (initiate; create; start; originate; {achieve (sth. for the first time)} 创 創/刱/剏/剙)” also occurs in “chuàngzuò (chuàng·zuò initiated; created; originated · {made [→ [written/composed]]} [(thing)] [→ [created; produced; written [(thing)]] [→ [creative work; creation]]] 创作 創作)” and in “chuàngzuò lì ((chuàng·zuò {to initiate/create/originate} · {to make [→ [to write/compose]]} → [to create/produce/write] 创作 創作) (lì power → [ability] 力) → [creative ability; creativity; originality])”, which can respectively mean “creative work” and “creativity”.

As for the “zào (make; build; create 造)” in “chuàngzào (chuàng·zào initiating · {making, creating} → [creating | creation; innovation] 创造 創造)”, it’s more associated with making and building, and it’s the same “zào (make; build; create 造)” that’s in “jiànzào (construct; build 建造)”. “Jiànzào (build 建造) fángwū (houses 房屋)”, for example, means “build houses”.

How It Comes Together

So, “chuàngzào (chuàng·zào initiating · {making, creating} → [creating | creation; innovation] 创造 創造)”, being made up of “chuàng (initiate; create; start; originate; {achieve (sth. for the first time)} 创 創/刱/剏/剙)” and “zào (make; build; create 造)”, covers the entire process of coming up with the idea for something, and then actually making or building it. This is in contrast with the idea of theistic evolution (Mandarin: Shéndǎo‐jìnhuà‐lùn ((Shén·dǎo God · guided; led 神导 神導)‐(jìn·huà {to advance} · transforming → [evolution] 进化 進化)‐(lùn discussing → [theory; doctrine] 论 論) → [theistic evolution])), that God somehow got the ball rolling and then sat back and let the process of evolution develop all the wonderful living things in the natural world.

One person in particular whom I remember having such a viewpoint was my grade 7 teacher, who was actually quite smug about how her Catholic/personal beliefs had thus seemingly neatly reconciled the contradictions between the worldly “scientific” theory of evolution and the creation account in the Bible book of Genesis. However, the actual wording of the Genesis account, including how it is often translated into Mandarin, does not really go along with such a seemingly neat reconciliation with evolution.—Genesis 1:27 (English WOL, Mandarin WOL, Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus).

“_Chuàngzào_” in Genesis 1:27 (NWT (nwtsty), WOL CHS+Pinyin), with “_zào_” in _Héhé Běn_

To represent how God caused humans to come into existence, the Mandarin New World Translation Bible uses “chuàngzào (chuàng·zào initiated · {made, created} → [created] 创造 創造)”, and the Héhé Běn ((Hé·hé Harmonious · {Closed → [United]} 和合) (Běn {Root or Stem} → [Edition] 本) → [Union Version (Chinese Bible)]) uses “zào (made; built; created 造)”. Both these expressions contain the sense of “made, created”, and perhaps “built”.

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 was 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 newer 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.) The Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus web resource (which can be used offline in supporting browsers) itself now covers the entire Was Life Created? brochure except for page 17.

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. Work is now underway to produce a Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus web resource for the Mandarin Origin of Life brochure as well.

Categories
Culture Experiences Science Technology Theocratic

xúnhuán

xúnhuán (xún·huán {following [of]} · {ring → [circle]} → [circulating; cycling | cycle] 循环 循環) 👈🏼 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.]

We in the Mandarin field should keep in mind that many Mandarin-speaking people were taught to believe in evolution, and thus tend to not believe in God. 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 they are still considered current publications, and 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. So, it would be good for us to consider some of the expressions used in the Mandarin versions of the Was Life Created? and Origin of Life brochures, which can be so helpful when discussing the fundamentally important question of whether life was created.

Circles of Life

This week’s MEotW, which appears in the section of the Mandarin Was Life Created? brochure entitled “Shēngjī (Shēng·jī Life · {Mechanism → [Being Organic]} → [Life] 生机 生機)‐Bóbó (Bó·bó Flourishing · Flourishing 勃勃) de (’s 的) Dìqiú (Dì·qiú Earth · Globe → [Earth] 地球)” (“The Living Planet”), is “xúnhuán (xún·huán {following [of]} · {ring → [circle]} → [circulating; cycling | cycle] 循环 循環)”:

English:

Natural cycles that replenish and cleanse the planet’s air and water supply

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

📖 📄 📘 Zìrán (Zì·rán naturally · so → [natural] 自然) xúnhuán (xún·huán following · {ring → [circle]} → [cycling] 循环 循環) xìtǒng (xì·tǒng {tied (things) → [systems]} · {gathered together (things) → [interconnected systems]} → [systems] 系统 系統)—jì (both 既) néng (able 能) bǔjǐ (bǔ·jǐ {to mend → [to restore]} · {to supply} → [to replenish] 补给 補給) yòu (also 又) néng (able 能) jìnghuà (jìng·huà {to be clean} · {to transform} → [to cleanse] 净化 凈/淨化) dìqiú (dì·qiú earth · globe → [earth] 地球) de (’s 的) kōngqì (kōng·qì {(that which) is empty → [air]} · air → [air] 空气 空氣) hé ({(together) with} → [and] 和 和/龢) shuǐyuán (shuǐ·yuán water · sources 水源)

As can be seen from the above quotes, the Mandarin Was Life Created? brochure uses “xúnhuán (xún·huán {following [of]} · {ring → [circle]} → [circulating; cycling | cycle] 循环 循環)” in connection with “cycles”. Looking into the morphemic construction of “xúnhuán (xún·huán {following [of]} · {ring → [circle]} → [circulating; cycling | cycle] 循环 循環)”, we see that the first morpheme “xún (follow; {abide by}; {adhere to}; {comply with} 循)” in this context means “following [of]”. The second morpheme “huán (ring [→ [circle; loop; [(chain)] link | surround; encircle]] 环 環)” literally means “ring”, and in this context, it effectively means “circle”.

In the material that follows the above quotations, the Was Life Created? brochure goes into depth about how the water cycle, the carbon and oxygen cycles, and the nitrogen cycle cleanly, elegantly, and perfectly make it possible for life to continue to exist on the earth, in contrast to comparatively primitive and inelegant human systems that create huge amounts of toxic waste. That begs the question: If human systems like those that produce things like microplastics and nuclear waste obviously were designed by intelligent beings, then how about the obviously better-designed cyclic systems in “nature”?

Rings Around the Forbidden City

By the way, another use of the “huán (ring [→ [circle; loop; [(chain)] link | surround; encircle]] 环 環)” in “xúnhuán (xún·huán {following [of]} · {ring → [circle]} → [circulating; cycling | cycle] 循环 循環)” that many Mandarin-speaking people may be familiar with is in the Mandarin names of the ring roads of Beijing.

Map showing Beijing’s ring roads

A map showing Beijing’s ring roads (source)

For example, Beijing’s 5th Ring Road (the 5th one from the centre, where the famous Forbidden City imperial palace complex is located) is named Wǔ (Five → [5th] 五) Huán (Ring 环 環) Lù (Road 路) in Mandarin.

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 Science Theocratic

jǐngjǐng‐yǒu‐tiáo

jǐngjǐng‐yǒu‐tiáo ((jǐng·jǐng {[is] neat; orderly} · {[is] neat; orderly} → [[is] methodical] 井井)‐(yǒu {[is] having} 有)‐(tiáo {sth. long and narrow; strip; slip} → [orderliness] 条 條) → [[is] in perfect order; shipshape; methodical; neat and tidy]) 👈🏼 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.]

Not that long ago, the No. 3 2021 issue of Awake! magazine was featured in the Teaching Toolbox of the JW Library app. This week’s MEotW, “jǐngjǐng‐yǒu‐tiáo ((jǐng·jǐng {[is] neat; orderly} · {[is] neat; orderly} → [[is] methodical] 井井)‐(yǒu {[is] having} 有)‐(tiáo {sth. long and narrow; strip; slip} → [orderliness] 条 條) → [[is] in perfect order; shipshape; methodical; neat and tidy])”, occurs in the second paragraph (that is, the first regular paragraph) of the article in that issue entitled “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)?” (“What the Universe Tells Us”):

English:

The universe is organized. “Galaxies are not randomly splayed out across the sky but instead follow a weblike pattern,” according to an article in Astronomy magazine. How is this possible? Scientists believe that the secret may lie in an invisible material known as dark matter. This dark matter has been called “a kind of unseen scaffolding upon which . . . galaxies, galaxy clusters, and galaxy superclusters . . . are aligned and supported.”

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Yǔzhòu (Yǔ·zhòu universe · {all time, past, present, and future} → [the universe] 宇宙) shì (is 是) jǐngrán (jǐng·rán orderly · correct → [methodical] 井然)‐yǒuxù (yǒu·xù having · order → [systematic] 有序) de ({’s (thing)} 的). Tiānwén‐Xué ((Tiān·wén Heavens’ · {Natural Phenomena} → [Astronomy] 天文)‐(Xué Studying 学 學) → [Astronomy]) zázhì (zá·zhì miscellaneous · records (publication) → [magazine] 杂志 雜志/誌) de (’s 的) yì (one 一) piān ({piece of an} → [mw for paper, book leaves, articles, chapters, Psalms, etc.] 篇) wénzhāng (wén·zhāng writing · composition → [article] 文章) shuō (said 说 說/説): “Xīngxì (Xīng·xì {of stars} · {tied (things) → [systems]} → [galaxies] 星系) zài (in 在) tàikōng (tài·kōng highest · {(that which) is empty → [space]} → [outer space] 太空) zhōng (within 中) de (’s 的) fēnbù (fēn·bù {being divided → [being distributed]} · {being spread} → [distribution] 分布 分布/佈) bú (not 不) shì (is 是) záluàn (zá·luàn mixed · random → [disorderly] 杂乱 雜亂)‐wú (without 无 無/无)‐zhāng (sections → [structure] 章) de ({’s (thing)} 的), ér ({but (rather)} 而) shì (is 是) jǐngjǐng‐yǒu‐tiáo ((jǐng·jǐng orderly · orderly → [methodical] 井井)‐(yǒu having 有)‐(tiáo strips → [orderliness] 条 條) → [methodical]) de ({’s (thing)} 的).” Wèi‐shénme ((Wèi for 为 為)‐(shén·me what · [suf] 什么 什/甚麼) → [why]) huì ({would (it)} 会 會) zhèyàng (zhè·yàng (be) this · {pattern → [way]} 这样 這樣) ne ([? ptcl] 呢)? Kēxué‐jiā ((Kē·xué {branches of study} · learning → [science] 科学 科學)‐(jiā -ists 家) → [scientists]) rènwéi (rèn·wéi identify · {(it) to be} 认为 認為), qízhōng (qí·zhōng {them (the reasons)} · among 其中) de (’s 的) guānjiàn (guān·jiàn {closing → [key part]} · key → [key] 关键 關鍵) zàiyú (zài·yú exists · in → [lies in] 在于 在於) yì (one 一) zhǒng ({kind of} 种 種/种) kàn‐bujiàn ((kàn {looked at} 看)‐(bu·jiàn not · {is seen} 不见 不見) → [invisible]) de (’s 的) dōngxi (dōng·xi east · west → [thing] 东西 東西), jiàozuò (jiào·zuò called · {to be} 叫做) àn (dark 暗)‐wùzhì (wù·zhì matter · substance → [matter] 物质 物質). Àn (dark 暗)‐wùzhì (wù·zhì matter · substance → [matter] 物质 物質) hǎobǐ (hǎo·bǐ well · {is compared to} → [may be likened to] 好比) “yí (one 一) ge ([mw] 个 個/个) kàn‐bujiàn ((kàn {looked at} 看)‐(bu·jiàn not · {is seen} 不见 不見) → [invisible]) de (’s 的) kuàngjià (kuàng·jià frame · rack → [frame] 框架)…ràng (making 让 讓) xīngxì (xīng·xì {of stars} · {tied (things) → [systems]} → [galaxies] 星系), xīngxì (xīng·xì {of stars} · {tied (things) → [system]} → [galaxy] 星系)‐tuán ({rolled into balls (things)} → [clusters] 团 團/糰), hé ({(together) with} → [and] 和 和/龢) chāo‐xīngxì‐tuán ((chāo {jumping/leaping over} → [super-] 超)‐(xīng·xì {of stars} · {tied (things) → [system]} → [galaxy] 星系)‐(tuán {rolled into balls (things)} → [clusters] 团 團/糰) → [galaxy superclusters])…liú (stay 留 留/畱) zài (in 在) gùdìng (gù·dìng {being firm → [firmly]} · set 固定) de (’s 的) wèizhi (wèi·zhi {places → [positions]} · placed → [positions] 位置) shang (upon 上)”.

As can be seen from above, where the English article says that galaxies are distributed according to a pattern, the Mandarin version says that the distribution of galaxies in space is “jǐngjǐng‐yǒu‐tiáo ((jǐng·jǐng orderly · orderly → [methodical] 井井)‐(yǒu having 有)‐(tiáo strips → [orderliness] 条 條) → [methodical])”. Yes, here is yet another Mandarin expression that we can use to express that the universe is highly organized.

Whether or not dark matter really exists or there is some other explanation for the effects currently attributed by many to dark matter, the bottom line is that with all the forces, phenomena, natural laws, etc. at play, the galaxies, etc. in the universe are not randomly and chaotically distributed, but rather, are very methodically ordered and arranged. This testifies to the existence of “some organizing principle”, as one influential astronomer quoted in the above-mentioned article put it, or God, as the Bible puts it.—Genesis 1:1.

“A…Pattern”

Many in the world are scouring the heavens looking for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence, for example, as part of the SETI initiative. Well, as the Awake! issue mentioned above shows, and as the Bible says at Psalm 19:1:

The heavens are declaring the glory of God;
The skies above proclaim the work of his hands.

The truth is that the universe is full of patterns, like the orderly distribution of the galaxies, that are far from random, and that realistically could only have come from God, who technically qualifies as an Extraterrestrial (outside the earth) Superintelligence (an intelligence beyond that of humans). Unfortunately, Satan’s world has brainwashed even highly intelligent scientists with preconceived ideas and prejudices that make them just reflexively filter out and dismiss patterns that are right in front of them, but that are “natural”!