Tag: Evolution

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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”!

Categories
Culture Experiences History Language Learning Science Theocratic

záluàn‐wú‐zhāng

záluàn (zá·luàn miscellaneous; mixed · {in disorder}; chaotic; random; arbitrary → [disorderly; mixed; in a jumble/mess; chaotic] 杂乱 雜亂)‐wú ({not having}; without; no 无 無/无)‐zhāng (sections [→ [order | rules; regulation; constitution | composition; structure; system; pattern]] 章) 👈🏼 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.

Not Haphazard

This week’s MEotW, “záluàn (zá·luàn miscellaneous; mixed · {in disorder}; chaotic; random; arbitrary → [disorderly; mixed; in a jumble/mess; chaotic] 杂乱 雜亂)‐wú ({not having}; without; no 无 無/无)‐zhāng (sections [→ [order | rules; regulation; constitution | composition; structure; system; pattern]] 章)”, occurs in paragraph 12 of the QUESTION 2 section of the Origin of Life brochure, which section is entitled, in English, “Is Any Form of Life Really Simple?”:

English:

Imagine that you have been allowed past the “security guard” and are now inside the cell. The interior of a prokaryotic cell is filled with a watery fluid that is rich in nutrients, salts, and other substances. The cell uses these raw ingredients to manufacture the products it needs. But the process is not haphazard. Like an efficiently run factory, the cell organizes thousands of chemical reactions so that they take place in a specific order and according to a set timetable.

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

📖 📄 📘 Jiǎshè (Jiǎ·shè {being artificial} · {set up} → [suppose] 假设 假設) nǐ (you 你) dédào (dé·dào {have gotten} · {arriving at} 得到) “ménwèi (mén·wèi door/entrance · {guarding (person’s)} 门卫 門衛)” yǔnxǔ (permitting 允许 允許), kěyǐ (kě·yǐ {are able} · [suf] 可以) jìnrù ({to enter} 进入 進入) xìbāo (xì·bāo tiny · womb → [cell] 细胞 細胞) “gōngchǎng (gōng·chǎng work · factory → [factory] 工厂 工廠)” le ([(at the end of a phrase/sentence) indicates a change] 了). Nǐ (you 你) huì (will 会 會) fāxiàn (fā·xiàn {send out → [develop]} · {appearing of} → [find] 发现/见 發現/見) yuánhé (yuán·hé primitive · {pit (of a fruit) → [nucleus]} → [prokaryotic] 原核) xìbāo (xì·bāo tiny · womb → [cell] 细胞 細胞) nèi (inside 内 內) mǎn ({filled with} 满 滿) shì (is 是) xiàng (like 像/象) shuǐ (water 水) yíyàng (yí·yàng {(of) one} · form → [the same] 一样 一樣) de (’s 的) yètǐ (yè·tǐ fluid · {bodies → [substances]} → [fluids] 液体 液體), zhèixiē (zhèi·xiē this · {indefinite number of} → [these] 这些 這些) yètǐ (yè·tǐ fluid · {bodies → [substances]} → [fluids] 液体 液體) hányǒu (hán·yǒu {hold in the mouth → [contain]} · have 含有) fēngfù (fēng·fù rich · abundant 丰富 豐富) de (’s 的) yǎngfèn (yǎng·fèn supporting · components → [nutrients] 养分 養分), yán (salts 盐 鹽), hé ({(together) with} → [and] 和 和/龢) qítā (qí·tā them · otherwise’s → [other] 其他) wùzhì (wù·zhì matter · substances → [substances] 物质 物質). Xìbāo (Xì·bāo tiny · womb → [cell] 细胞 細胞) yòng (uses 用) zhèixiē (zhèi·xiē this · {indefinite number of} → [these] 这些 這些) “yuán (original → [raw] 原) cáiliào (cái·liào {timber → [material]} · materials → [materials] 材料)” zhìzào (zhì·zào {to manufacture} · {to make} → [to manufacture] 制造 製造) suǒxū (suǒ·xū {those which} · {are needed} 所需) de (’s 的) dōngxi (dōng·xi easts · wests → [things] 东西 東西), dàn (but 但) guòchéng (guò·chéng {to be passed through} · {journey → [procedure]} → [process] 过程 過程) bìng (definitely 并 並/竝/并) 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 (process)} 的). Xìbāo (Xì·bāo tiny · womb → [cell] 细胞 細胞) hǎoxiàng (hǎo·xiàng {well → [very much]} · {is like} 好像/象) yùnzuò (yùn·zuò transports · does → [operates] 运作 運作) shùnchàng (shùn·chàng {being following → [being suiting]} · {being smooth} → [smoothly] 顺畅 順暢) de (’s 的) gōngchǎng (gōng·chǎng work · factory → [factory] 工厂 工廠) nàyàng (nà·yàng that · {form → [way]} 那样 那樣), zài (in 在) xìbāo (xì·bāo tiny · womb → [cell] 细胞 細胞) li (inside 里 裡/裏) jìnxíng (jìn·xíng {are advanced} · {are walked → [are carried out]} 进行 進行) de (’s 的) wúshù (wú·shù without · number 无数 無數) huàxué (huà·xué {transforming → [chemistry]} · studying → [chemical] 化学 化學) fǎnyìng (fǎn·yìng {in the reverse direction} · respondings → [reactions] 反应 反應) quándōu (quán·dōu completely · all 全都) ànshí (àn·shí {according to} · {(particular) times} → [on schedule] 按时 按時) jìnxíng (jìn·xíng {are advanced} · {are walked → [are carried out]} 进行 進行), érqiě (ér·qiě and · moreover 而且) jǐngrán (jǐng·rán {are orderly} · {are correct} 井然)‐yǒuxù (yǒu·xù {are having} · sequence 有序).

In the above examples, “záluàn (zá·luàn miscellaneous; mixed · {in disorder}; chaotic; random; arbitrary → [disorderly; mixed; in a jumble/mess; chaotic] 杂乱 雜亂)‐wú ({not having}; without; no 无 無/无)‐zhāng (sections [→ [order | rules; regulation; constitution | composition; structure; system; pattern]] 章) is used to translate the English word “haphazard”. Yes, in contrast to the haphazard mess that any system generated by random chance would be (if anything even resembling a system gets generated at all), the system inside our cells for manufacturing needed products actually operates with a very high degree of organization, orderliness, and efficiency. This is strong evidence that our cells were actually not produced by the random processes of evolution, but rather, by an organized and orderly intelligent Creator.

Haphazard, Not Haphazard

Of particular interest to Mandarin field language learners, if we look at Chinese characters, which were designed by imperfect humans, it would be fair to describe the way they were designed as being haphazard, even compared to other human-designed systems. For example, the book The Chinese Language: Fact and Fantasy, on page 111, says:

Comparatively speaking, the Japanese syllabaries are quite simple and efficient. Their forty-seven symbols do a reasonably good job of representing the sound system of Japanese with its mere 113 different syllables. In contrast, the Chinese syllabary, which must cope with a far more complex syllabic system (3,877 syllables in earlier Chinese and 1,277 in current standard Chinese if tones are included, 398 if tones are excluded), is not only appallingly large but also quite unstandardized and hence extremely inefficient—all this of course due to the fact that it has not been manipulated and refined like the Japanese syllabaries but throughout its history right down to today has evolved in a more or less haphazard manner.

One of the ways in which Chinese characters are relatively haphazard is in how they represent their pronunciations. Even though many characters have phonetic (relating to speech sounds) elements that supposedly relate to how they are to be pronounced, ultimately, there is no consistent, overall system such that if a character is like this, then its pronunciation must thus be that—if you bump into a Chinese character that you never learned, or that you learned but forgot (this character amnesia actually happens all the time, even to experienced native Mandarin speakers), then ultimately you can only guess at how to pronounce it!

Speaking of phonetic elements, characters are so old that the phonetic elements of characters that have them may actually be based on old pronunciations that are different from the modern day pronunciations that these phonetic elements appear to modern readers to indicate. So, even the supposedly phonetic elements of characters are not reliable indicators of the modern Mandarin pronunciations of these characters, adding to the overall haphazard nature of characters.

Another haphazard aspect of characters is the many homographs among them, that is, different words that are written with the same characters, but that have different possible pronunciations and meanings, such that one must examine the context to deduce which pronunciation and meaning are actually the intended ones in any given situation.

In marked contrast, Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) is a simple, elegant, consistent system of representing modern Mandarin speech, such that if Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) expressions are written a certain way, then they must be pronounced a certain way—not haphazard at all!

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.