Tag: Homographs

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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.

Categories
Culture Experiences History Language Learning Names Science Theocratic

Lǎhé

Lǎhé (Raʹhab 喇合) 👈🏼 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.]

A few years back, I wrote up a brief web page listing reasons for producing Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音), etc. material for the Imitate (ia) book. Some, especially some who grew up in the West, may have felt that this book is made up of “just stories”, and ones that they were already quite familiar with, at that. However, we must remember that Chinese Bible students may often have a different perspective regarding the Bible accounts that are made to come to life in the Imitate book. As that web page said:

  • Many Chinese people in the world have not been exposed to Bible accounts the way many Westerners have.
  • Also, I have heard that some, perhaps many, Chinese Bible students tend to approach their Bible studies like intellectual exercises for accumulating chōuxiàng (abstract) head knowledge as if for a school exam, rather than as training for their hearts for their own real lives.

Later, the web page touches on how some of the real-world benefits of good storytelling like that found in the Imitate book involve empathy:

  • …
    • The actress Natalie Portman once said, “I love acting. I think it’s the most amazing thing to be able to do. Your job is practicing empathy. You walk down the street imagining every person’s life.”
  • The Imitate book helps build Bible students’ empathy towards Bible characters, which in turn helps Bible students realize that others would feel empathy towards them as well if they imitated these Bible characters—not everyone will just think they’re crazy, like many worldly friends or family members might think.

While even fictional stories can have the benefits described in the links and the quote above, true stories from the Bible can have even greater benefits, including spiritual ones.

Besides the Imitate book, another book from Jehovah’s organization that relates Bible accounts is the Learn From the Bible (lfb) book. The letter from the Governing Body in this book says that, similarly to the Imitate book, the Learn From the Bible book also “brings the Bible accounts to life and captures the feelings of those depicted”, while, unlike the Imitate book, it “tells the story of the human family from creation onward”. While the Learn From the Bible book is especially suitable for children, the letter from the Governing Body in this book says that “it can also be used to help adults who desire to learn more about the Bible”. So, it would be good to consider on this blog some of the expressions used in the Mandarin Learn From the Bible book.

Same Characters, Different Pronunciations

This week’s MEotW, “Lǎhé (Raʹhab 喇合)”, appears in the title of Lesson 30 of the Mandarin Learn From the Bible book:

English:

Rahab Hid the Spies

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

📖 📄 📘 Lǎhé (Raʹhab 喇合) Ràng (Made 让 讓) Tànzi (Tàn·zi {(Ones) Trying to Find Sth. Out → [Spies]} · [suf for nouns] 探子) Cáng ({to Be Hidden} 藏) Qilai (Qi·lai Up · {to Come} 起来 起來)

The Mandarin Learn From the Bible book here uses “Lǎhé (Raʹhab 喇合)” to correspond with “Rahab” in English. The current Mandarin version of the New World Translation Bible (Study Edition) also uses “Lǎhé (Raʹhab 喇合)” this way. For example, here is how it renders Joshua 2:1, which mentions Rahab:

Joshua 2:1 in the Mandarin _NWT_ Study Bible, in the JW Library app

Joshua 2:1 in the Mandarin NWT Study Bible, in the JW Library app

Note, though, that the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) for this used to be “Lāhé (Raʹhab (old pronunciation) 喇合)”, with the same characters, as can be seen in this screenshot of Joshua 2:1 in the PDF for the old printed Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) NWT Bible:

Joshua 2:1 in the PDF for the old printed _Pīnyīn_ _NWT_ Bible

Joshua 2:1 in the PDF for the old printed Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) NWT Bible

Why was this pronunciation changed, even though the same characters are used? Perhaps this was done to align with the common pronunciation of this name. For example, in CC-CEDICT, a public-domain Chinese-English dictionary, the entry for this expression says that the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) for it is “Lǎhé (Raʹhab 喇合)”, and that the definition is “(Protestantism) Rahab, mother of Boaz”. In turn, perhaps there is some connection with the ABC Dictionary’s definition of “lǎ ({prostitute (slang)} | horn; bugle; trumpet; loudspeaker | lama 喇)” as “(slang) prostitute”, which, as many know, is what Rahab worked as before she joined Jehovah’s people.

Context Is King, Not Characters

Anyway, what we have here are homographs, different expressions that are written the same way. In fact, my dictionaries say that the character “喇” that’s used in “Lǎhé (Raʹhab 喇合)” can represent different expressions which can be pronounced “lā”, “lá”, “lǎ”, or “la”. If one encounters the character “喇” then, which of its multiple possible pronunciations is the right one? And, which of its multiple possible meanings is the right one? It depends on the context, which is the same as the situation with homophones written in Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音). (Actually, in a way, a character like “喇” is more ambiguous than a Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) expression like “lǎ ({prostitute (slang)} | horn; bugle; trumpet; loudspeaker | lama 喇)”, because at least the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) expression literally spells out its pronunciation, whereas with a character like “喇”, both its meaning and its pronunciation are ambiguous, even if one knows and can remember the character.)

So, while advocates of characters often make a fuss about the homophones in Mandarin that Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) would write the same way, the corresponding problem of homographs plagues the characters!

For convenience:

The direct link for the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus resource for the Learn From the Bible book is:

The short link for Chinese field language-learning links for the Learn From the Bible 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 Learn From the Bible 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 Technology Theocratic

jìjiào

jìjiào (jì·jiào count; calculate · {dispute [about]} [→ [haggle over; fuss about; bother about; bicker]] 计较 計較) 👈🏼 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.]

I have long especially liked 1 Corinthians 13. It contains counsel on what really does and doesn’t matter in life, an extensive description and definition of the most important kind of love, and a sublime discussion about the need to become complete, mature, as a person. As these apply to life in general, so too do they apply to our lives as Mandarin field language learners.

As Mandarin field language learners, it can benefit us greatly to consider what we can learn from 1 Corinthians 13, and along the way, we can also consider some of the Mandarin expressions used in that chapter in the current version of the Mandarin New World Translation Bible (nwtsty).

‘Keeping Account of the Injury’

This week’s MEotW, “jìjiào (jì·jiào count; calculate · {dispute [about]} [→ [haggle over; fuss about; bother about; bicker]] 计较 計較)”, is used in verse 5 (WOL) of 1 Corinthians 13:

Screenshot of “_jìjiào_” in 1 Co. 13:5 (nwtsty, CHS+_Pīnyīn_ WOL)

(Dark mode for the Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY (WOL) website, as shown in the above image, can be enabled in the Safari web browser by using the Noir Safari extension. Other web browsers may also have extensions with similar functionality.)

For comparison, here are the current English and Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus renderings of 1 Corinthians 13:5:

English:

does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury.

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

📖 📄 📘 bú (not 不) zuò ({does do} 做) bù (not 不) guīju (guī·ju (following) {dividers → [rules]} · {carpenter’s squares → [regulations]} → [following established standards] 规矩 規矩) de (’ 的) shì (things 事), bù (not 不) qiú ({does seek} 求) zìjǐ (self 自己) de (’s 的) lìyì (lì·yì {sharpening → [advantage]} · benefit → [benefit] 利益), bù (not 不) qīngyì (qīng·yì lightly · easily 轻易 輕易) dòngnù (dòng·nù {does have moved} · anger → [does get angry] 动怒 動怒), bú (not 不) jìjiào (jì·jiào {does count} · {does dispute about} 计较 計較) biéren (bié·ren other · people 别人 別人) zàochéng (zào·chéng {have created} · {to come to be} 造成) de (’s 的) shānghài (injuring → [injury] 伤害 傷害),

The “jì (counting; computing; calculating; numbering [→ [plot; plan (n or v)]] 计 計)” in “jìjiào (jì·jiào count; calculate · {dispute [about]} [→ [haggle over; fuss about; bother about; bicker]] 计较 計較)” can mean “count; calculate”, and it also appears in “jìsuàn (jì·suàn counting; computing; calculating · computing; calculating; figuring 计算 計算)”. As for the “jiào (compare; contrast | dispute | {being compared} → [comparatively; relatively; fairly; quite; rather | clear[ly]; obvious[ly]] 较 較)” in “jìjiào (jì·jiào count; calculate · {dispute [about]} [→ [haggle over; fuss about; bother about; bicker]] 计较 計較)”, while it means “compare; contrast” in “bǐjiào (compare; contrast | {being compared} → [comparatively; relatively; fairly; quite; rather] | comparing → [comparison] 比较 比較)”, in “jìjiào (jì·jiào count; calculate · {dispute [about]} [→ [haggle over; fuss about; bother about; bicker]] 计较 計較)” it has its older meaning of “dispute”.

Interestingly, besides its morphemes’ literal meanings of “count; calculate · dispute”, “jìjiào (jì·jiào count; calculate · {dispute [about]} [→ [haggle over; fuss about; bother about; bicker]] 计较 計較)” can also mean “haggle over; fuss about; bother about; bicker” in some settings. In 1 Corinthians 13:5 in the current English and Mandarin versions of the New World Translation Bible, it corresponds with the English expression “keep account of”.

Nitpicking…

Every human-designed system has its shortcomings and negative aspects, including Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音). However, is it advantageous or helpful to harp on or “fuss about” its potentially negative aspects without considering the whole picture?

For example, some make a fuss about the many homophones (different words that sound the same) in Mandarin, saying that they make Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) unsuitable to be a full writing system for Mandarin. In the overall picture of reality, though, since Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) is just a relatively simple representation of Mandarin speech, homophones are no more a problem when people use Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) than they are when people speak Mandarin. People have learned to deal with the challenge of homophones when speaking Mandarin by using sufficient clarifying context, and so people can similarly understand Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音), homophones and all.

(People who say they have trouble understanding Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) because of homophones may actually be showing that the texts they are reading were written without sufficient context, and were relying on characters as a crutch rather than accurately representing Mandarin speech like they should. Or, these people may be showing that they themselves don’t actually understand spoken Mandarin very well, rather than that Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) has some inherent shortcoming, when it just simply and directly represents spoken Mandarin.)

Conversely, in the overall picture, characters have the parallel problem of homographs, characters that could represent multiple different words. So, making an anti-Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) fuss over Mandarin homophones amounts to jìjiào (jì·jiào counting · {disputing about} (things) → [fussing about (things)] 计较 計較), nitpicking over a problem that’s being adequately handled, while offering a solution in the characters that has its own corresponding problem.

Another objection to Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) that I have heard is that it makes some English-speaking Mandarin learners think of English sounds, so the Mandarin they speak doesn’t sound like native Mandarin. For this reason, some say, it would be better to use Chinese characters or Zhùyīn (Zhù·yīn {Annotating of} · Sounds → [Zhuyin] 注音 註/注音), which would not similarly remind people of English. Is this a real thing? Or, is it just an excuse used by some who are infected by Exotic East Syndrome to focus on “exotic” Eastern systems rather than the “mundane” Latin alphabet used by English and Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音)?

I do not doubt that some, even many, English-speaking Mandarin learners think of English sounds when they see Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音), but this is actually not a shortcoming of Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) itself, but rather, a rookie mistake on the part of these English-speaking Mandarin learners, who have not yet trained themselves to recognize Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) as a system that actually represents Mandarin sounds, not English sounds. It may also indicate that these Mandarin learners still need to become more familiar with and used to the sounds of Mandarin in the first place. The article Pīnyīn Is a Good, Workable Writing System on Its Own has an entire section on this, part of which says:

As English-speaking Mandarin-learners get more familiar with the sounds of correct Mandarin speech, they can come to get used to correctly mentally connecting Pīnyīn to correct Mandarin sounds, rather than to English sounds. Then, they can regularly and reliably use Pīnyīn to help them speak Mandarin-sounding Mandarin, just like people regularly and reliably use written French to help them speak French-sounding French.

…While Ignoring White Elephants

Rather than just nitpicking and harping on the real or perceived shortcomings of Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) in order to support the traditionally imposed Chinese characters, let us not overlook the white elephant in the room regarding the inhumanly and inhumanely complex characters—learning and remembering them is extremely difficult and costly in terms of time and effort, especially compared to comparatively simple and elegant Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音). Let us not “strain out the gnat but gulp down the camel” like the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ day did. (Matthew 23:24) Yes, let us not incorrectly look down on and dismiss Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) as merely being training wheels when it is really regular wheels, and let us also not just swallow the egregious reality that Chinese characters are actually more like square wheels than regular wheels!

Lego diorama of people pushing a cart with square wheels, when the cart is filled with round wheels

The problem is not that Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) is like training wheels, because Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) is actually like regular wheels. The real problem is that characters are like square wheels!