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yì‐xiāng‐qíngyuàn

yì‐xiāng‐qíngyuàn ((yì one 一)‐(xiāng side’s 厢 廂)‐(qíng·yuàn feelings’; sentiments’; emotions’; sensibilities’ · {being willing/ready; wanting → [hope; wish; desire]} 情愿 情願) → [one-sided wish; one’s own wishful thinking]) ← Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

[Notes: Tap/click on a Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) expression to reveal its “flashcard”; tap/click on a “flashcard” or its Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) expression to hide the “flashcard”. 📖 📄 📘 icons mean 📖 Reveal All, 📄 Reveal Advanced, and 📘 Reveal None re all the “flashcards” in the heading, paragraph, etc. that they are placed at the beginning of.]

The Shēngmìng Láizì Chuàngzào Ma? ((Shēngmìng Life 生命) (Lái·zì Came · From 来自 來自) (Chuàng·zào Initiating · {Making, Creating} → [Creating] 创造 創造) (Ma [? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 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.

Wishful Thinking

This week’s MEotW, “yì‐xiāng‐qíngyuàn ((yì one 一)‐(xiāng side’s 厢 廂)‐(qíng·yuàn feelings’; sentiments’; emotions’; sensibilities’ · {being willing/ready; wanting → [hope; wish; desire]} 情愿 情願) → [one-sided wish; one’s own wishful thinking])”, appears in paragraph 8 of the section of the Mandarin Was Life Created? brochure entitled “Evolution​—Myths and Facts”:

English:

In the late 1930’s, scientists enthusiastically embraced a new idea.

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

📖 📄 📘 20 shìjì (shì·jì generation · era → [century] 世纪 世紀) 30 niándài (nián·dài years · {replacing’s → [generation’s] → [period’s]} → [decade’s] 年代) mò (end → [last/final stage] 末), kēxuéjiā (kē·xué·jiā {{branches of study} · learning → [science]} · -ists → [scientists] 科学家 科學家) yǒu (had 有) ge ([mw] 个 個/个) yì‐xiāng‐qíngyuàn ((yì one 一)‐(xiāng side’s 厢 廂)‐(qíng·yuàn sentiments’ · {wanting → [hope]} 情愿 情願) → [one’s own wishful thinking]) de (’s 的) xiǎngfa (xiǎng·fa thinking · way 想法).

The English Was Life Created? brochure just says that some scientists in the late 1930’s were enthusiastic about the new idea that they had, that human-guided mutations could efficiently produce new species of plants. Interestingly, the Mandarin translation of this sentence is, shall we say, a little less neutral, coming right out and saying that this idea was one-sided wishful thinking, with no connection to the truth.

“One”—Multiple Pronunciations and Hyphenations

The first morpheme in “yì‐xiāng‐qíngyuàn ((yì one 一)‐(xiāng side’s 厢 廂)‐(qíng·yuàn feelings’; sentiments’; emotions’; sensibilities’ · {being willing/ready; wanting → [hope; wish; desire]} 情愿 情願) → [one-sided wish; one’s own wishful thinking])” is good old “yì (one 一)” (“one”), which is one of the first Mandarin words that any student of Mandarin learns. Here, it’s written with the tone mark for fourth tone, which is how “yī (one 一)” is usually pronounced when it occurs right before a syllable that does not have a fourth tone. This is an example of tone sandhi, and as the MEotW post on “diǎnliàng (diǎn·liàng {dot → [light (v); ignite]} · {to be bright} [→ [illuminate; shine light on]] 点亮 點亮)” said:

On the other hand, the unofficial Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus resources join the official Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) publications, old and new, in explicitly indicating tone sandhi for “bù (not 不)” and “yī (one 一)” (e.g., “búzài (bú·zài not · again; further; continuing; anymore 不再)” instead of the standard “bùzài (bù·zài not · again; further; continuing; anymore 不再)”) to make things easier for readers, even though this practice is not included in the GB/T 16159-2012 [PRC national] standard’s recommendations.

In the end, what matters most re how anything is written is not just what is officially recommended or what happens to be popular among changing, imperfect humans. Rather, what matters most is what really works best to accomplish the goal of writing: To communicate to readers. This is especially true when God-honouring and life-saving Bible truths need to be communicated. So, this blog and the other Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus resources will continue to seek to render Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) in ways that maximize how clearly, easily, effectively, and appropriately it communicates with readers.

In line with what’s said above, note also that for easier decipherability, “yì‐xiāng‐qíngyuàn ((yì one 一)‐(xiāng side’s 厢 廂)‐(qíng·yuàn feelings’; sentiments’; emotions’; sensibilities’ · {being willing/ready; wanting → [hope; wish; desire]} 情愿 情願) → [one-sided wish; one’s own wishful thinking])” is written with hyphens between the words, which is different from how idioms have traditionally been hyphenated in Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音).

Digging into the Past, Wishes

As for the next morpheme in “yì‐xiāng‐qíngyuàn ((yì one 一)‐(xiāng side’s 厢 廂)‐(qíng·yuàn feelings’; sentiments’; emotions’; sensibilities’ · {being willing/ready; wanting → [hope; wish; desire]} 情愿 情願) → [one-sided wish; one’s own wishful thinking])”, dictionaries say that while “xiāng (side [→ [wing of a house; side room | railway compartment | theatre box] 厢 廂)” has meanings like “wing of a house” or “railway compartment”, it also has a traditional or dated meaning of “side”. This reminds us that like English, Mandarin has a long enough history that some of its words don’t mean the same as they used to, and sometimes, we need to dig a bit into the past to understand how an expression’s meanings came to “work” together.

The final word in “yì‐xiāng‐qíngyuàn ((yì one 一)‐(xiāng side’s 厢 廂)‐(qíng·yuàn feelings’; sentiments’; emotions’; sensibilities’ · {being willing/ready; wanting → [hope; wish; desire]} 情愿 情願) → [one-sided wish; one’s own wishful thinking])” is made up of the “qíng (feeling; affection; sentiment; emotion; sensibility [→ [love; passion | favour; kindness | reason; sense]] | situation; circumstances; condition 情)” in “gǎnqíng (gǎn·qíng feeling · sentiment; emotion 感情)” and the “yuàn ({being willing/ready; wanting} [→ [hoping; wishing; desiring | hope; wish; desire]] | {[is] honest; sincere} | {vow (n)} 愿 願)” in “yuànwàng (yuàn·wàng {wanting → [hope; wish; desire]} · {gazing (into the distance [at]) → [hoping; expecting; looking forward to]} [→ [aspiration]] 愿望 願望)”. The resulting word “qíngyuàn (qíng·yuàn feelings’; sentiments’; emotions’; sensibilities’ · {being willing/ready for; wanting [→ [hope; wish; desire]]} [→ [being willing to; preferring]] 情愿 情願)”, in the context of “yì‐xiāng‐qíngyuàn ((yì one 一)‐(xiāng side’s 厢 廂)‐(qíng·yuàn feelings’; sentiments’; emotions’; sensibilities’ · {being willing/ready; wanting → [hope; wish; desire]} 情愿 情願) → [one-sided wish; one’s own wishful thinking])”, means something like “the hope/wish of one’s sentiments”. Thus, the words in “yì‐xiāng‐qíngyuàn ((yì one 一)‐(xiāng side’s 厢 廂)‐(qíng·yuàn feelings’; sentiments’; emotions’; sensibilities’ · {being willing/ready; wanting → [hope; wish; desire]} 情愿 情願) → [one-sided wish; one’s own wishful thinking])” together end up meaning something like “one side’s sentiments’ hope/wish”, or, effectively, “one-sided wish; one’s own wishful thinking”.

Who Are Actually the Ones Believing in Fairy Tales?

Those who support evolution sometimes like to portray supporters of creation as naïve believers in unscientific fairy tales. However, because of their personal desires to not be beholden to a Creator, some supporters of evolution may be the ones who tend to just believe what they want to believe in spite of actual scientific evidence to the contrary. The Was Life Created? brochure points out that actual scientific evidence shows that the assertion that mutation can result in new species of plants or animals is just a myth, and so, as the Mandarin version of that brochure says, it turns out that the scientists who embraced this idea—and by extension, those who followed their lead—were indulging in “yì‐xiāng‐qíngyuàn ((yì one 一)‐(xiāng side’s 厢 廂)‐(qíng·yuàn feelings’; sentiments’; emotions’; sensibilities’ · {being willing/ready; wanting → [hope; wish; desire]} 情愿 情願) → [one-sided wish; one’s own wishful thinking])”, one-sided wishful thinking that’s disconnected from reality.

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
Science Technology Theocratic

tūbiàn

tūbiàn (tū·biàn {chimney → [dashing forward] → [sudden[ly]; unexpected[ly]]} · changing [→ [mutation]] 突变 突變) ← Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

[Notes: Tap/click on a Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) expression to reveal its “flashcard”; tap/click on a “flashcard” or its Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) expression to hide the “flashcard”. 📖 📄 📘 icons mean 📖 Reveal All, 📄 Reveal Advanced, and 📘 Reveal None re all the “flashcards” in the heading, paragraph, etc. that they are placed at the beginning of.]

The Shēngmìng Láizì Chuàngzào Ma? ((Shēngmìng Life 生命) (Lái·zì Came · From 来自 來自) (Chuàng·zào Initiating · {Making, Creating} → [Creating] 创造 創造) (Ma [? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 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.

Myth 1

This week’s MEotW, which appears several times in the Mandarin Was Life Created? brochure, is “tūbiàn (tū·biàn {chimney → [dashing forward] → [sudden[ly]; unexpected[ly]]} · changing [→ [mutation]] 突变 突變)”, which is used to translate “mutation”. What is mutation? The English word “mutation” comes from a Latin word that means “to change”, so “a mutation” is basically a fancy way of saying “a change”, continuing a long tradtion in English of deriving words from Latin to represent scientific concepts (and computer programming concepts, etc.) that could be represented more simply with more common, already-existing English words. Wikipedia’s article on mutation provides this summary of how “mutation” is defined in the specific context of biology:

In biology, a mutation is an alteration in the nucleic acid sequence of the genome of an organism, virus, or extrachromosomal DNA.[source]

So, when considering the question of evolution vs. creation, a “mutation” is simply a change in something’s genetic code. Regarding how central mutation is to evolution theory, the Was Life Created? brochure says that mutation is the focus of what it calls Myth 1 about evolution:

English:

Myth 1. Mutations provide the raw materials needed to create new species.

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Jiǎshè (Jiǎ·shè Artificial · {Setting Up} → [Hypothesis] 假设 假設) 1. Tūbiàn (Tū·biàn {chimney → [dashing forward] → [sudden]} · changings → [mutations] 突变 突變) néng (can 能) wèi (for 为 為/爲) xīn (new 新) wùzhǒng (wù·zhǒng {thing → [creature]} · species → [species] 物种 物種) de (’ 的) xíngchéng (xíng·chéng forming · {to come to be} 形成) tígōng (tí·gōng {carry (hanging down from the hand) → [raise]} · provide 提供) jīchǔ (jī·chǔ foundation · base 基础 基礎).

How the Expression Breaks Down

The “tū (chimney [→ [sticking out | dashing forward [→ [sudden[ly]; unexpected[ly]]]]] 突)” in “tūbiàn (tū·biàn {chimney → [dashing forward] → [sudden[ly]; unexpected[ly]]} · changing [→ [mutation]] 突变 突變)” literally means, oddly enough, “chimney”. Based on this traditional literal meaning, “tū (chimney [→ [sticking out | dashing forward [→ [sudden[ly]; unexpected[ly]]]]] 突)” can be used to mean “dashing forward”, which in turn can be used to mean “sudden” or “suddenly” (presumably like a chimney seems to suddenly dash forward out of the roof of a house). This is apparently the meaning that’s used in “tūbiàn (tū·biàn {chimney → [dashing forward] → [sudden]} · changing → [mutation] 突变 突變)”, since genetic mutations are generally not planned or expected, and thus seem, from our human point of view, to appear suddenly. Probably related to this, another expression in which “tū (chimney [→ [sticking out | dashing forward [→ [sudden[ly]; unexpected[ly]]]]] 突)” appears is “tūrán (tū·rán {chimney → [dashing forward] → [sudden[ly]; abrupt[ly]]} · {-ly | like that} 突然)”, which means “suddenly; abruptly”.

As for the “biàn ({change; transform [into]} 变 變)” in “tūbiàn (tū·biàn {chimney → [dashing forward] → [sudden[ly]; unexpected[ly]]} · changing [→ [mutation]] 突变 突變)”, it’s a well-known expression that means “change”. Another expression in which it appears is the well-known expression “gǎibiàn (changing 改变 改變)”. It also occurs in the expression “biànyì (biàn·yì changed · {to be different} 变异 變異)”, which is used in the Was Life Created? brochure, for example, in this caption of a picture in the section entitled “Evolution​—Myths and Facts” (linked to above):

English:

Mutations can introduce changes in plants​—such as this mutant with large flowers—​but only within limits

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Tūbiàn (Tū·biàn {chimney → [dashing forward] → [sudden]} · changings → [mutations] 突变 突變) néng (can 能) shǐ (cause 使) zhíwù (zhí·wù planted · things → [plants] 植物) fāshēng (fā·shēng {to issue forth} · {to make to come to life} → [to have happen] 发生 發生) biànyì (biàn·yì {being changed} · {to be different} 变异 變異), lìrú (lì·rú example · like → [for example] 例如) shǐ (causing 使) huāduǒ (huā·duǒ flowers · [mw for flowers, clouds, etc.] 花朵) zhǎngde (zhǎng·de {to grow} · {to get} 长得 長得) jiàodà (jiào·dà {being compared → [comparatively]} · {to be large} → [to be larger] 较大 較大), dàn (but 但) biànyì (biàn·yì (the) {being changed} · {to be different} 变异 變異) shì (is 是) yǒu (having 有) júxiàn (limitings → [limits] 局限) de (’ 的)

It’s also noteworthy that “biàn ({change; transform [into]} 变 變)” occurs in “biànzhǒng (biàn·zhǒng changed · kind; type; variety → [mutation; variant; variety | mutant] 变种 變種)”, which is used in the Was Life Created? brochure to mean “mutant”, for example, in this caption of another picture from the section entitled “Evolution​—Myths and Facts”:

English:

Mutant fruit flies, though malformed, are still fruit flies

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Biànzhǒng (Biàn·zhǒng changed · kind → [mutant] 变种 變種) guǒyíng (guǒ·yíng fruit · flies 果蝇 果蠅) suīrán (suī·rán although · -ly 虽然 雖然) xíngzhuàng (forms 形状 形狀) bùtóng (bù·tóng not · {are the same} → [are different] 不同) le ({to completion} 了), dàn (yet 但) réngjiù (réng·jiù still · {(as in the) past} 仍旧 仍舊) shì (are 是) guǒyíng (guǒ·yíng fruit · flies 果蝇 果蠅)

How Myth 1 Breaks Down

As just the picture captions quoted above show, Myth 1 about evolution, that mutations can power evolution, is truly a myth, not a fact. Of course, the Was Life Created? brochure contains much related information in addition to just these quoted picture captions. Indeed, the Mandarin Was Life Created? brochure uses some interesting expressions in relation to the demonstrated erroneousness of this first myth concerning evolution. Perhaps this blog will consider one or more of these expressions in the future.

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
Language Learning Science Technology Theocratic

wùzhǒng

wùzhǒng (wù·zhǒng {thing → [creature]} · species → [species] 物种 物種) ← Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

The Shēngmìng Láizì Chuàngzào Ma? ((Shēngmìng Life 生命) (Lái·zì Came · From 来自 來自) (Chuàng·zào Initiating · {Making, Creating} → [Creating] 创造 創造) (Ma [? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 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.

Feeling Unqualified?

Whether or not a Creator exists is one of the first questions that needs to be settled in order for one to make spiritual progress, and these days, much scientific or technical information, both accurate and inaccurate, is available in connection with this question. So, it would be good for us to try our best to get conversant with such scientific or technical information.

However, perhaps some hesitate to discuss scientific or technical subjects in their ministry (especially in their Mandarin ministry), because of feeling unqualified, or not “smart” enough. Even practising professionals in technical industries such as web or app development, etc., sometimes talk about being affected by impostor syndrome, so it wouldn’t be surprising if some of us in the Mandarin field who have neither been highly educated about science nor systematically trained on Mandarin may feel like impostors when confronting the prospect of speaking to people in Mandarin about scientific subjects.

The Bible contains many examples of ones who similarly felt unqualified to do what Jehovah directed them to do, such as Moses, Gideon, Amos, Jeremiah, etc. However, despite them feeling unqualified, Jehovah provided them with the help and support required for them to ultimately accomplish what he wanted them to accomplish. Also, David coming off victorious against Goliath is a classic example of someone who, because of Jehovah’s help, succeeded in spite of appearing unqualified from a human viewpoint.

The article “Do Not Limit Yourself​—Overcoming Feelings of Inadequacy”, from the November 2012 Kingdom Ministry, makes some good points that can help us if we feel unqualified to participate in some aspect of our God-given ministry. It’s focused on the Bible study activity in general, but the points it makes can also apply to, say, speaking to people in Mandarin about evolution and creation.

Related Mandarin Resources

Speaking of speaking to people in Mandarin about evolution and creation, helping us to do so is the official Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) material for 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 for 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 that Jehovah’s organization has made available. Also, some related unofficial 3-line and Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus material is also available, as detailed at the tiandi.info/lc short link for Chinese language-learning resources for the Was Life Created? brochure. (Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus material and a short link for the Origin of Life brochure are also in the works.)

This blog will also seek to help out by occasionally discussing expressions that appear in the Mandarin versions of the Was Life Created? brochure and the Origin of Life brochure. One such expression is this week’s MEotW, “wùzhǒng (wù·zhǒng {thing → [creature]} · species → [species] 物种 物種)”, which is used to translate the English word “species”.

Species and Kinds in Mandarin

First, what does “species” even mean in English? One dictionary gives this definition:

Biology A group of closely related organisms that are very similar to each other and are usually capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring.

Now, consider this footnote in the Was Life Created? brochure that discusses how “species” compares to the term “kind” that’s used in the Bible’s Genesis account:

While the word “species” is used frequently in this section, it should be noted that this term is not found in the Bible book of Genesis. There we find the term “kind,” which is much broader in meaning. Often, what scientists choose to call the evolution of a new species is simply a matter of variation within a “kind,” as the word is used in the Genesis account.

With the above in mind, note that the Was Life Created? brochure (Mandarin version © 2010, 2023-02 Printing) uses “wùzhǒng (wù·zhǒng {thing → [creature]} · species → [species] 物种 物種)” to translate “species”, and it uses the “lèi ({kind; type; class; category; genus [of]} | {resemble; be similar to} 类 類)” in “rénlèi (rén·lèi human/man·kind 人类 人類)” to translate “kinds”, as referred to in the Bible book of Genesis.

In comparison, worldly dictionaries like those that can be viewed in the Pleco app join the Was Life Created? brochure in presenting “Wùzhǒng Qǐyuán ((Wù·zhǒng {Thing → [Creature]} · Species’ → [Species’] 物种 物種) (Qǐ·yuán {Rising → [Starting]} · Source → [Origin] 起源/原) → [Origin of Species])” as the Mandarin translation of “Origin of Species”, the famous book by Charles Darwin. Also, note that in the Mandarin translation of this passage:

The Bible word “kinds” is not a scientific term, but it seems to refer to broad divisions of life-forms. Thus, a single “kind” may include many species or varieties.

the 2021 Awake, No. 3 uses “zhǒnglèi (zhǒng·lèi {{species [of]} | {seed; strain; breed [of]} | {type [of]}; {kind [of]}} · {kind; type; class; category; genus [of]} 种类 種類)” to translate “species”, and it follows the current Mandarin New World Translation Bible (nwtsty) in using “lèibié (lèi·bié kind; type; class; category; genus · differentiated → [classification; category; kind] 类别 類別)” to translate “kinds”. (Compare Genesis 1:24, 25 in English and Mandarin.) Also, in case you ever encounter “pǐnzhǒng (pǐn·zhǒng product · variety → [breed; strain; variety] 品种 品種)”, that’s what this issue of Awake! uses to translate “varieties”.

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.