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Zhōngdōng

Zhōngdōng (Zhōng·dōng Middle · East 中东 中東) 👈🏼 Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

[In view of the renewed fighting in the Middle East, and since the below-mentioned article is again being featured on jw.org, it seems appropriate to revisit this post that was originally posted on July 1, 2025. By the way, the Mandarin expression for “Iran” is “Yīlǎng (Iran 伊朗)”.]

[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.]

At the time of this writing, jw.org was featuring the article “War in the Middle East—What Does the Bible Say?”. Where the English version of this article uses the expression “Middle East”, the Mandarin version uses this week’s MEotW, “Zhōngdōng (Zhōng·dōng Middle · East 中东 中東)”. For example, here are the English and Mandarin versions of the article’s title:

English:

War in the Middle East—What Does the Bible Say?

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Guānyú (Guān·yú {Closing → [Relating]} · to 关于 關於) Zhōngdōng (Zhōng·dōng Middle · East’s 中东 中東) Fāshēng (Fā·shēng {Issuing Forth} · {Coming to Life} → [Happening] 发生 發生) de (’s 的) Zhànzhēng (Zhàn·zhēng War · Contending → [War] 战争 戰爭), Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng (the) Holy · Scriptures → [the Bible] 圣经 聖經) de (’s 的) Guāndiǎn (Guān·diǎn {Looking at → [View]} · Point → [Viewpoint] 观点 觀點) Shì (Is 是) Shénme (Shén·me What · [suf] 什么 什/甚麼)?

Related Expressions

The “Zhōng ({within/among/[in] the midst of (it/them…)} | centre; middle | midst | amid | medium; intermediate 中)” in “Zhōngdōng (Zhōng·dōng Middle · East 中东 中東)” corresponds to “Middle”, and it also occurs in expressions such as past MEotW’s “Zhōngguó (Zhōng·guó Central · Nation → [China | Chinese] 中国 中國)” 🔗, “Zhōngwén (Zhōng·wén {Central → [Chinese]} · Writing 中文)” 🔗, and “Zhōngyāng Zhǎnglǎo‐Tuán ((Zhōngyāng Central 中央) (Zhǎng·lǎo {Grown → [Elder]} · Old (Men) → [Elders] 长老 長老)‐(Tuán {Rolled into a Ball (Thing)} → [Group] → [Body] 团 團/糰) → [Governing Body])” 🔗. (Note that in these past MEotW’s, “Zhōng ({within/among/[in] the midst of (it/them…)} | centre; middle | midst | amid | medium; intermediate 中)” is really used to mean “Central”, which is a bit different from “Middle”.)

The “dōng (east 东 東)” in “Zhōngdōng (Zhōng·dōng Middle · East 中东 中東)” corresponds to “East”. For reference, here are the Mandarin expressions for the cardinal directions and the ordinal or intercardinal directions:

  • běi (north | northern 北)
  • dōngběi (dōng·běi {east | eastern} · {north | northern} → [north-east | north-eastern] 东北 東北)
  • dōng (east | eastern 东 東)
  • dōngnán (dōng·nán {east | eastern} · {south | southern} → [south-east | south-eastern] 东南 東南)
  • nán (south | southern 南)
  • xīnán (xī·nán {west | western} · {south | southern} → [south-west | south-western] 西南)
  • xī (west | western 西)
  • xīběi (xī·běi {west | western} · {north | northern} → [north-west | north-western] 西北)

Note how the Mandarin expressions for the ordinal or intercardinal directions use reverse word order compared to their English counterparts. For example, “xīběi (xī·běi {west | western} · {north | northern} → [north-west | north-western] 西北)” literally means “west · north”, in contrast to the English word “north-west”. This may remind one of how the Mandarin word for “compass”, past MEotW “zhǐnán‐zhēn ((zhǐ·nán {(points with) finger → [points]} · south 指南)‐(zhēn needle 针 針) → [compass])”, on a certain level of literalness means “points south needle”, in contrast to the Western view that a compass needle points north. Both are right—when one end of a symmetrical compass needle is pointing south, the other end is simultaneously pointing north—they’re just different ways of thinking about the same thing.

A Longer Usage Example

To provide a longer, more extensive example of how “Zhōngdōng (Zhōng·dōng Middle · East 中东 中東)” and some related expressions can be used in the ministry, here is some Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus material based on the introductory paragraphs of the above-mentioned article:

English:

The world is anxiously watching the conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran. Will the situation escalate into a wider war? Can governments avert disaster and achieve lasting peace?

Those familiar with Bible prophecy may wonder whether this Middle East conflict could be the start of the battle of Armageddon mentioned in the book of Revelation.

What does the Bible say?

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Měiguó (Měi·guó American · Nation → [USA] 美国 美國), Yǐsèliè (Israel 以色列), hé ({(together) with} → [and] 和 和/龢) Yīlǎng (Iran 伊朗) zhījiān (zhī·jiān them · among 之间 之間) de (’s 的) chōngtū (chōng·tū {dashing → [clashing]} · {chimney → [dashing forward]} → [conflict] 冲突 衝突), nòngde (nòng·de {has played with → [has made]} · getting 弄得) shìjiè (shì·jiè {generation → [world]} · extent’s → [world’s] 世界) gèdì (gè·dì various · lands 各地) rénxīn (rén·xīn people’s · hearts → [public feeling] 人心)‐huánghuáng (huáng·huáng {to be fearful → [to be anxious]} · {to be fearful → [to be anxious]} 惶惶). Zhèige (Zhèi·ge this · [mw] 这个 這個) chōngtū (chōng·tū {dashing → [clashing]} · {chimney → [dashing forward]} → [conflict] 冲突 衝突) huì (will 会 會) yǎnbiàn (yǎn·biàn perform · changing → [develop] 演变 演變) chéng ({to become} 成) dà (large 大)‐guīmó (guī·mó {compasses → [rules]} · model → [scale] 规模 規模) de (’s 的) zhànzhēng (zhàn·zhēng war · contending → [war] 战争 戰爭) ma ([? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)? Zhèngfǔ (Zhèng·fǔ political · {seats of government} → [governments] 政府) yǒu ({do have} 有) nénglì (néng·lì ability · power 能力) píngxī (píng·xī {to make to be flat, level, even → [to make to be calm]} · {to stop} → [to calm/quiet down] 平息) chōngtū (chōng·tū {dashing → [clashing]} · {chimney → [dashing forward]} → [conflict] 冲突 衝突), dàilái (dài·lái {to bring} · {to come} 带来 帶來) chángjiǔ (cháng·jiǔ long · {for a long time} 长久 長久) de (’s 的) hépíng (hé·píng {being (together) with (one another)} · {being flat, level, even} → [peace (nwtsty-CHS Appx. A2 says this term mainly refers to the absence of war or conflict)] 和平) ma ([? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)?

📖 📄 📘 Yǒuxiē (Yǒu·xiē {(there) are having → [(there) are]} · some 有些) dúguo (dú·guo reading · {have passed} → [have read] 读过 讀過) Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng Holy · Scriptures → [Bible] 圣经 聖經) yùyán (yù·yán {in advance} · sayings → [prophecy] 预言 預言) de (’s 的) rén (people (who) 人) kěnéng (kě·néng maybe · {being able} → [maybe] 可能) huì (will 会 會) dānxīn (dān·xīn {carry on a shoulder pole → [take on (a heavy)]} · heart → [worry] 担/耽心 擔/耽心), zài (in 在) Zhōngdōng (Zhōng·dōng Middle · East 中东 中東) fāshēng (fā·shēng {issuing forth} · {coming to life} → [happening] 发生 發生) de (’s 的) chōngtū (chōng·tū {dashing → [clashing]} · {chimney → [dashing forward]} → [conflict] 冲突 衝突) huì (will 会 會) yǐnfā (yǐn·fā {draw (out)} · {to send out} → [lead to] 引发 引發) Hāmǐjíduōdùn (Armageddon 哈米吉多顿 哈米吉多頓) dàzhàn (dà·zhàn {big → [great]} · war 大战 大戰), cóng’ér (cóng’·ér {from (that)} · thus 从而 從而) dàilái (dài·lái bring · {to come} 带来 帶來) shìjiè (shì·jiè {generation → [world]} · extent’s → [world’s] 世界) mòrì (mò·rì end · {sun → [day]} → [doomsday] 末日).

📖 📄 📘 Nàme (Nà·me {(in) that (case)} · [suf] 那么/末 那麼/末), Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng (the) Holy · Scriptures → [the Bible] 圣经 聖經) de (’s 的) guāndiǎn (guān·diǎn {looking at → [view]} · point → [viewpoint] 观点 觀點) shì (is 是) shénme (shén·me what · [suf] 什么 什/甚麼) ne ([? ptcl] 呢)?

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Mòrì Shízhōng

Mòrì (Mò·rì End · {Sun → [Day]} → [Doomsday] 末日)
Shízhōng (Shí·zhōng {(Particular) Times} · Clock → [Clock] 时钟 時鐘) 👈🏼 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.]

At the time of this writing, jw.org was featuring the article “Doomsday Clock Moves Closer to Midnight”. Where the English version of this article uses the expression “Doomsday Clock”, the Mandarin version uses this week’s MEotW, “Mòrì (Mò·rì End · {Sun → [Day]} → [Doomsday] 末日) Shízhōng (Shí·zhōng {(Particular) Times} · Clock → [Clock] 时钟 時鐘)”.

(Incidentally, “wǔyè (wǔ·yè {7th of the 12 Earthly Branches → [south (placed at the midnight position of Chinese directions charts)]} · night → [midnight] 午夜)”, the Mandarin word for “midnight”, was the subject of a past MEotW post.)

The End

The “mò (tip; end [→ [last/final stage]] 末)” in “mòrì (mò·rì end · {sun → [day]} → [doomsday] 末日)” was discussed in the MEotW post on “shìjiè (shì·jiè {generation → [world]} · extent → [world] 世界) mòrì (mò·rì end · {sun → [day]} 末日)”:

The “mò (tip; end [→ [last/final stage]] 末)” in “mòrì (mò·rì end · {sun → [day]} 末日)” also appears in “mòqī (mò·qī end · period 末期)”, and indeed, in “mòshì (mò·shì {end of → [last stage/phase of]} · {generation → [world | age; era]} 末世)”. Some who have been in the Mandarin field for a while may also remember the expression “mòhòu (mò·hòu end · last 末后 末後) de (’s 的) rìzi (rì·zi {suns → [days]} · [suf for nouns] 日子)”. However, note that in the current version of the Mandarin New World Translation Bible (nwtsty), this expression has been replaced with “zuìhòu (zuì·hòu most · afterwards → [final] 最后 最後) de (’s 的) shíqī (shí·qī {(particular) time} · period 时期 時期)” in scriptures such as Ezekiel 38:16.

Ezekiel 38:16 (WOL CHS+Pinyin Parallel Translations)

What Is the Doomsday Clock?

The above-mentioned article contains the following footnote explaining what the Doomsday Clock is:

English:

“The Doomsday Clock is a design that warns the public about how close we are to destroying our world with dangerous technologies of our own making. It is a metaphor, a reminder of the perils we must address if we are to survive on the planet.”—Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 “Mòrì (Mò·rì End · {Sun → [Day]} → [Doomsday] 末日) Shízhōng (Shí·zhōng {(Particular) Times} · Clock → [Clock] 时钟 時鐘) shì (is 是) yí (one 一) ge ([mw] 个 個/个) xūgòu (xū·gòu {being empty → [falsely]} · {constructed → [made up]} → [imaginary] 虚构 虛構) de (’s 的) zhōngmiàn (zhōng·miàn clock · face 钟面 鐘面), yònglái (yòng·lái used · {to come} 用来 用來) jǐngshì (jǐng·shì {to warn} · {to show} 警示) rénmen (rén·men person · [pl] → [people] 人们 人們) yīn ({because of} 因) lànyòng (làn·yòng {overflowingly → [indiscriminately]} · using → [misusing] 滥用 濫用) kējì (kē·jì {branches of study → [science]} · {skills → [technology]} → [technology] 科技), jùlí (jù·lí {being apart from → [distance from]} · {leaving from → [being at a distance from]} → [distance from] 距离 距離) zìwǒ (zì·wǒ self · {me → [self]} 自我) huǐmiè (huǐ·miè destroying · extinguishing → [destruction] 毁灭 毀滅) yǒu ({is having} → [is] 有) duō ({(how) much} 多) jìn ({being close} 近), yě (also 也) tíxǐng (tí·xǐng {to carry (hanging down from the hand) → [to raise]} · {being awake} of → [to remind] 提醒) rénlèi (rén·lèi human·kind 人类 人類) rúguǒ (rú·guǒ if · {fruit → [if indeed]} 如果) yào ({(we) want} 要) bìkāi (bì·kāi {to avoid} · {to be opened from → [to be clear of]} 避开 避開) zhèyàng (zhè·yàng this · kind 这样 這樣) de (’s 的) hàojié (hào·jié great · {plundering → [catastrophe]} 浩劫), jiù (then 就) yào (must 要) jiějué (jiě·jué {untie → [solve]} · decide → [solve] 解决 解決) něixiē (něi·xiē which · {indefinite number of} → [which] 哪些) wèntí (wèn·tí asking · problems → [problems] 问题 問題).”—Yuánzǐ Kēxué‐jiā Gōngbào ((Yuán·zǐ Original · {Small and Hard Things} → [Atomic] 原子) ((Kē·xué {Branches of Study} · Learning → [Science] 科学 科學)‐(jiā -ists’ 家) → [Scientists’]) (Gōng·bào Public · Bulletin → [Bulletin] 公报 公報) → [Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists]) (Yīngyǔ (Yīng·yǔ English · Language 英语 英語)).

“The Closest It Has Ever Been”

It’s noteworthy that the above-mentioned article says that as of January 27, 2026,

English:

“The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Science and Security Board today sets the Doomsday Clock at 85 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever been to catastrophe.”—Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 “Yuánzǐ Kēxué‐jiā Gōngbào ((Yuán·zǐ Original · {Small and Hard Things} → [Atomic] 原子) ((Kē·xué {Branches of Study} · Learning → [Science] 科学 科學)‐(jiā -ists’ 家) → [Scientists’]) (Gōng·bào Public · Bulletin → [Bulletin] 公报 公報) → [Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists]) Kēxué (Kē·xué {Branches of Study} · Learning → [Science] 科学 科學) yǔ (and 与 與/与) Ānquán (Ān·quán {Being Safe} · {Being Whole} → [Security] 安全) Wěiyuán‐Huì ((Wěi·yuán Entrusted · Members 委员 委員)‐(Huì Gathering 会 會) → [Board]) jiāng (takes 将 將) Mòrì (Mò·rì End · {Sun → [Day]} → [Doomsday] 末日) Shízhōng (Shí·zhōng {(Particular) Times} · Clock → [Clock] 时钟 時鐘) tiáokuài (tiáo·kuài {to be adjusted} · {to be fast(er) → [to be farther ahead]} 调快 調快) le ([(at the end of a phrase/sentence) indicates a change] 了), jùlí (jù·lí {to be apart from} · {to be leaving from → [to be at a distance from]} 距离 距離) wǔyè (wǔ·yè {7th of the 12 Earthly Branches → [south (placed at the midnight position of Chinese directions charts)]} · night → [midnight] 午夜) zhǐ (just 只 只/秖/衹/祇) shèng ({having remaining} 剩 剩/賸) 85 miǎo (seconds 秒), shì ((which) is 是) rénlèi (rén·lèi human·kind’s 人类 人類) shǐ (history 史) shang (upon 上) zuì (most 最 最/㝡) jiējìn (jiē·jìn {has come close to} · {has been near} 接近) shìjiè (shì·jiè {generation → [world]} · extent’s → [world’s] 世界) mòrì (mò·rì end · {sun → [day]} → [doomsday] 末日) de (’s 的) shíkè (shí·kè {(particular) time} · {carving → [moment]} 时刻 時刻).”—Yuánzǐ Kēxué‐jiā Gōngbào ((Yuán·zǐ Original · {Small and Hard Things} → [Atomic] 原子) ((Kē·xué {Branches of Study} · Learning → [Science] 科学 科學)‐(jiā -ists’ 家) → [Scientists’]) (Gōng·bào Public · Bulletin → [Bulletin] 公报 公報) → [Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists]) (Yīngyǔ (Yīng·yǔ English · Language 英语 英語)).

What’s Ahead?

Naturally, many will have questions like those below, that are asked in the above-mentioned article:

English:

Is the end of humanity and the end of our planet approaching? Do we need to fear what the future holds? What does the Bible say?

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Rénlèi (Rén·lèi human·kind 人类 人類) hé ({(together) with} → [and] 和 和/龢) dìqiú (dì·qiú earth · globe → [the earth] 地球) zhēnde (zhēn·de really · ’s 真的) bīnlín (bīn·lín {are close to (the sea/river/lake/etc.) → [are on the brink of]} · {are approaching} 濒临 瀕臨) huǐmiè (huǐ·miè destroying · extinguishing → [destruction] 毁灭 毀滅) ma ([? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)? Wǒmen (Wǒ·men we · [pl] 我们 我們) xūyào ({do need} 需要) dānxīn (dān·xīn {to carry on shoulder poles → [to take on (heavy)]} · hearts (about) → [to feel anxious about] 担/耽心 擔/耽心) wèilái (wèi·lái (what) {has not yet} · come → [the future] 未来 未來) ma ([? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)? Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng (the) Holy · Scriptures → [the Bible] 圣经 聖經) de (’s 的) guāndiǎn (guān·diǎn {looking at → [view]} · point → [viewpoint] 观点 觀點) shì (is 是) shénme (shén·me what · [suf] 什么 什/甚麼)?

It is our privilege to share the answers to those questions with honest-hearted ones in the Mandarin field, if we have learned well enough how to understand Mandarin speech and speak the required Mandarin understandably.—1 Corinthians 14:8–11.

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yǔzhòu

yǔzhòu (yǔ·zhòu universe · {all time, past, present, and future} → [[the] universe; cosmos; space | cosmic] 宇宙) 👈🏼 Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

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

At the time of this writing, jw.org was featuring an article from the No. 3 2021 issue of Awake! magazine, about what the universe tells us about a Creator. The title of this article, in English and in Mandarin, is as follows:

English:

What the Universe Tells Us

Mandarin:

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

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

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

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

Spacetime

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

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

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

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

“Because They Were Designed?”

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

English:

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

Mandarin:

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

A Particular Need in the Mandarin Field

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

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

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

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

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

Chart: Languages by First-Language Speakers—2019

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

Creation/Evolution, and Also the Great Wall of Characters

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

The Great Wall of China

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

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