Tag: Mobile Devices

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Language Learning Science Technology Theocratic

qūshǐ

qūshǐ (qū·shǐ {spur on (a horse) → [urge on]} · make; cause → [prompt; urge; spur on] 驱使 驅使) 👈🏼 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 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. 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.

Prompt

This week’s MEotW, which appears in the section of the Mandarin Was Life Created? brochure entitled “Nǐ (You 你) Xiāngxìn (Xiāng·xìn It · {Do Believe} → [Do Believe] 相信) Shénme (Shén·me What · [suf] 什么 什/甚麼) Ne ([? ptcl] 呢)?” (“What Do You Believe?”), is “qūshǐ (qū·shǐ {spur on (a horse) → [urge on]} · make; cause → [prompt; urge; spur on] 驱使 驅使)”:

English:

It is our hope that this brochure will prompt you to examine again the basis for some of your beliefs.

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

📖 📄 📘 Wǒmen (Wǒ·men we · [pl] 我们 我們) xīwàng (xī·wàng hope · {gaze (into the distance) at (that) → [hope]} → [hope] 希望) běn ({root or stem of a} → [this] 本) cèzi (cè·zi brochure · [suf for nouns] 册子 冊子) néng ({will be able} 能) qūshǐ (qū·shǐ {to spur on (a horse) → [to urge on]} · {to cause} → [to prompt] 驱使 驅使) nǐ (you 你) chóngxīn (chóng·xīn again · newly 重新) xiǎngxiang (xiǎng·xiang {to think about} · {to think about} 想想) zìjǐ (self 自己) de (’s 的) kànfǎ (kàn·fǎ {looking at (some things)} · way 看法) yǒu ({does have} 有) shénme (shén·me what · [suf] 什么 什/甚麼) yījù (yī·jù {being relied on} · evidence → [basis] 依据 依據).

While the first morpheme in “qūshǐ (qū·shǐ {spur on (a horse) → [urge on]} · make; cause → [prompt; urge; spur on] 驱使 驅使)” seems to have originally had a literal meaning of “spur a horse on”—as hinted at by the “马/馬 (horse)” radical/character component in it—in the context of “qūshǐ (qū·shǐ {spur on (a horse) → [urge on]} · make; cause → [prompt; urge; spur on] 驱使 驅使)” it’s used to mean “urge on”. (Interestingly, this morpheme is also used in “xiānqū (xiān·qū {in advance} · {drives (a horse/car/etc.) → [runs quickly]} (person) → [pioneer] 先驱 先驅)” (“pioneer”), in which it probably has an effective meaning of “runs quickly”.) Combined with “shǐ (causing; making | using | sending | envoy | if 使)”, which in this context means “make” or “cause”, we get an effective meaning of “urge”, “spur on”, or “prompt”, as shown in the above example.

Bearing Witness in Mandarin

As the Was Life Created? brochure says, our objective in talking to people in the Mandarin field about whether life was created is just to prompt or encourage them to think about why they believe what they believe about this subject. That’s why we’re called Jehovah’s Witnesses—we bear witness and testify regarding the evidence.—Isaiah 43:10–12.

Of course, in the Mandarin field, we need to do this using the Mandarin language. Let us be prepared, not just to read Chinese characters from a page or a screen 📱, but to actually talk with people in Mandarin and help them understand the evidence that the Creator exists, and that he will through his Kingdom government make this earth into a peaceful paradise, without the wars, natural disasters, and other problems that we see around us today.

While evolution/creation can be a relatively technically challenging subject to talk to people about, especially in Mandarin, thankfully, Jehovah and his organization have provided excellent tools like the Was Life Created? brochure, the JW Language app (iOS/iPadOS, Android, Microsoft Store), etc. to help us. In general, the technology, tools, and resources now available to help with Mandarin language learning are also better than ever. (Links to some Mandarin field language-learning resources can be found here.) Let us each move forward with a positive attitude on our own personal Mandarin-learning journey, and not be held back by the traditions and limitations of the past.

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
Science Technology Theocratic

miǎománg

miǎománg (miǎo·máng {(as if lost on or in a) vast expanse (of water) → [distant; indistinct; vague | tiny; insignificant]} · {vast; borderless (as an expanse of water); indistinct} → [distant and indistinct; remote and vague | uncertain] 渺茫 渺/淼茫) ← 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 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. 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.

Compounding Improbabilities

This week’s MEotW, “miǎománg (miǎo·máng {(as if lost on or in a) vast expanse (of water) → [distant and indistinct; vague | tiny; insignificant]} · {vast; borderless (as an expanse of water); indistinct} → [distant and indistinct; remote and vague | uncertain] 渺茫 渺/淼茫)”, occurs a couple of times in the QUESTION 1 section of the Origin of Life brochure, entitled, in English, “How Did Life Begin?”. For example, it occurs in the final Fact: item mentioned in the box at the end of the section:

English:

Fact: Protein and RNA molecules must work together for a cell to survive. Scientists admit that it is highly unlikely that RNA formed by chance. The odds against even one protein forming by chance are astronomical. It is exceedingly improbable that RNA and proteins should form by chance in the same place at the same time and be able to work together.

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

📖 📄 📘 Shìshí (Shì·shí Matter · {Being Solid} → [Fact] 事实 事實): Xìbāo (Xì·bāo tiny · womb → [cell] 细胞 細胞) yào (if 要) néng ({is to be able} 能) cúnhuó (cún·huó {to survive} · {to live} → [to survive] 存活), dànbái‐zhì ((dàn·bái egg · white → [protein] 蛋白)‐(zhì substance 质 質) → [protein]) hé ({(together) with} → [and] 和 和/龢) RNA fēnzǐ (fēn·zǐ {divided (off)} · {small and hard things} → [molecules] 分子) bìxū (must 必须 必須) hézuò (hé·zuò {closing → [joining]} · do → [work together] 合作). Kēxué‐jiā ((Kē·xué {branches of study} · learning → [science] 科学 科學)‐(jiā -ists 家) → [scientists]) chéngrèn (chéng·rèn undertake · {to recognize} → [admit] 承认 承認) RNA shì (is 是) jí (extremely 极 極) bù (not 不) kěnéng (kě·néng maybe · {being able} → [possibly] 可能) pèngqiǎo (pèng·qiǎo {having bumped into} · {being coincidental} → [by chance] 碰巧) chǎnshēng (chǎn·shēng {given birth to → [produced]} · {given birth to → [caused to exist]} → [brought into being] 产生 產生) de ({’s (thing)} 的), yí (one 一) ge ([mw] 个 個/个) dànbái‐zhì ((dàn·bái egg · white → [protein] 蛋白)‐(zhì substance 质 質) → [protein]) pèngqiǎo (pèng·qiǎo {having bumped into} · {being coincidental} → [by chance] 碰巧) chǎnshēng (chǎn·shēng {being given birth to → [being produced]} · {being given birth to → [being caused to exist]} → [being brought into being] 产生 產生) de (’s 的) kěnéng‐xìng ((kě·néng {being able} · {to be able to be} → [being probable] 可能)‐(xìng nature → [property] 性) → [probability]) yě (also 也) wēihū‐qí‐wēi ((wēi·hū {is tiny} · {with regard to} 微乎)‐(qí its 其)‐(wēi {being tiny} 微) → [is the tiniest of tiny]), ér (and 而) RNA hé ({(together) with} → [and] 和 和/龢) dànbái‐zhì ((dàn·bái egg · white → [protein] 蛋白)‐(zhì substances 质 質) → [proteins]) yào ({being supposed} 要) tóngshí (tóng·shí {(at the) same} · {(particular) time} 同时 同時) tóngdì (tóng·dì {(at the) same} · {ground → [place]} 同地) chǎnshēng (chǎn·shēng {to be given birth to → [to be produced]} · {to be given birth to → [to be caused to exist]} → [to be brought into being] 产生 產生) bìngqiě (bìng·qiě equally · also 并且 並且) néng ({to be able} 能) hùxiāng ({with each other} 互相) hézuò (hé·zuò {closing → [joining]} · {to do} → [to work together] 合作), jīhuì (opportunity → [chance] 机会 機會) jiù (then 就) gèngjiā (gèng·jiā {even more} · {adding → [additionally]} 更加) miǎománg (miǎo·máng {(is as if lost on or in a) vast expanse (of water) → [is distant and indistinct]} · {is borderless (as an expanse of water)} → [is remote and vague] 渺茫 渺/淼茫).

Looking at the morphemes in “miǎománg (miǎo·máng {(as if lost on or in a) vast expanse (of water) → [distant and indistinct; vague | tiny; insignificant]} · {vast; borderless (as an expanse of water); indistinct} → [distant and indistinct; remote and vague | uncertain] 渺茫 渺/淼茫)”, the first one seems to literally mean “vast expanse (of water)”, with an implied meaning of “as if lost on or in a vast expanse of water”. This can lead to effective meanings such as “distant and indistinct; vague” and “tiny; insignificant”. As for the second morpheme, it means “vast; borderless (as an expanse of water); indistinct”—again, an expanse of water is implied. Taken together, the morphemes in “miǎománg (miǎo·máng {(as if lost on or in a) vast expanse (of water) → [distant and indistinct; vague | tiny; insignificant]} · {vast; borderless (as an expanse of water); indistinct} → [distant and indistinct; remote and vague | uncertain] 渺茫 渺/淼茫)” on a certain level of literalness mean “as if lost on or in a vast, borderless expanse of water”, and effectively mean “distant and indistinct; remote and vague” or “uncertain”.

Isn’t It Ironic?

So, while at first glance, “miǎománg (miǎo·máng {(as if lost on or in a) vast expanse (of water) → [distant and indistinct; vague | tiny; insignificant]} · {vast; borderless (as an expanse of water); indistinct} → [distant and indistinct; remote and vague | uncertain] 渺茫 渺/淼茫)” may seem to directly mean something like “vast (and obvious) like an expanse of water”, it’s actually used to mean just about the opposite. Rather than being like, “Look! I found this great, big ocean! Easy!”, it’s more like, “Oh, no! I have to find a specific thing, but it’s somewhere on/in this vast, boundless ocean! Is that really even possible?”

Similarly, sort of, the English word “inflammable” may seem at first to mean “not catching fire easily”, but it actually means the opposite. Also, while “infinitesimal” may have come from the same Latin word that “infinite” came from, “infinitesimal” and “infinite” have almost opposite meanings.

Accuarate, and Also Illustrative

While the wording of “exceedingly improbable” in the above-quoted section of the English Origin of Life brochure is technically correct, the morphemes in “miǎománg (miǎo·máng {(as if lost on or in a) vast expanse (of water) → [distant and indistinct; vague | tiny; insignificant]} · {vast; borderless (as an expanse of water); indistinct} → [distant and indistinct; remote and vague | uncertain] 渺茫 渺/淼茫)” additionally provide an illustration that can help us comprehend the reality, the scale, of what is being discussed.

NASA photo of the Pacific Ocean, as seen from space

NASA photo of the Pacific Ocean, as seen from space (Talk about vast—the Pacific Ocean takes up about a third of the earth’s surface! It’s also the deepest of the earth’s oceans.)

Imagine if you had to find a particular drop of water in the Pacific Ocean. Or, imagine if even something as “big” as your iPhone or other smartphone fell out of a plane that was crossing the Pacific Ocean. How big is the likelihood that you could find it the way evolution supposedly functions—completely by chance, without the application of any intelligence? While it’s theoretically not totally impossible that you could do so, would you bet your life on it? Would you use that vague, insignificant possibility as “just” the basis of your whole way of thinking about life and the world? The use of “miǎománg (miǎo·máng {(as if lost on or in a) vast expanse (of water) → [distant and indistinct; vague | tiny; insignificant]} · {vast; borderless (as an expanse of water); indistinct} → [distant and indistinct; remote and vague | uncertain] 渺茫 渺/淼茫)” in the above-quoted section of the Mandarin Origin of Life brochure expresses to us that that is in effect what those who believe in evolution are doing.—John 3:36; 17:3; Proverbs 9:10.

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 Technology

shūfǎ

shūfǎ (shū·fǎ writing · methods; ways → [calligraphy; penmanship] 书法 書法) ← Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

Many know “shū (write | writing [→ [book | letter | document | style of calligraphy; script]] 书 書)” as the Mandarin word for “book”, but it actually has an old meaning of “write”. From “write” is derived “writing”, and from that, it’s easy to see how “shū (write | writing [→ [book | letter | document | style of calligraphy; script]] 书 書)” has come to have its modern meanings of “book”, “letter”, and “document”. For example, “shūxiě (shū·xiě write | writing 书写 書寫)” means “write” or “writing”, “Yǐsàiyàshū (Yǐsàiyà·shū Isaiah · {Writing → [Book]} 以赛亚书 以賽亞書)” is the Book of Isaiah, and a “qíngshū (qíng·shū {feelings; affection; emotion → [love]} · {writing → [letter]} 情书 情書)” is a love letter. Yet another effective meaning of “shū (write | writing [→ [book | letter | document | style of calligraphy; script]] 书 書)”, that can be derived from its meaning of “writing”, is “style of calligraphy”, or “script”.

The “fǎ (law | method; way; mode | standard; model | {magic arts} | {follow; model after} 法)” in “fāngfǎ (fāng·fǎ direction · method 方法)” can mean “methods; ways”, and when it’s combined with “shū (write | writing [→ [book | letter | document | style of calligraphy; script]] 书 書)”, we get this week’s MEotW, “shūfǎ (shū·fǎ writing · methods; ways → [calligraphy; penmanship] 书法 書法)”. This expression literally means “writing methods/ways”, and it is used to effectively mean “calligraphy”.

Eastern and Western Calligraphy

Calligraphy that involves the artistic writing of Chinese characters, as practised in Asian cultures, is well-known and highly esteemed. However, does calligraphy only exist in Asian cultures? Are beauty, artistry, and craftsmanship the exclusive province of Chinese characters? Is Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) only able to be cold, efficient, and artless, since it lacks the arguably self-indulgently complex visual designs of Chinese characters? No, no, and no! The fact is that there is a long history—and yes, tradition—of calligraphy involving the Latin alphabet, the alphabet that was deliberately chosen for Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) by the Chinese team that developed it.

This reminds us that while the Latin alphabet used by Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) may have originated outside of China, its adoption for use in Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) for writing Mandarin Chinese makes it part of Chinese culture. As the article “Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Is a Good, Workable Writing System on Its Own” puts it:

While Pīnyīn uses the Latin alphabet, it does so because the Chinese developers of Pīnyīn of their own free will purposely chose to base it on this international alphabet (it’s not just the English alphabet) so that users of Pīnyīn would benefit from its familiarity. This Chinese design decision has caused the international Latin alphabet to be adopted as part of Chinese culture. As Zhōu Ēnlái (the first Premier of the People’s Republic of China) said, ‘When we adopt the Latin alphabet, in which we make necessary adjustments to suit the needs of the Chinese language, it becomes the phonetic alphabet of our language and is no longer the alphabet of ancient Latin, still less the alphabet of any foreign country.’

So, since Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) has both Eastern and Western aspects, Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) calligraphy would be both Eastern and Western calligraphy.

Calligraphy and Computer Fonts

In the modern world of computing, handwritten calligraphy has been augmented by computer fonts, which enable the billions of users of desktop and laptop computers and mobile devices to enjoy and benefit from the work of artists and designers who work with text and typography.

Incidentally, some of you may have noticed that there are way fewer fonts available for Chinese characters, compared to the overflowing cornucopia of fonts available for the Latin alphabet. This is undoubtedly yet another negative consequence of the simple fact that there are literally thousands of characters in common use that would have to be supported by any font for Chinese characters that’s intended to be usable in daily life, never mind the tens of thousands of Chinese characters that exist in total.

An interesting thing that some may not know is that calligraphy influenced the development of modern computer font design and technology. Steve Jobs, one of the founders of Apple, maker of the iPhone, the iPad, the Macintosh personal computer, etc., said the following in the Stanford Commencement address that he gave in 2005:

Much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn’t have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and sans serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can’t capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But 10 years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it’s likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backward 10 years later.

Time-Lapse Videos of Calligraphed MEotWs

Another way in which modern computing has augmented handwritten calligraphy is by supplying new tools for this ancient craft. A while ago, I acquired the app Procreate for my iPad, and more recently, I also bought an Apple Pencil on sale. As time allows, I hope to be able to put my old hobby of calligraphy to use, and use Procreate to create time-lapse videos, like the one near the beginning of this post, of certain MEotWs being hand-calligraphed. Hopefully these amateur efforts of mine will add a little artistry and craftsmanship for readers of this blog to enjoy.

The Truly Precious Things of All the Nations

The calligraphy produced of Chinese characters is a major aspect of what some fear would be lost if the hypothetical total replacement of characters with something as “mundane” as an alphabet were ever to take place. However, first of all, with how proud and stubborn worldly Chinese people are when it comes to their precious characters, there is little likelihood of that actually happening in the little time that this old system has left. (There’s probably just about as much likelihood that all the Catholics or all the Buddhists will come into the truth before the end comes!) As the MEotW post on “Yànwén (Yàn·wén {Proverb (Korean: Vernacular)} · Writing → [Hangul/Hankul (modern Korean writing system)] 谚文 諺文)” (the modern Korean writing system) said:

If Hangul took hundreds of years to become the dominant writing system in Korea, even with the added nationalistic motivation of it having been invented in Korea to be used instead of the characters invented in China, then Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) could take even longer to become the dominant writing system for Mandarin, if it ever does, and if this old system were hypothetically allowed to last that long—the supporters of invented-in-China Chinese characters are even more proudly and stubbornly resistant to the idea of changing away from Chinese characters in China itself.

At this rate, the current government of China, as long as it lasts, will probably never explicitly officially approve of using Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) as a full writing system for Mandarin in China, even if it’s just as an alternative to the characters instead of as a total replacement for them. Even if it actually wanted to do so, even this government would hesitate to approve of something like this that would probably be opposed by many of the people of China. (As a historic comparison, in 1977, the PRC promulgated a second round of simplified Chinese characters, but this was rescinded in 1986 following widespread opposition.)

The existence of much calligraphy based on the Latin alphabet that is used by Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) and many other writing systems reminds us that art and beauty do exist apart from Chinese characters. As for the precious things of China and Chinese culture, while humans may point to Chinese characters and the calligraphy based on them, what is truly precious about China in Jehovah God’s eyes? This quote from the September 2021 issue of The Watchtower reveals the answer as it discusses Haggai 2:7–9:

He tells us that as a result of the shaking, “the precious things [honesthearted people] of all the nations will come” to worship Jehovah.

Yes, to Jehovah God, the truly precious things of China are the honesthearted people in it, not the cultural products of any part of this old world that is passing away.—1 John 2:15–17.

While culture can definitely influence the people that are exposed to it, ultimately, people don’t come from culture. Rather, culture comes from people. So, let us focus on helping to save honesthearted Chinese people, not on trying to save the old world’s Chinese culture. Then, we will be able to enjoy the beautiful cultural products that these people will produce for eternity, as they live forever in paradise in God’s new system. Those cultural products will greatly surpass anything ever produced by this old world’s Chinese culture in its relatively brief (compared to eternity) and troubled existence, as the Chinese people who are able to live in the new system join the rest of God’s universal family in being “taught by Jehovah”. (Isaiah 54:13) As Haggai 2:9 says, “the future glory…will be greater than the former”.