Tag: Morphemes

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Current Events

yùgào

yùgào (yù·gào fore·told | {in advance} · {had told} 预/豫告 預/豫告) ← Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

On February 24, 2022, Russia sent significant military forces into Ukraine, resulting in the largest scale open warfare in Europe since World War II. Knowing certain Mandarin expressions will help us in the Mandarin field as we hear about and talk about Ukraine in the time ahead.

An article about this situation that has been featured on jw.org is “Russia Invades Ukraine”. In the Mandarin version of this article, “yùgào (yù·gào fore·told | {in advance} · {had told} 预/豫告 預/豫告)”, this week’s MEotW, is used to correspond with the English word “foretold”.

Note that the morpheme “yù (fore-; {in advance} 预/豫 預/豫)” that’s in “yùgào (yù·gào fore·told | {in advance} · {had told} 预/豫告 預/豫告)” is a bound form that also appears in past MEotW “yùyán (yù·yán {in advance} · say[ing] → [prophecy | prophesy] 预言 預言)”, “yùjiàn (yù·jiàn fore·seeing | {in advance} · seeing 预见 預/豫見)”, “yùliào (yù·liào {in advance} · {to expect; anticipate; foresee; infer} 预料 預料)”, etc.

Bound Forms

The ABC Chinese-English Dictionary, edited by John DeFrancis and Victor H. Mair, among others, tells us the following about the entries in it that are marked as bound forms:

B.F. (Bound Form, Niánzhuó Císù 粘着词素).

Morphemes which do not function as free words in a sentence and cannot be handled using one of the other bound category labels, such as prefix, suffix, measure word, or particle. A given character may represent a free word in one or more of its meanings but a bound morpheme in other meanings. E.g. qiǎng 抢 is a bound form meaning ‘take emergency measures’ in qiǎngshòu 抢收 but a free form as a verb meaning ‘pillage’.)

In addition to these meaningful bound forms, which we define and illustrate with one or more examples, there are many characters which have no meaning of their own but simply represent a syllabic sound. E.g. 8pú 葡 and 6táo 萄 in pútao 葡萄 ‘grapes’. For these entries we provide neither entry label nor definition but simply note words in which the character occurs.

“Foretold” Examples

Here are some examples of how “yùgào (yù·gào fore·told | {in advance} · {had told} 预/豫告 預/豫告)” is used in the above-mentioned article on jw.org:

English:

What significance do events like this have according to the Bible?

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Zhèyàng (Zhè·yàng this · kind 这样 這樣) de (’s 的) dàshì (dà·shì {big → [major]} · events 大事), gēn (with 跟) Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng (the) Holy · Scriptures → [the Bible] 圣经 聖經) yùgào (yù·gào fore·told 预/豫告 預/豫告) de (’s 的) shì (things 事) yǒuguān (yǒu·guān have · {closing → [connection]} 有关 有關) ma ([? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)?

English:

Jesus Christ foretold a time when “nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.” (Matthew 24:7) …the Bible shows that wars today fulfill Jesus’ prophecy.

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Yēsū (Jesus 耶稣 耶穌) yùgào (yù·gào fore·told 预/豫告 預/豫告): “Mínzú (Mín·zú {(of) people} · nationality → [nation] 民族) yào (must → [will] 要) gōngdǎ (gōng·dǎ attack · strike 攻打) mínzú (mín·zú {(of) people} · nationality → [nation] 民族), guójiā (guó·jiā nation · family → [nation] 国家 國家) yào (must → [will] 要) gōngdǎ (gōng·dǎ attack · strike 攻打) guójiā (guó·jiā nation · family → [nation] 国家 國家).” (Mǎtài (Matthew 马太 馬太) Fúyīn (Fú·yīn Blessings · News 福音) 24:7) Jīntiān (Jīn·tiān present · {sky → [day]} → [today] 今天) shìshang (shì·shang {generation → [world]} · upon 世上) fāshēng (fā·shēng {issuing forth} · {coming to life} → [happening] 发生 發生) de (’s 的) shì (things 事) gēn (with 跟) Yēsū (Jesus 耶稣 耶穌) yùgào (yù·gào fore·told 预/豫告 預/豫告) de ({’s (things)} 的) yízhì (yí·zhì {(are of) one} · sending → [are consistent] 一致).

Categories
Culture Current Events

Liánhé Guó

Liánhé Guó ((Lián·hé United · {Closed → [Joined]} 联合 聯合) (Guó Nations 国 國) → [United Nations]) ← Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

On February 24, 2022, Russia sent significant military forces into Ukraine, resulting in the largest scale open warfare in Europe since World War II. The jw.org article “Russia Invades Ukraine”, which discusses this subject, includes a quote from the secretary-general of the United Nations, and we may on occasion want to talk about the United Nations in the Mandarin field. So, this week’s MEotW is “Liánhé Guó ((Lián·hé United · {Closed → [Joined]} 联合 聯合) (Guó Nations 国 國) → [United Nations])”, the Mandarin expression corresponding to “United Nations”.

It can be noted from the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus information for “Liánhé Guó ((Lián·hé United · {Closed → [Joined]} 联合 聯合) (Guó Nations 国 國) → [United Nations])” (tap/click on a Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) expression in this blog to show/hide its Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus information) that the morpheme “hé ({close; shut [with]} [→ [join; combine [with] | accord [with]; conform [to]; suit; agree [with] | be fitting | be equal [to] | be proper; be appropriate | be matching [with]]] 合)” that’s in it in this case literally means “closed”, and effectively means “joined”—when two or more things are closed together, they are joined together, and thus united.

Avoiding Mental Indigestion

Another thing that may be noted about the rendering “Liánhé Guó ((Lián·hé United · {Closed → [Joined]} 联合 聯合) (Guó Nations 国 國) → [United Nations])” is that it has a space between “Liánhé (Lián·hé United · {Closed → [Joined]} 联合 聯合)” and “Guó (Nations 国 國)”, whereas this expression is often rendered as the single word “Liánhéguó (Lián·hé·guó United · {Closed → [Joined]} · Nations → [United Nations] 联合国 聯合國)”. In this blog and in other resources that contain Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus material, such added spaces are included in certain expressions so that they are easier to parse (mentally digest and separate into meaningful parts) and read.

Regarding differing Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) renderings, the MEotW post for “diǎnliàng (diǎn·liàng {dot → [light (v); ignite]} · {to be bright} [→ [illuminate; shine light on]] 点亮 點亮)” said:

Regarding standards and conventions, even officially recommended ones, for things like language and writing, views and practices vary in different places, and at different times.

When it comes to Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音), another factor to keep in mind is that due primarily to cultural prejudice, Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) has simply not been used much overall, relatively speaking, especially as a full writing system on its own. So, it has not really gone through much of the process of receiving the widely agreed upon tweaks and refinements that a system typically receives as it gets tried out and put to extensive use by many people.

As a relatively “young” alphabetical writing system, Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) can often benefit from following the example of a more “experienced” alphabetical writing system like the English writing system. It seems reasonable to conclude that this is the case with “Liánhé Guó ((Lián·hé United · {Closed → [Joined]} 联合 聯合) (Guó Nations 国 國) → [United Nations])” following the word separation example of “United Nations”. In contrast, “Liánhéguó (Lián·hé·guó United · {Closed → [Joined]} · Nations → [United Nations] 联合国 聯合國)” is kind of like “Unitednations”—significantly harder to decipher and read.

The above-mentioned MEotW post concludes:

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} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus resources will continue to seek to render Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) in ways that maximize how clearly, easily, effectively, and appropriately it communicates with readers.

Related Mandarin Expressions

Here are some related Mandarin expressions that may also be useful to know regarding this situation with Ukraine:

  • Běi Dàxī Yáng Gōngyuē Zǔzhī ((Běi North 北) (Dà·xī {Big → [Great]} · Western → [Atlantic] 大西) (Yáng Ocean 洋) (Gōng·yuē International · Treaty → [Treaty] 公约 公約) (Zǔ·zhī Organized · Woven (System) → [Organization] 组织 組織) → [North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)])
    • Běiyuē (Běi·yuē North · Treaty → [NATO (abbr. for Běi Dàxī Yáng Gōngyuē Zǔzhī)] 北约 北約)
  • Ōuzhōu Liánméng ((Ōu·zhōu {European (abbr. for Ōuluóbā)} · Continent → [European (abbr. for Ōuluóbā Zhōu)] 欧洲 歐洲) (Lián·méng United · Union → [Union] 联盟 聯盟) → [European Union (EU)])
    • Ōuméng (Ōu·méng {European (abbr. for Ōuluóbā Zhōu, Ōuzhōu)} · {Union (abbr. for Liánméng)} → [EU (abbr. for Ōuzhōu Liánméng)] 欧盟 歐盟)
Categories
Current Events

xīwàng

xīwàng (xī·wàng hoping · {gazing (into the distance [at]) → [hoping; expecting]} [→ [hope; wishing]] 希望) ← Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

On February 24, 2022, Russia sent significant military forces into Ukraine, resulting in the largest scale open warfare in Europe since World War II. Knowing certain Mandarin expressions will help us in the Mandarin field as we hear about and talk about Ukraine in the time ahead.

Two articles about this situation that have been featured on jw.org are “Russia Invades Ukraine” and “Refugee Crisis​—Millions Flee Ukraine”. In the Mandarin versions of those articles, “xīwàng (xī·wàng hoping · {gazing (into the distance [at]) → [hoping; expecting]} [→ [hope; wishing]] 希望)”, this week’s MEotW, is used to correspond with the English word “hope”.

Hopeful Examples

Here are some examples of how “xīwàng (xī·wàng hoping · {gazing (into the distance [at]) → [hoping; expecting]} [→ [hope; wishing]] 希望)” is used in the above-mentioned articles:

English:

Why can you be hopeful about the future?

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Wèishénme (Wèi·shén·me for · what · [suf] → [why] 为什么 為什/甚麼) nǐ (you 你) kěyǐ (kě·yǐ can · [suf] 可以) duì (towards 对 對) wèilái (wèi·lái {(what) is not yet} · come → [the future] 未来 未來) chōngmǎn (chōng·mǎn {be filled} · {full with} 充满 充滿) xīwàng (xī·wàng hoping · {gazing (into the distance) → [hoping]} → [hope] 希望)?

English:

Where can refugees turn for hope?

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Nànmín (Nàn·mín calamity · {persons of a certain occupation} → [refugees] 难民 難民) de (’ 的) zhēnzhèng (zhēn·zhèng true · proper 真正) xīwàng (xī·wàng hoping · {gazing (into the distance) → [hoping]} → [hope] 希望)

English:

Besides giving refugees a sure hope for the future, the Bible can help with the challenges that they face now.

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng (the) Holy · Scriptures → [the Bible] 圣经 聖經) búdàn (bú·dàn not · only 不但) gěi (gives 给 給) tāmen (tā·men him/her · [pl] → [them] 他们 他們) yí (one 一) ge ([mw] 个 個/个) wěnquè (wěn·què {firm → [sure]} · {real → [sure]} 稳确 穩確) de (’s 的) xīwàng (xī·wàng hoping · {gazing (into the distance) → [hoping]} → [hope] 希望), hái (also 还 還) bāngzhù (helps 帮助 幫助) tāmen (tā·men him/her · [pl] → [them] 他们 他們) miànduì (miàn·duì faces · {to be directed at} → [to face] 面对 面對) yǎnqián (yǎn·qián eyes · before → [now] 眼前) de (’s 的) nántí (nán·tí difficult · topics → [problems] 难题 難題).

Hoping and Wishing

Besides being used to correspond with “hope”, “xīwàng (xī·wàng hoping · {gazing (into the distance [at]) → [hoping; expecting]} [→ [hope; wishing]] 希望)” is also used in recent official material to correspond to “want” or “wish”. For instance, lesson 04 point 1 of the Enjoy Life Forever! book contains this example:

English:

Jehovah wants us to know his name.

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Yēhéhuá (Jehovah 耶和华 耶和華) xīwàng (xī·wàng {hopes for} · {gazes (into the distance) for → [hopes for]} → [wishes for] 希望) wǒmen (wǒ·men us · [pl] 我们 我們) zhīdào (zhī·dào {to know} · {(the) way (of)} → [to know] 知道) tā de ((tā him 他) (de ’s 的) → [his]) míngzi (míng·zi name · word → [name] 名字).

Gazing into the Distance

One may note from the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus information for “xīwàng (xī·wàng hoping · {gazing (into the distance [at]) → [hoping; expecting]} [→ [hope; wishing]] 希望)” that the morpheme “wàng ({gaze into the distance [→ [hope; expect; look forward]]}; {look over}; observe 望 望/朢)” that’s used in it literally means “gaze into the distance”. Thus, it should come as no surprise that it’s also the “wàng ({gaze into the distance [→ [hope; expect; look forward]]}; {look over}; observe 望 望/朢)” used in “Shǒuwàngtái (Shǒu·wàng·tái {Guarding → [Keeping Watch]} · {Gazing into the Distance} · Platform → [The Watchtower] 守望台 守望臺/台)”.