Tag: Morphemes

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Culture Current Events Theocratic

jiēlián

jiēlián (jiē·lián {coming into contact; coming close [→ [connecting; joining; continuing]]} · {joining; linking; connecting [→ [in succession; one after another; continuously]]} [→ [in a row; in succession; on end | repeatedly]] 接连 接連) ← 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 “Shocking Gun Violence Worldwide—What Does the Bible Say?”. The Mandarin version uses this week’s MEotW, “jiēlián (jiē·lián {coming into contact; coming close [→ [connecting; joining; continuing]]} · {joining; linking; connecting [→ [in succession; one after another; continuously]]} [→ [in a row; in succession; on end | repeatedly]] 接连 接連)” to express how cases of gun violence just seem to keep on occurring.

The First Morpheme About Connecting Connects to…

The “jiē ({come into contact with}; {come close to} [→ [connect; join; put together; continue | take hold of [(the baton next)]; catch | answer (the phone) | meet; welcome | receive | take over; succeed to]] 接)” in “jiēlián (jiē·lián {coming into contact; coming close [→ [connecting; joining; continuing]]} · {joining; linking; connecting [→ [in succession; one after another; continuously]]} [→ [in a row; in succession; on end | repeatedly]] 接连 接連)” seems to have possible basic meanings of “come into contact with”, or “come close to”, and it seems that from these can be derived meanings such as “connecting; joining; continuing”, that seem to apply in “jiēlián (jiē·lián {coming into contact; coming close [→ [connecting; joining; continuing]]} · {joining; linking; connecting [→ [in succession; one after another; continuously]]} [→ [in a row; in succession; on end | repeatedly]] 接连 接連)”.

This “jiē ({come into contact with}; {come close to} [→ [connect; join; put together; continue | take hold of [(the baton next)]; catch | answer (the phone) | meet; welcome | receive | take over; succeed to]] 接)” also appears in many other Mandarin expressions, such as:

  • jiēchù (jiē·chù {come into contact with} · touch; contact [→ [get in touch with; engage with]] 接触 接觸)
  • jiē ({come into contact with} → [answer] 接) diànhuà (diàn·huà electric · {spoken words} → [phone] 电话 電話)
  • jiējìn (jiē·jìn {come close to} · {to be near/close | approach} 接近)
  • jiēshòu (jiē·shòu {come into contact with → [receive]} · receive; accept → [receive; accept] 接受)
  • jiē ({coming into contact with} → [taking hold of] (the baton next) 接) xialai (xia·lai down · {to come} 下来 下來)
  • jiēzhe (jiē·zhe {coming into contact with → [taking hold of] (the baton next)} · being → [next; after that] 接着 接着/著)

    • While conducting meetings, brothers might use this expression or the previous one in relation to the part on the programme that’s coming up next.

…the Next Morpheme About Connecting

The “lián ({linking to; joining; connecting to} [→ [even; including | continuously; in succession; one after another]] 连 連)” in “jiēlián (jiē·lián {coming into contact; coming close [→ [connecting; joining; continuing]]} · {joining; linking; connecting [→ [in succession; one after another; continuously]]} [→ [in a row; in succession; on end | repeatedly]] 接连 接連)” also relates to connecting, with possible basic meanings of “linking to”; “joining”; “connecting to”. One interesting use of this morpheme is that “lián ({linking to; joining; connecting to} → [even] 连 連)…” can mean “even…”.

Some other Mandarin expressions that contain “lián ({linking to; joining; connecting to} [→ [even; including | continuously; in succession; one after another]] 连 連)” are:

  • liánjiē (lián·jiē {linking [to]; joining; connecting [to]} · {coming into contact [with] [→ [connecting; joining; linking [to] | connection; conjunction | link (on a web page) | continuously]]} 连接 連/聯接)

    • Note that this expression uses the same morphemes as “jiēlián (jiē·lián {coming into contact; coming close [→ [connecting; joining; continuing]]} · {joining; linking; connecting [→ [in succession; one after another; continuously]]} [→ [in a row; in succession; on end | repeatedly]] 接连 接連)”, but in reverse order. It does not seem to have the exact same meanings as “jiēlián (jiē·lián {coming into contact; coming close [→ [connecting; joining; continuing]]} · {joining; linking; connecting [→ [in succession; one after another; continuously]]} [→ [in a row; in succession; on end | repeatedly]] 接连 接連)”, however.
    • Perhaps of interest to readers of this web page, this expression can be used to refer to a link on a web page.
  • liánxiě (lián·xiě linking; joining; connecting · write → [join syllables in Pīnyīn, etc. (so they are not separated by a space) | write Chinese characters with linked strokes] 连写 連寫)

    • This is the actual expression used in the official Chinese government rules for Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) orthography, to refer to writing syllables together without a space between them. This expression is used because in Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音), sometimes there is no space between syllables, and sometimes spaces are used.
      • Unlike Chinese characters, which are written like bricks in the Great Wall with no spaces at all between them, Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) uses spaces to divide groupings of syllables into separate words, like English, French, Spanish, etc. do. This is yet another thing that makes Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) much easier to learn and use, compared to characters.
  • liánxù (lián·xù linking; joining; connecting · continuing; {being continuous/successive}; extending; joining [→ [continuous; successive; in a row; running; serial; consecutive]] 连续 連續)

    • liánxù jù ((lián·xù linking · continuing → [serial] 连续 連續) (jù drama 剧 劇) → [TV series; serialized drama])
  • yìlián (yì·lián (with) one · linking; joining; connecting → [in a row; in succession; running] 一连 一連)

    • yìlián‐chuàn ((yì·lián (with) one · linking; joining; connecting → [in a row; in succession; running] 一连 一連)‐(chuàn {stringing together of} 串) → [series/string/chain/succession of])

Usage Examples

Here are a couple of examples of “jiēlián (jiē·lián {coming into contact; coming close [→ [connecting; joining; continuing]]} · {joining; linking; connecting [→ [in succession; one after another; continuously]]} [→ [in a row; in succession; on end | repeatedly]] 接连 接連)” in use, taken from the above-mentioned article:

English:

Shocking Gun Violence Worldwide

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Qiāngjī (Qiāng·jī Gun · Striking → [Shooting] 枪击 槍擊) Àn ({Long, Narrow Tables or Desks} → [Cases] 案) Jiēlián (Jiē·lián {Are Coming into Contact → [Are Continuing]} · {Are Linking} → [Are in Succession] 接连 接連)‐Búduàn (Bú·duàn Not · {Breaking off} → [Continually] 不断 不斷)

English:

Terrible gun violence continues to take a tragic toll on many around the world.

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Shìjiè (Shì·jiè {generation → [world]} · extent’s → [world’s] 世界) gèdì (gè·dì various · lands 各地) jiēlián (jiē·lián {coming into contact → [continuing]} · {linking → [one after another]} 接连 接連) fāshēng (fā·shēng {are having issue forth} · {are having come to life} → [are having happen] 发生 發生) chíqiāng (chí·qiāng holding · gun 持枪 持槍) bàolì (bào·lì violent · force → [violence] 暴力) shìjiàn (shì·jiàn incidents · [mw] 事件), niàngchéng (niàng·chéng {brewing to → [leading to]} · {coming to be} → [leading to] 酿成 釀成) shāngwáng (shāng·wáng injuries · {dyings → [deaths]} 伤亡 傷亡) cǎnjù (cǎn·jù tragic · {theatrical works (dramas, etc.)} → [tragedies] 惨剧 慘劇).

All Connected?

Speaking of connected things, are all these cases of gun violence somehow connected? Well, the Bible does reveal to us that this whole system of things is under the influence of Satan the Devil, the “ruler of this world” (John 12:31; 1 John 5:19). Those who perpetrate gun violence certainly reflect the spirit of the ruler of this world that they are part of.

Also, the Bible shows us that this world ruled by Satan is now in its last days, and so, things are especially bad now. As the above-mentioned article says:

The Bible describes our time as “the last days,” a time when people would act in fierce, brutal, and savage ways. (2 Timothy 3:1, 3)

Thankfully, since these are “the last days” of this wicked system of things, we can look forward to the time when Jehovah God replaces it with a new system under the rulership of his own Kingdom government.—Matthew 6:10.

Categories
Current Events History

bìnàn suǒ

bìnàn suǒ ((bì·nàn {avoiding; evading → [preventing; keeping away from; fleeing; escaping; hiding from]} · calamity; disaster; adversity; misfortune; trouble; distress → [taking refuge; seeking asylum] 避难 避難) (suǒ place 所) → [refuge; asylum; sanctuary; haven; shelter]) ← 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 a breaking news item regarding the recent shooting at a Kingdom Hall in Hamburg, Germany. The Mandarin version of this makes use of this week’s MEotW, “bìnàn suǒ ((bì·nàn {avoiding; evading → [preventing; keeping away from; fleeing; escaping; hiding from]} · calamity; disaster; adversity; misfortune; trouble; distress → [taking refuge; seeking asylum] 避难 避難) (suǒ place 所) → [refuge; asylum; sanctuary; haven; shelter])”, which means “refuge”.

Related Expressions

Some other Mandarin expressions that use the morphemes in “bìnàn suǒ ((bì·nàn {avoiding; evading → [preventing; keeping away from; fleeing; escaping; hiding from]} · calamity; disaster; adversity; misfortune; trouble; distress → [taking refuge; seeking asylum] 避难 避難) (suǒ place 所) → [refuge; asylum; sanctuary; haven; shelter])” (or related ones) are:

  • bìmiǎn (bì·miǎn {avoid; evade [→ [prevent; keep away from; flee; escape; hide from]]} · avoid; {refrain from} 避免)
  • kǔnàn (kǔ·nàn {being bitter → [hardship; suffering; pain]} · calamities; adversity; trouble; distress 苦难 苦難)
  • nán ({[is] difficult}; {[is] hard} | difficultly | {make difficult/difficulties} 难 難)
  • nántí (nán·tí difficult · topic → [problem] 难题 難題)
  • bìhù suǒ ((bì·hù sheltering; protecting; shielding · protecting; guarding; shielding 庇护 庇護) (suǒ place 所) → [sanctuary; asylum; haven; refuge])
  • Wángguó (Wáng·guó King’s · Nation → [Kingdom] 王国 王國) Jùhuì Suǒ ((Jùhuì Meeting 聚会 聚會) (Suǒ Place 所) → [Hall])

Usage in a Scripture

The above-mentioned news item cites Psalm 9:9 (Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) WOL; Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus), which uses “bìnàn suǒ ((bì·nàn {avoiding; evading → [preventing; keeping away from; fleeing; escaping; hiding from]} · calamity; disaster; adversity; misfortune; trouble; distress → [taking refuge; seeking asylum] 避难 避難) (suǒ place 所) → [refuge; asylum; sanctuary; haven; shelter])”:

📖 📄 📘 Yēhéhuá (Jehovah 耶和华 耶和華) huì (will 会 會) bìhù (bì·hù shelter · protect 庇护 庇護) bèi ([passive signifier] → [being] 被) yāpò (yā·pò pressed · coerced → [oppressed] 压迫 壓迫) de (’s 的) rén (persons 人), zuò (become 做) tāmen de ((tā·men him/her · [pl] → [them] 他们 他們) (de ’s 的) → [their]) bìnàn suǒ ((bì·nàn {avoiding → [keeping away from]} · distress → [taking refuge] 避难 避難) (suǒ place 所) → [refuge]);
Tāmen (Tā·men he/she · [pl] → [they] 他们 他們) zāoshòu (zāo·shòu encounter · {receive → [suffer]} 遭受) kǔnàn (kǔ·nàn {being bitter → [hardship]} · distress 苦难 苦難) shí ({(particular) times} 时 時),
Shàngdì (Shàng·dì Above’s · {Emperor → [God]} → [God] 上帝) jiùshì (jiù·shì exactly · {will be} 就是) tāmen de ((tā·men him/her · [pl] → [them] 他们 他們) (de ’s 的) → [their]) bìnàn suǒ ((bì·nàn {avoiding → [keeping away from]} · distress → [taking refuge] 避难 避難) (suǒ place 所) → [refuge]).

Remember Job

As students of the Bible, we have come to understand that, just as it was in Job’s time, now, the last days of this old system of things, is not a time when Jehovah is physically protecting his people from all bad things. However, we can still turn to him for mental, emotional, and spiritual refuge, as Job could. Also, we know that, as in Job’s case, even the physical effects of the bad things that happen now will eventually be undone by Jehovah, when the time is right.—Job 1:7–22; 42:12–17; Revelation 20:12, 13.

Categories
Culture Current Events History Theocratic

jiǎodù

jiǎodù (jiǎo·dù {horn(-shaped thing) → [angle]} · degree → [angle | point of view; perspective] 角度) ← Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

[Notes: Tap/click on a Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) expression to reveal its “flashcard”; tap/click on a “flashcard” or its Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · 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.]

One of the publications that is now recommended to be used on Bible studies is the Yǒngyuǎn Xiǎngshòu Měihǎo de Shēngmìng—Hùdòng Shì Shèngjīng Kèchéng ((Yǒng·yuǎn Eternally · {Far (in Time)} 永远 永遠) (Xiǎng·shòu Enjoy · Receive 享受) (Měi·hǎo Beautiful · Good 美好) (de ’s 的) (Shēngmìng Life 生命)—(Hù·dòng {Each Other} · Moving → [Interactive] 互动 互動) (Shì (Type 式) (Shèng·jīng Holy · Scriptures → [Bible] 圣经 聖經) (Kè·chéng Lessons · Procedure → [Course] 课程 課程) → [Enjoy Life Forever!—An Interactive Bible Course (lff)]) (Enjoy Life Forever! (lff)) book. This week’s MEotW, “jiǎodù (jiǎo·dù {horn(-shaped thing) → [angle]} · degree → [angle | point of view; perspective] 角度)”, occurs in the transcript for the video used in lesson 06, point 5 of this book:

Screenshot of “jiǎodù” in _Enjoy Life Forever!_ bk. lesson 06 point 5 _Pīnyīn_ Plus video transcript

The Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus material for the sentence in the video in which “jiǎodù (jiǎo·dù {horn(-shaped thing) → [angle]} · degree → [angle | point of view; perspective] 角度)” occurs is as follows:

📖 📄 📘 Lìngwài (Lìng·wài separately · outside → [additionally] 另外), Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng (the) Holy · Scriptures → [the Bible] 圣经 聖經) zhōng (within’s 中) guānyú (guān·yú {closing → [relating]} · to 关于 關於) Shàngdì (Shàng·dì Above’s · {Emperor’s → [God’s]} → [God’s] 上帝) chuàngshì (chuàng·shì {initiating, creating of} · {generation → [world]} 创世 創世) de (’s 的) jìzǎi (jì·zǎi recorded · writing → [account] 记载 記載) shì (is 是) cóng (from 从 從) shēnghuó (living 生活) zài (on 在) dìqiú (dì·qiú earth · globe 地球) shang (upon 上) de (’s 的) rén (person 人) de (’s 的) jiǎodù (jiǎo·dù {horn(-shaped thing) → [angle]} · degree → [perspective] 角度) qù ({having gone} 去) miáoshù (miáo·shù {to be traced → [to be depicted]} · {to be related} → [to be described] 描述) de (’s 的).

Horns, Corners, and Angles

It’s interesting to consider some of the other expressions that use the morphemes in “jiǎodù (jiǎo·dù {horn(-shaped thing) → [angle]} · degree → [angle | point of view; perspective] 角度)”. The first morpheme, “jiǎo ({horn [→ [sth. horn-shaped]]} | corner | angle 角)”, seems to literally mean “horn”, and it is also used to refer to things that are shaped like a horn. Probably related to that, it can also mean “corner”, or “angle”. Some other expressions that include “jiǎo ({horn [→ [sth. horn-shaped]]} | corner | angle 角)” are:

  • sānjiǎo (sān·jiǎo three · {horns → [corners]} → [triangle; delta] 三角) [xíng (form; shape 形)]

    • Interestingly, while in the English-speaking world, we say that a triangle has three sides, Mandarin calls a triangle something with three corners (or perhaps angles).
    • Recall that in the MEotW post on “Dé’ěrtǎ (Delta 德尔塔 德爾塔)”, this expression was listed as one of the ways to say “Delta”—as in the Delta variant of the virus that causes COVID-19—in Mandarin. (“Delta” is the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet, and its uppercase form (Δ) looks like a triangle.)
  • Fēizhōu zhī Jiǎo ((Fēi·zhōu Africa · Continent → [Africa] 非洲) (zhī ’s 之) (Jiǎo Horn 角) → [Horn of Africa])
  • tiānyá‐hǎijiǎo ((tiān·yá sky’s · boundaries; edges → [remotest corners of the earth] 天涯)‐(hǎi·jiǎo sea’s · {horns → [corners]} 海角) → [ends of the earth; remotest corners of the earth | separated worlds apart])

    • It turns out that there’s actually a real place called “Tiānyá (Tiān·yá Sky’s · Edge 天涯) Hǎijiǎo (Hǎi·jiǎo Sea’s · {Horn → [Corner]} → [Cape] 海角)”, called Cape Haijiao in English, in the vicinity of the city of Sānyà (Sān·yà Three · Inferiors → [Sanya, a city on Hainan Island, China] 三亚 三亞), which is on Hǎinán (Hǎi·nán Sea · South → [Hainan] 海南) Island in China.
    • The Wikipedia post on Sānyà (Sān·yà Three · Inferiors → [Sanya, a city on Hainan Island, China] 三亚 三亞) summarizes for us that:

      Sanya’s history dates to the Qin Dynasty (221–206 BCE). Due to its remoteness from the political centers during the Qin Dynasty, Sanya was sometimes called Tianya Haijiao (天涯海角), meaning “the end of the sky and ocean” or “the end of the earth”. As a result, the city served as a place of exile for officials who found themselves out of favor with the country’s rulers.

Degrees of…

“Dù (degree; extent; {degree of intensity} | {spend; pass (time)} | [mw for occasions/times] 度)”, the other morpheme in “jiǎodù (jiǎo·dù {horn(-shaped thing) → [angle]} · degree → [angle | point of view; perspective] 角度)”, can mean “degree(s)”, “extent”, or “degree of intensity”, among other things. Some other expressions that include it are:

  • chángdù (cháng·dù {being long → [length]} · degree; extent → [length] 长度 長度)

    • This expression occurs in the Mandarin Was Life Created? brochure, when it makes the point that “the Hebrew word translated ‘day’ can mean various lengths of time, not just a 24-hour period”. (Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) WOL; Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus)
  • sùdù (sù·dù {being fast; rapid; quick; speedy → [speed; velocity]} · degree → [speed; velocity; tempo; pace; rate] 速度)
  • wēndù (wēn·dù {(of) being warm} · {degree of intensity} → [temperature] 温度 溫度)
  • tàidu (tài·du state · degree → [attitude; manner] 态度 態度)

Same Character, Different Words?

One thing that came to light during the research for this post is that “角”, the character for the “jiǎo ({horn [→ [sth. horn-shaped]]} | corner | angle 角)” in “jiǎodù (jiǎo·dù {horn(-shaped thing) → [angle]} · degree → [angle | point of view; perspective] 角度)”, can also be pronounced “jué ”, “lù”, or “gǔ”. For example, it’s pronounced “jué ” in “juésè (jué·sè role; part; character · {colour → [[theatrical] role]} 角色 角/腳色)”, where it also means something completely different. (Oddly, the first morpheme in “juésè (jué·sè role; part; character · {colour → [[theatrical] role]} 角色 角/腳色)” can alternately be written with the character “脚/腳”, which, like “角”, can also be pronounced either “jiǎo” or “jué ”.)

This illustrates that the contention that characters are the best way to disambiguate (tell apart) the homophones in Mandarin is problematic. One of the problems is that many characters have multiple possible pronunciations and meanings. Even for a given pronunciation, a character can still have multiple possible meanings. (A classic example is “机/機 ( jī )”, as discussed in the MEotW post on “wēijī (wēi·jī {ridge of a roof → [dangerous | endangering]} · {incipient moment; crucial point | occasion} | {(for) ridge of a roof → [(for) danger]} · occasion; opportunity → [crisis] 危机 危機)”.) So, the way to tell what pronunciation and what meaning a particular character has basically involves taking the same approach that Mandarin-speakers routinely take to disambiguate homophones when speaking Mandarin—consider the context.

Another thing to ponder is that if two Mandarin expressions are pronounced differently and have different meanings, but are written with the same character, do they count as two different words? Or does being written with the same character override their differences and unite them to be one word? There are different viewpoints regarding what is a word in Mandarin, but I think these two Mandarin expressions should indeed be considered two different words that just happen to be written with the same character, because in linguistics (the scientific study of language), speech is primary and writing is secondary, so the different spoken pronunciations (and meanings!) trump being written with the same character. If you have a different take, please share your reasoning and supporting evidence in the comments.

For convenience:

The direct link for the current generation Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus resource for the Enjoy Life Forever! book is:

The short link for Chinese field language-learning links for the Enjoy Life Forever! book is:

More Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) and Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus web material based on the Mandarin Enjoy Life Forever! book will be made available in the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus web resource as time allows.