Tag: Morphemes

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kèchéng

kèchéng (kè·chéng lessons · procedure → [course; curriculum] 课程 課程) ← 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.]

As covered in the recent MEotW post on “āijiā‐āihù ((āi·jiā {one after another} · households 挨家)‐(āi·hù {one after another} · doors 挨户 挨戶) → [door[-/ ]to[-/ ]door; house[-/ ]to[-/ ]house])”, on September 1, we Jehovah’s Witnesses resumed house-to-house preaching. It is appropriate, then, that as of this writing, jw.org is featuring the article “What Is the Bible Study Course Offered by Jehovah’s Witnesses?”. The Mandarin version of this article makes use of the expression “kèchéng (kè·chéng lessons · procedure → [course; curriculum] 课程 課程)”, perhaps preceded by “Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng Holy · Scriptures → [Bible] 圣经 聖經)”, to correspond with the English expressions “Bible study course”, “Bible study program”, “Bible study”, “study”, “course”, “Bible course”, “Bible lessons” (from the title of the referenced Enjoy Life Forever!—Introductory Bible Lessons brochure), “study course”, “Bible study lessons”, and “lessons”.

Interestingly, “[Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng Holy · Scriptures → [Bible] 圣经 聖經)] yánjiū (yán·jiū {grinding → [studying]} · {studying carefully} → [study] 研究)”, an expression that has long been used in the past to mean “[Bible] study”, does not appear at all in the above-mentioned article.

Related Expressions

The “kè (subject; course; class | lesson 课 課)” in “kèchéng (kè·chéng lessons · procedure → [course; curriculum] 课程 課程)” may be familiar to those who have used the Mandarin versions of publications like the Good News brochure and the Enjoy Life Forever! brochure/book, since that is the Mandarin word used to correspond with the English word “lesson”. For example, “Lesson 10” is “Dì‐10 ((Dì [pref to form ordinal numbers] 第)‐(Shí Ten 10) → [10th]) Kè (Lesson 课 課)”.

Besides “kèchéng (kè·chéng lessons · procedure → [course; curriculum] 课程 課程)”, another word that “kè (subject; course; class | lesson 课 課)” appears in is “kèběn (kè·běn {course | lessons} · {root or stem → [mw for books, etc.]} → [textbook; coursebook] 课本 課本)”, which the above-mentioned article uses in reference to the Enjoy Life Forever! book that is now officially recommended for use on Bible studies. (Interestingly, the English version of the article does not use the word “textbook”, which is the main dictionary definition for “kèběn (kè·běn {course | lessons} · {root or stem → [mw for books, etc.]} → [textbook; coursebook] 课本 課本)”. It does, though, refer to the Enjoy Life Forever! book as an “interactive Bible course”. So, “coursebook” may be a better match for “kèběn (kè·běn {course | lessons} · {root or stem → [mw for books, etc.]} → [textbook; coursebook] 课本 課本)” in this case.)

As for the second morpheme in “kèchéng (kè·chéng lessons · procedure → [course; curriculum] 课程 課程)”, it is also used, perhaps unexpectedly, in “gōngchéng (gōng·chéng work · {procedure → [journey]} → [engineering | [engineering/work] project] 工程)” and in “gōngchéngshī (gōng·chéng·shī {work · {procedures → [journeys]} → [engineering]} · {master → [skilled person; expert; specialist]} → [engineer] 工程师 工程師)”.

Usage Examples

Here are a couple of examples of “kèchéng (kè·chéng lessons · procedure → [course; curriculum] 课程 課程)” in use, taken from the above-mentioned article:

English:

Our Bible study program can help you to:

  • Have a happy life
  • Become God’s friend
  • Learn what the Bible promises for the future

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Wǒmen de ((Wǒ·men us · [pl] 我们 我們) (de ’s 的) → [our]) Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng Holy · Scriptures → [Bible] 圣经 聖經) kèchéng (kè·chéng lessons · procedure → [course] 课程 課程) kěyǐ (kě·yǐ can · [suf] 可以) bāngzhù (help 帮助 幫助) nǐ (you 你):

  • 📖 📄 📘 Guò ({to pass} 过 過) kuàilè (happy 快乐 快樂) de (’s 的) shēnghuó (shēng·huó life · living 生活)
  • 📖 📄 📘 Gēn (with 跟) Shàngdì (Shàng·dì Above’s · {Emperor → [God]} → [God] 上帝) jiànlì (jiàn·lì {to build} · {to make to stand} → [to establish] 建立) yǒuyì (yǒu·yì friendly · friendship → [friendship] 友谊 友誼)
  • 📖 📄 📘 Liǎojiě (Liǎo·jiě {to understand} · {to untie → [to solve]} → [to understand] 了解 了/瞭解) Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng (the) Holy · Scriptures → [the Bible] 圣经 聖經) gěi (gives 给 給) rén (people 人) de (’s 的) xīwàng (xī·wàng hoping · {gazing (into the distance) → [hoping]} → [hope] 希望)

English:

These interactive lessons answer some of life’s most important questions.

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Zhèige (Zhèi·ge this · [mw] 这个 這個) hùdòng (hù·dòng {each other} · moving → [interactive] 互动 互動) shì (type 式) Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng Holy · Scriptures → [Bible] 圣经 聖經) kèchéng (kè·chéng lessons · procedure → [course] 课程 課程) huì (will 会 會) huídá (huí·dá {circle back} · {to answer} 回答) yìxiē (yì·xiē one · {indefinite number of} → [some] 一些) zhòngyào (zhòng·yào weighty · important 重要) wèntí (wèn·tí asking · subjects → [questions] 问题 問題).

Categories
Current Events

cānzhàn

cānzhàn (cān·zhàn {take part in; participate in} · war 参战 參戰) ← 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.]

About six months since Russia sent significant military forces into Ukraine in February, the resulting war continues to rage on. It is appropriate, then, that as of this writing, jw.org is featuring the article “Christians and War—What Does the Bible Say?”. The Mandarin version of this article makes use of the expression “cānzhàn (cān·zhàn {take part in; participate in} · war 参战 參戰)”, this week’s MEotW.

Abbreviated

One interesting thing to note about “cānzhàn (cān·zhàn {take part in; participate in} · war 参战 參戰)” is that it can be thought of as an abbreviation for “cānyù ({take part in; participate in} 参与 參與/預) zhànzhēng (zhàn·zhēng war · contending → [war; warfare] 战争 戰爭)”, the result of putting together the first morphemes of those expressions. Indeed, “cānzhàn (cān·zhàn {take part in; participate in} · war 参战 參戰)”/“cānyù ({take part in; participate in} 参与 參與/預) zhànzhēng (zhàn·zhēng war · contending → [war; warfare] 战争 戰爭)” occur multiple times in the above-mentioned Mandarin article, each time meaning the same thing.

Usage examples

Here are some examples of “cānzhàn (cān·zhàn {take part in; participate in} · war 参战 參戰)”/“cānyù ({take part in; participate in} 参与 參與/預) zhànzhēng (zhàn·zhēng war · contending → [war; warfare] 战争 戰爭)” in use, taken from the above-mentioned article:

English:

Christians and War—What Does the Bible Say?

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Jīdūtú (Jīdū·tú Christ · Followers → [Christians] 基督徒) Gāi (Should 该 該) Cānzhàn (Cān·zhàn {Take Part in} · War 参战 參戰) ma ([? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)? Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng (the) Holy · Scriptures → [the Bible] 圣经 聖經) Zěnme (Zěn·me What · [suf] 怎么 怎麼/麽) Shuō ({Does Say} 说 說/説)?

English:

Should Christians take part in war? What does the Bible say?

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Jīdūtú (Jīdū·tú Christ · Followers → [Christians] 基督徒) yīnggāi (should 应该 應該) cānyù ({take part in} 参与 參與/預) zhànzhēng (zhàn·zhēng war · contending → [war] 战争 戰爭) ma ([? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)? Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng (the) Holy · Scriptures → [the Bible] 圣经 聖經) zěnme (zěn·me what · [suf] 怎么 怎麼/麽) shuō ({does say} 说 說/説)?

English:

The Bible shows that those who truly follow Jesus Christ do not engage in warfare.

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng (the) Holy · Scriptures → [the Bible] 圣经 聖經) shuō (says 说 說/説), nèixiē (nèi·xiē that · {indefinite number of} → [those] 那些) zhēnzhèng (zhēn·zhèng truly · properly 真正) gēnsuí (following 跟随 跟隨) Yēsū (Jesus 耶稣 耶穌) de (’ 的) rén (persons 人) búhuì (bú·huì not · will → [will not] 不会 不會) cānyù ({take part in} 参与 參與/預) zhànzhēng (zhàn·zhēng war · contending → [war] 战争 戰爭).

English:

Is it realistic for Christians to avoid engaging in warfare today? Yes.

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Jīntiān (Jīn·tiān present · {sky → [day]} → [today] 今天), Jīdūtú (Jīdū·tú Christ · Followers → [Christians] 基督徒) zhēnde (zhēn·de really · ’s 真的) kěyǐ (kě·yǐ can · [suf] 可以) bǎochí (bǎo·chí protect · hold → [maintain] 保持) zhōnglì (zhōng·lì middle · standing → [neutrality] 中立), bù (not 不) cānyù ({take part in} 参与 參與/預) zhànzhēng (zhàn·zhēng war · contending → [war] 战争 戰爭) ma ([? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)? Kěyǐ (Kě·yǐ (they) can · [suf] 可以).

Categories
Current Events

gāowēn

gāowēn (gāo·wēn high · {being warm → [temperature]} 高温 高溫) ← 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.]

Currently, many around the world are being affected by high temperatures, which scientists say is part of a pattern of global warming caused by human activity. As of this writing, jw.org is featuring the article “Record-Breaking Temperatures Worldwide—What Does the Bible Say?”. The Mandarin version of this article uses the expression “pò (breaking 破) jìlù (records 记/纪录 記/紀錄) de (’ 的) gāowēn (gāo·wēn high · {(incidents of) being warm → [temperatures]} 高温 高溫)” to translate the English expression “record-breaking temperatures”. (When talking to people, mentioning that the temperatures being reported worldwide are “pò (breaking 破) jìlù (records 记/纪录 記/紀錄)” (record-breaking) will emphasize that these are noteworthy, atypical (unusual) temperatures.)

The morpheme “wēn ({[is] warm} [→ [temperature]] | {warm [up]} [→ [review; revise | recall; recollect; relive]] 温 溫)”, as used in “gāowēn (gāo·wēn high · {being warm → [temperature]} 高温 高溫)”, can be thought of as being short for “wēndù (wēn·dù {(of) being warm} · {degree of intensity} → [temperature] 温度 溫度)”, which is often used to translate “temperature”.

Stative Verbs

We can also note that in “gāowēn (gāo·wēn high · {being warm → [temperature]} 高温 高溫)”, “wēn ({[is] warm} [→ [temperature]] | {warm [up]} [→ [review; revise | recall; recollect; relive]] 温 溫)” has a literal meaning of “being warm”. Thus, it is here being a stative verb.

“Wēn ({[is] warm} [→ [temperature]] | {warm [up]} [→ [review; revise | recall; recollect; relive]] 温 溫)” is also a stative verb in past MEotW “wēnhé (wēn·hé {[is] warm} · {[is] gentle}; {[is] mild}; {[is] moderate} [→ [mildness]] 温和 溫和)”. The MEotW post for “wēnhé (wēn·hé {[is] warm} · {[is] gentle}; {[is] mild}; {[is] moderate} [→ [mildness]] 温和 溫和)” said the following about stative verbs:

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 stative verbs:

S.V. (Stative Verb, Xíngróngcí 形容词).

These entries are frequently translated into English as adjectives, even though they actually behave in Chinese as verbs. That is, the sense of ‘to be’ is already incorporated into these verbs, e.g. Zhèige hěn hǎo ‘This is quite good.’ In fact, it is simply ungrammatical to place the verb shì, ‘to be’, directly in front of a stative verb.

Because stative verbs are actually verbs, they are directly negated by bù, e.g. bù hǎo ‘not good’, and can be further modified by adverbs of degree such as hěn ‘quite’, fēicháng ‘extremely’ and shífēn ‘very; utterly’. One common function of stative verbs is that they may serve as adverbs to other actions, e.g. mànmàn in mànmàn chī ‘Take your time (eating)’ and rènzhēn in rènzhēn de xiě ‘write carefully’.

Usage Examples

Here are a couple of examples of “gāowēn (gāo·wēn high · {being warm → [temperature]} 高温 高溫)” in use, taken from the above-mentioned jw.org article:

English:

[Recently,] record-breaking temperatures [have been] reported worldwide.

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Zuìjìn (Zuì·jìn most · {being near → [being recent]} → [recently] 最近), shìjiè (shì·jiè {generation → [world]} · extent → [world] 世界) gèdì (gè·dì various · lands 各地) dōu (even 都) chūxiàn (chū·xiàn {have put out} · {appearings of} 出现 出現) pò (breaking 破) jìlù (records 记/纪录 記/紀錄) de (’ 的) gāowēn (gāo·wēn high · {(incidents of) being warm → [temperatures]} 高温 高溫).

English:

Rising global temperatures have led many to fear that mankind will ruin the earth.

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Zài (in 在) shìjiè (shì·jiè {generation → [world]} · extent → [world] 世界) gèdì (gè·dì various · lands 各地) fāshēng (fā·shēng {issuing forth} · {coming to life} → [happening] 发生 發生) de (’s 的) gāowēn (gāo·wēn high · {(incidents of) being warm → [temperatures]} 高温 高溫) ràng ({have made} 让 讓) hěn (very 很) duō (many 多) rén (people 人) gǎndào (gǎn·dào feel · {arriving at} 感到) hàipà (hài·pà feeling · fearing → [fearing] 害怕), dānxīn (dān·xīn {carry on shoulder poles → [take on (heavy)]} · hearts → [worry] 担/耽心 擔/耽心) dìqiú (dì·qiú earth · globe 地球) huì (will 会 會) yīncǐ (yīn·cǐ {because of} · this 因此) bèi ([passive signifier] → [by] 被) rénlèi (rén·lèi man·kind 人类 人類) huǐmiè (huǐ·miè {be destroyed} · {be extinguished} 毁灭 毀滅).