rènmìng
(rèn·mìng
appoint · assign
任命)
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Appendix A2 of the English New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition), entitled “Features of This Revision”, discusses vocabulary changes that have been made in the current revision, words that have been translated differently than before. As noted in various entries in the excellent resource Referenced Theo. Expressions (RTE), Appendix A2 of the current Mandarin version of the New World Translation Bible (nwtsty) correspondingly discusses words that have been translated differently in the current revision of the Mandarin NWT Bible, compared to how they had been translated before.
Since we base what we say in Jehovah’s service on his Word the Bible, the vocabulary used in it—and the way those vocabulary words are translated—should be reflected in how we speak in our ministry, at our meetings, etc. So, it is beneficial for us Mandarin field language-learners to be familiar with the latest thinking from the organization on how Bible terms should be translated into Mandarin.
The Curious Case of “膏”
Sometimes, some words just gradually get used less and less, and people turn to using other words instead. Appendix A2 of the English New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition) gives these examples of English words that have fallen out of fashion so much that they may no longer be correctly or easily understood by modern readers, and the words that the English NWT Bible now uses instead of them:
The now obsolete meaning of “dumb” was replaced with “speechless.” (Matthew 9:32, 33) The term “harlot” was changed to “prostitute.” (Genesis 38:15) In this revision, “fornication” is usually rendered as “sexual immorality”; “loose conduct” as “brazen conduct”; and “revelries” as “wild parties.”
One example of a word used in the previous major revision of the Mandarin NWT Bible that may no longer be correctly or easily understood by modern readers is “gào
({apply liquid, ointment, etc.}; moisten; grease; lubricate [→ [dip a brush in ink]]
膏)”, which is a verb, and which is pronounced with the fourth tone. When modern readers see the character “膏”, they probably think of “gāo
(fat; grease; oil [→ [paste; cream; ointment; plaster | fertile; rich]]
膏)”, which is pronounced with the first tone, and which is usually a noun that is still in common use.
(This confusion is so pervasive that even the official Pīnyīn
(Pīn·yīn
{Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin]
拼音) version of Appendix A2 of the current Mandarin version of the New World Translation Bible (nwtsty) incorrectly shows the first tone pronunciation of “膏” (gāo) when discussing its verb form, which is actually pronounced with the fourth tone (gào). While many more of the official publications are available in official Pīnyīn
(Pīn·yīn
{Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin]
拼音) versions than before—unquestionably a good thing—it seems that it has been difficult to avoid occasional lapses in quality in the greater quantity of Pīnyīn
(Pīn·yīn
{Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin]
拼音) now being made available.)
By the way, the same character “膏” having different pronunciations and different attached meanings in different contexts is an example showing us that characters are actually not the ultimate clarifiers of meaning in Chinese writing. Rather, the context is what clarifies for us how a character like “膏” should be pronounced and understood when we see it in a sentence, paragraph, etc. And in the case of the Hànzì
(Hàn·zì
{Han (Chinese)} · Character
汉字
漢字) (character) “膏”, with its multiple possible pronunciations and meanings, seeing the spoken Mandarin word it represents written in Pīnyīn
(Pīn·yīn
{Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin]
拼音) as either “gāo
(fat; grease; oil [→ [paste; cream; ointment; plaster | fertile; rich]]
膏)” or “gào
({apply liquid, ointment, etc.}; moisten; grease; lubricate [→ [dip a brush in ink]]
膏)” is actually less confusing and more clear re pronunciation and meaning than seeing that spoken word written in Hànzì
(Hàn·zì
{Han (Chinese)} · Character
汉字
漢字) form, even if one has indeed learned and can remember that complex character.
With the above in mind, note that instead of “gàolì
(gào·lì
{apply liquid, etc. → [anoint]} · {make to stand → [appoint]} (nwt-CHS Appx. A2 notes change from “gàolì” to “rènmìng”)
膏立)” and “shòugào
(shòu·gào
received · {applying (of liquid, etc.)} → [anointed (nwt-CHS Appx. A2 notes change from “shòugào” to “shòu rènmìng”)]
受膏)”, the current version of the Mandarin NWT Bible now uses “rènmìng
(rèn·mìng
appoint · assign
任命)” (this week’s MEotW) and “shòu
(received
受)
rènmìng
(rèn·mìng
appointing · assigning
任命)” instead.—Sāmǔ’ěrjì Shàng
((Sāmǔ’ěr·jì
Samuel · Record
撒母耳记
撒母耳記)
(Shàng
Upper
上)
→ [1 Samuel]) 10:1; Sājiālìyàshū
(Sājiālìyà·shū
Zechariah · Book
撒迦利亚书
撒迦利亞書) 4:14.
“Anointed Christian”
Speaking of “shòugào
(shòu·gào
received · {applying (of liquid, etc.)} → [anointed (nwt-CHS Appx. A2 notes change from “shòugào” to “shòu rènmìng”)]
受膏)”, before, the English expression “anointed Christian” was translated by the organization into Mandarin as “shòugào
(shòu·gào
received · {applying (of liquid, etc.)} → [anointed (nwt-CHS Appx. A2 notes change from “shòugào” to “shòu rènmìng”)]
受膏)
de
(’s
的)
Jīdūtú
(Jī·dū·tú
{Foundation · {Directing (Person)} → [Christ]} · Follower → [Christian]
基督徒)”. However, as indicated above, going forward the organization has decided to use “shòu
(received
受)
rènmìng
(rèn·mìng
appointing · assigning
任命)” instead of “shòugào
(shòu·gào
received · {applying (of liquid, etc.)} → [anointed (nwt-CHS Appx. A2 notes change from “shòugào” to “shòu rènmìng”)]
受膏)”. This seems to indeed apply to how “anointed Christian” is to be translated into Mandarin. For example, the Mandarin version of the January 2020 Watchtower (Study Edition) here uses “bèi
([passive signifier] → [got]
被)
rènmìng
(rèn·mìng
appointed · assigned
任命)
de
(’s
的)
Jīdūtú
(Jī·dū·tú
{Foundation · {Directing (Person)} → [Christ]} · Follower → [Christian]
基督徒)” to translate “anointed Christian”. (The meanings of “shòu
(received
受)” and “bèi
([passive signifier] → [got]
被)” are practically the same.)
Alternately, note that the Mandarin version (2021) of the Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY Glossary entry for “Israel” translates “anointed Christians” as “shòu
(received
受)
hūzhào
(hū·zhào
{breathing out → [calling]} · summoning
呼召)
dào
({to arrive at}
到)
tiānshang
(tiān·shang
heaven · upon
天上)
qù
({to go}
去)
de
(’s
的)
Jīdūtú
(Jī·dū·tú
{Foundation · {Directing (Person)} → [Christ]} · Followers → [Christians]
基督徒)”.
