lìyì (lì·yì {sharpening → [advantage; benefit; gain | profit; interest]} · benefit; advantage; profit → [benefit; profit] 利益) 👈🏼 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.]
I have long especially liked 1 Corinthians 13. It contains counsel on what really does and doesn’t matter in life, an extensive description and definition of the most important kind of love, and a sublime discussion about the need to become complete, mature, as a person. As these apply to life in general, so too do they apply to our lives as Mandarin field language learners.
As Mandarin field language learners, it can benefit us greatly to consider what we can learn from 1 Corinthians 13, and along the way, we can also consider some of the Mandarin expressions used in that chapter in the current version of the Mandarin New World Translation Bible (nwtsty).
“Lookin’ Out for #1”?
This week’s MEotW, “lìyì (lì·yì {sharpening → [advantage; benefit; gain | profit; interest]} · benefit; advantage; profit → [benefit; profit] 利益)”, is used in verse 5 (WOL) of 1 Corinthians 13:
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For comparison, here are the current English and Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus renderings of 1 Corinthians 13:5:
does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury.
Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus:
📖 📄 📘 bú (not 不) zuò ({does do} 做) bù (not 不) guīju (guī·ju (following) {dividers → [rules]} · {carpenter’s squares → [regulations]} → [following established standards] 规矩 規矩) de (’ 的) shì (things 事), bù (not 不) qiú ({does seek} 求) zìjǐ (self 自己) de (’s 的) lìyì (lì·yì {sharpening → [advantage]} · benefit → [benefit] 利益), bù (not 不) qīngyì (qīng·yì lightly · easily 轻易 輕易) dòngnù (dòng·nù {does have moved} · anger → [does get angry] 动怒 動怒), bú (not 不) jìjiào (jì·jiào {does count} · {does dispute} 计较 計較) biéren (bié·ren other · people 别人 別人) zàochéng (zào·chéng {have created} · {to come to be} 造成) de (’s 的) shānghài (injuring → [injury] 伤害 傷害),
The “lì (sharpen [→ [do good [for/to]; be beneficial [for/to]]] | sharpened [→ [sharp | favourable; advantageous; good; beneficial; smooth; convenient]] | sharpening [→ [advantage; benefit; gain | profit; interest]] 利)” in “lìyì (lì·yì {sharpening → [advantage; benefit; gain | profit; interest]} · benefit; advantage; profit → [benefit; profit] 利益)” literally means “sharpening”, and can effectively mean “advantage; benefit; gain”. Similarly, the “yì (benefit; good; advantage; profit; increase | beneficial; profitable | {to increase; to benefit} 益)” in “lìyì (lì·yì {sharpening → [advantage; benefit; gain | profit; interest]} · benefit; advantage; profit → [benefit; profit] 利益)” means “benefit; advantage; profit”. We can see then, why in 1 Corinthians 13:5 in the current English and Mandarin versions of the New World Translation Bible, “bù (not 不) qiú ({does seek} 求) zìjǐ (self 自己) de (’s 的) lìyì (lì·yì {sharpening → [advantage]} · benefit → [benefit] 利益)” corresponds with the English phrase “does not look for its own interests”.
In this regard, true Christian love is completely opposite from the norm in Satan’s world, which is the kind of self-interest and lovelessness that’s expressed by this excerpt from the lyrics of the song “Lookin’ Out for #1”:
Every night is a different game
We gotta work for our fortune and fame
Success is a ladder, take a step at a time
And the people will remember your nameYes, I found out all the tricks of the trade
And that’s there’s only one way you’re gonna get things done
I found out the only way to the top
Is looking out for number one
And that’s me, I’m looking out for number one
Not Looking For Our Own Interests in the Mandarin Field
Unlike the self-seeking people of Satan’s world, Mandarin field language learners who seek to show Christian love must not view their language learning and ministry as just a game, nor should they be seeking fortune and fame, or success as defined by the world. And rather than wanting people to remember their names, they seek to proclaim Jehovah’s name. Rather than trying to get to the top, they try to help Mandarin-speaking people to get everlasting life. Yes, rather than looking out for number one (themselves), they exert themselves and make sacrifices to help others as spiritual rescue workers, and they seek to glorify, not themselves, but rather, Jehovah, as admonished by our recently introduced song “Give Jehovah Glory”.
To help us gain insight on how well we are doing when it comes to not looking for our own interests in the Mandarin field, we could consider the following:
- If we are exerting ourselves to learn the traditionally used but exceedingly complex Chinese characters, how much of our motivation is to be more able to help Mandarin-speaking people more effectively and glorify Jehovah more clearly and eloquently, and how much is it to glorify ourselves in the eyes of tradition-loving advocates of worldly Chinese culture?
- Are we resistant to Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) because it doesn’t have the same worldly cultural glamour and prestige as the characters do, or do we value it because of how it can help us to more quickly, easily, and effectively glorify Jehovah and give spiritual help to Mandarin-speaking people?
- This year’s convention program helps us to further appreciate the kind of person Jesus showed himself to be when he was on earth. As Jesus’ Christian followers, we seek to follow his example, including his example in showing love that “does not look for its own interests”.
- From what we have learned about Jesus, if he were on earth today and serving in the Mandarin field, would he be impressed by the glorious, prestigious traditions of worldly Chinese culture, such as those involving Chinese characters? Would he be okay with allowing such human traditions to make it much more difficult than necessary to glorify Jehovah in Mandarin and give spiritual help to Mandarin-speaking people? Considering how he viewed the Sabbath traditions of the first-century Jews, which only unnecessarily burdened people one day a week, how would he view today’s human-mandated traditions involving Chinese characters, which unnecessarily burden his followers in the Mandarin field every single day?—John 5:16, 17; 41–44.
