Tag: Pīnyīn Plus

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Dàilìlā

Dàilìlā (De·liʹlah 黛利拉) 👈🏼 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.]

A few years back, I wrote up a brief web page listing reasons for producing Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音), etc. material for the Imitate (ia) book. Some, especially some who grew up in the West, may have felt that this book is made up of “just stories”, and ones that they were already quite familiar with, at that. However, we must remember that Chinese Bible students may often have a different perspective regarding the Bible accounts that are made to come to life in the Imitate book. As that web page said:

  • Many Chinese people in the world have not been exposed to Bible accounts the way many Westerners have.
  • Also, I have heard that some, perhaps many, Chinese Bible students tend to approach their Bible studies like intellectual exercises for accumulating chōuxiàng (abstract) head knowledge as if for a school exam, rather than as training for their hearts for their own real lives.

Later, the web page touches on how some of the real-world benefits of good storytelling like that found in the Imitate book involve empathy:

  • …
    • The actress Natalie Portman once said, “I love acting. I think it’s the most amazing thing to be able to do. Your job is practicing empathy. You walk down the street imagining every person’s life.”
  • The Imitate book helps build Bible students’ empathy towards Bible characters, which in turn helps Bible students realize that others would feel empathy towards them as well if they imitated these Bible characters—not everyone will just think they’re crazy, like many worldly friends or family members might think.

While even fictional stories can have the benefits described in the links and the quote above, true stories from the Bible can have even greater benefits, including spiritual ones.

Besides the Imitate book, another book from Jehovah’s organization that relates Bible accounts is the Learn From the Bible (lfb) book. The letter from the Governing Body in this book says that, similarly to the Imitate book, the Learn From the Bible book also “brings the Bible accounts to life and captures the feelings of those depicted”, while, unlike the Imitate book, it “tells the story of the human family from creation onward”. While the Learn From the Bible book is especially suitable for children, the letter from the Governing Body in this book says that “it can also be used to help adults who desire to learn more about the Bible”. So, it would be good to consider on this blog some of the expressions used in the Mandarin Learn From the Bible book.

Femme Fatale

This week’s MEotW, “Dàilìlā (De·liʹlah 黛利拉)”, appears in the third paragraph of Lesson 38 of the Mandarin Learn From the Bible book, which is entitled “Yēhéhuá (Jehovah 耶和华 耶和華) Shǐ (Made 使) Cānsūn (Samson 参孙 參孫) Lì (Strength 力) Dà ({to Be Big} → [to Be Great] 大) Wúqióng (Wú·qióng {Not to Have} · {Being Impoverished} → [to Be Boundless] 无穷 無窮)” (“Jehovah Made Samson Strong”):

English:

Later, the Philistines went to Samson’s girlfriend, Delilah, and said: ‘We will pay you thousands of silver pieces if you find out why Samson is so strong. We want to catch him and put him in prison.’ Delilah wanted the money, so she agreed.

Mandarin (WOL, Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus):

📖 📄 📘 Hòulái (Hòu·lái afterwards · {(it) came to be} 后来 後來), Cānsūn (Samson 参孙 參孫) àishangle (ài·shang·le loved · upon · {to completion} → [fell in love with] 爱上了 愛上了) yí (one 一) ge ([mw] 个 個/个) jiào (called 叫 叫/呌) Dàilìlā (De·liʹlah 黛利拉) de (’s 的) nǚrén (nǚ·rén female · person → [woman] 女人), Fēilìshì‐rén ((Fēilìshì Phi·lisʹti·a 非利士)‐(rén people 人) → [Phi·lisʹtines]) jiù (then 就) qù (went 去) zhǎo ({to look for} 找) Dàilìlā (De·liʹlah 黛利拉) shuō ({to say} 说 說/説): “Wǒmen (Wǒ·men we · [pl] 我们 我們) yào (want 要) bǎ ({to hold} 把) Cānsūn (Samson 参孙 參孫) zhuā ({to be seized} → [to be caught] 抓) qilai (qi·lai up · {to come} 起来 起來), guānjìn (guān·jìn {to be shut → [to be confined]} · {to be entering into} 关进 關進) láo (pen → [prison] 牢) li (inside 里 裡/裏). Zhǐyào (Zhǐ·yào only · {requiring that} → [provided] 只要) nǐ (you 你) gàosu (tell 告诉 告訴) wǒmen (wǒ·men us · [pl] 我们 我們), tā (he 他) wèishénme (wèi·shén·me for · what · [suf] → [why] 为什么 為什/甚麼) lìqi (lì·qi strength · {air → [vital energy (in Ch. metaphysics)]} → [physical strength] 力气 力氣) nàme (nà·me {that (much)} · [suf] 那么/末 那麼/末) dà ({is big} → [is great] 大), wǒmen (wǒ·men we · [pl] 我们 我們) jiù (then 就) gěi ({will give} 给 給) nǐ (you 你) hěn (very 很) duō (much 多) yínzi (yín·zi silver · [suf for nouns] 银子 銀子).” Dàilìlā (De·liʹlah 黛利拉) hěn ({very much} 很) xiǎngyào (wanting 想要) qián ({the money} 钱 錢), jiù (then 就) dāyingle (dā·ying·le {{replied to → [agreed with]} · {responded to → [complied with]} → [answered positively to]} · {to completion} 答应了 答應了) Fēilìshì‐rén ((Fēilìshì Phi·lisʹti·a 非利士)‐(rén people 人) → [Phi·lisʹtines]).

“Dàilìlā (De·liʹlah 黛利拉)” is a newer translation of “Delilah” that began to appear in the Mandarin Learn From the Bible book in its 2024-10 Printing, and that seems to have begun to appear in Mandarin versions of the New World Translation Bible starting with the version named the Shèngjīng Xīn Shìjiè Yìběn (Xiūdìng Bǎn) ((Shèng·jīng (The) Holy · Scriptures 圣经 聖經) (Xīn New 新) (Shì·jiè {Generation → [World]} · Extent → [World] 世界) (Yì·běn Translated · {Root or Stem → [Edition]} 译本 譯本) ((Xiū·dìng Mended · Revised 修订 修訂) (Bǎn {Printing Plate (or Block)} → [Edition] 版))) → [New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Revised 2013)]), which was first published in 2019. (The translation of “Delilah” used in older versions of these Mandarin publications was “Dàlìlā (De·liʹlah 大利拉)”.)

In the new Mandarin translation of “Delilah”, the first character was changed from “大 (Dà)” to “黛 (Dài)”, which, while being pronounced only slightly differently, has a very different meaning—while “大 (Dà)” basically means “big”, “黛 (Dài)” means “black pigment used by women in ancient times to paint their eyebrows”, according to Pleco’s built-in dictionary. Apparently, while maintaining (improving?) the basic phonetic similarity to the original language name, whoever did the translating that resulted in “Dàilìlā (De·liʹlah 黛利拉)” may have snuck in a semantic (meaning-related) allusion to Delilah’s femme fatale persona:

femme fatale
…
An alluring and seductive woman, especially one who leads men into compromising and dangerous situations.
…
Borrowing from French femme fatale (literally “deadly woman”).

Beware of Honey Traps!

Speaking of which, Samson certainly had an unfortunate record with the ladies, didn’t he? Jehovah made the related situations turn out as defeats for the enemies of his people, but for Samson, the situation with Delilah especially resulted in much pain and devastation—he ended up betrayed, stripped of his God-given power, brutally blinded, imprisoned, and finally dead, even if he was able to take many of his enemies with him. There had been at least some warning signs, like Delilah nagging him repeatedly to reveal the source of his strength—HELLO!—but Samson didn’t catch on that this woman wasn’t really on his side, even if she was by his side for a while. It seems that Samson at first treated Delilah’s requests as just a cute game, but tragically, the situation turned out to actually be literally a deadly serious one.—Judges 14–16.

Such use of romantic or sexual relationships against people is such an established practice that it’s been given a name—honey trapping. We students of the Bible also know that this practice is so old that it goes back to the very first man and woman, Adam and Eve. Satan is wicked, and ultimately a loser on a strategic level, but that doesn’t mean he’s not smart and crafty tactically—he knew what he was doing when he decided to first approach Eve, arguably literally the most beautiful woman who has ever lived. The Bible reveals that “Adam was not deceived”, but still, when beautiful Eve offered him the forbidden fruit, he decided to be a pushover, follow her lead, and turn away from Jehovah. (1 Timothy 2:14) Some have observed that men can get stupid around a beautiful woman, and considering Adam’s example, it’s undoubtedly genetic!

It may be accurate to say that this kind of spiritual attack is “playing dirty”. However, this is Satan the Devil we are talking about—of course he and his agents are going to play dirty, like the agents of the intelligence agencies of the nations of Satan’s world have been known to do. Also, as this world keeps deteriorating, more and more people are becoming more and more physically-minded (i.e., unspiritual), materialistic, and self-centred, making them more easily manipulated lures and victims in spiritual honey trapping schemes. (2 Timothy 3:13; 1 Corinthians 2:14; Matthew 24:38, 39) So, down to this day, and including within the Mandarin field, honey trapping remains a go-to tactic for Satan the Devil.

Here are a couple of related experiences that I know of: Years ago, I had a Bible student who was an intelligent young man who seemed to mentally understand what he was learning, and yet he eventually stopped studying and got into a relationship with a woman who went to a church that he must have known taught wrong things. I also know of a brother who was an elder, and who even became a missionary in Taiwan along with his wife, and yet he left his wife to live with a Taiwanese woman for a while, resulting in him getting disfellowshipped and divorced. He eventually left behind that adulterous relationship and got reinstated, but what a regrettable trail of pain and devastation left behind by someone who once shone so brightly and did so much in the Mandarin field.

Protectively Proficient Mandarin, Nuclear Bombs, and Stars

Hopefully, we will be able to learn from such real-life experiences and avoid becoming a Samson to any alluring Delilah being used, whether knowingly or not, by our spiritual enemies. As per the Mandarin language-learning focus of this blog, developing the related abilities to understand and speak Mandarin well can potentially help us to more truly and accurately get to know any Mandarin-speaking person who may show up on our romantic radar. (With everything going on in such situations, that’s hard enough when both the people involved are fluent in the same language, never mind if one only has a weak or lame grasp of the language. That might result in one knowing just enough Mandarin to get into trouble, while not knowing enough to understand what’s really going on.)

However, as shown by some of the examples mentioned above, while knowing is half the battle, we also have to get the other half right—successfully applying what we learn to what we do. Romantic and sexual attraction can be powerful—bikinis were in fact named after Bikini Atoll, the site of a series of nuclear weapons tests. Faced with such powerful forces that could push us in destructive directions if we let them, we need to become, with Jehovah’s help, even more powerful spiritually. Jehovah’s holy spirit is the most powerful force in the universe, the source of all the energy in all the stars, compared to which even nuclear bombs are tiny firecrackers, so it’s definitely possible.—Genesis 1:1, 2.

As an example of just how powerful Jehovah’s holy spirit is even compared to humans’ nuclear bombs, according to my research and calculations, every day, the sun, produced with power from the holy spirit, puts out the energy of almost 8 quadrillion (1015) 1-megaton nuclear bombs. (A single 1-megaton nuclear bomb would release about 67 times the amount of energy released by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.) And according to NASA, “it turns out that our Sun is an average-sized star. There are bigger stars, and there are smaller stars. We have found stars that are 100 times bigger in diameter than our sun.” So, while the forces of romantic and sexual attraction can be powerful, if we always choose to put Jehovah first regardless of our relationship status and pray and act accordingly, Jehovah’s holy spirit can certainly operate even more powerfully in our lives.—1 Corinthians 7:25–35; Philippians 4:13.

For convenience:

The direct link for the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus resource for the Learn From the Bible book is:

The short link for Chinese field language-learning links for the Learn From the Bible 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 Learn From the Bible book will be made available in the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus web resource as time allows.

Categories
Culture Experiences History Language Learning Technology Theocratic

guīju

guīju (guī·ju [([is] following)] {compasses; dividers → [rules; regulations]} · {carpenter’s squares → [rules; regulations]} → [[[is] following] rules; customs; established practices/standards | [[is] following] social etiquette; manners | [is] well-behaved; well-disciplined] 规矩 規矩) 👈🏼 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).

“Does Not Behave Indecently”

This week’s MEotW, “guīju (guī·ju [([is] following)] {compasses; dividers → [rules; regulations]} · {carpenter’s squares → [rules; regulations]} → [[[is] following] rules; customs; established practices/standards | [[is] following] social etiquette; manners | [is] well-behaved; well-disciplined] 规矩 規矩)”, is used in verse 5 (WOL) of 1 Corinthians 13:

Screenshot of “_guīju_” in 1 Co. 13:5 (nwtsty, CHS+_Pīnyīn_ WOL)

(Dark mode for the Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY (WOL) website, as shown in the above image, can be enabled in the Safari web browser by using the Noir Safari extension. Other web browsers may also have extensions with similar functionality.)

For comparison, here are the current English and Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus renderings of 1 Corinthians 13:4, 5:

English:

4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous. It does not brag, does not get puffed up, 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:

📖 📄 📘 4 Ài (love 爱 愛), yǒu (has 有) nàixīn (nài·xīn {being (of/with) enduring} · heart → [patience] 耐心), yòu (also 又) réncí (rén·cí {is kind} 仁慈). Ài (love 爱 愛), bù (not 不) jídù ({is jealous} 嫉妒), bù (not 不) chuīxū (chuī·xū {does puff → [does brag]} · {does sigh → [does praise]} → [does brag] 吹嘘 吹噓), bú (not 不) zìdà (zì·dà {(does consider) self} · {to be big → [to be great]} 自大), 5 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 individual morphemes in “guīju (guī·ju [([is] following)] {compasses; dividers → [rules; regulations]} · {carpenter’s squares → [rules; regulations]} → [[[is] following] rules; customs; established practices/standards | [[is] following] social etiquette; manners | [is] well-behaved; well-disciplined] 规矩 規矩)” literally mean “compasses; dividers” “carpenter’s squares”, and they both can effectively mean “rules; regulations”. When these morphemes are put together in “guīju (guī·ju [([is] following)] {compasses; dividers → [rules; regulations]} · {carpenter’s squares → [rules; regulations]} → [[[is] following] rules; customs; established practices/standards | [[is] following] social etiquette; manners | [is] well-behaved; well-disciplined] 规矩 規矩)”, the resulting expression effectively means “[[is] following] rules; customs; established practices/standards | [[is] following] social etiquette; manners | [is] well-behaved; well-disciplined”, corresponding, in the usage of 1 Corinthians 13:5 in the current English and Mandarin versions of the New World Translation Bible, with the English expression “decent”.

Decent According to Whom?

Especially since we are considering this expression as it’s used in God’s Word the Bible as part of direction from God that he inspired the apostle Paul to write down, we must understand that what is meant here by “decent” is determined from God’s point of view, not necessarily with regard to human traditions or conventions.

As followers of Christ, we should keep in mind that Jesus himself said and did some things that did not conform with the traditions and conventions of his time. For example, rather than just going along with the draconian* human traditions of the time regarding the Sabbath, Jesus, knowing the real purpose of the Sabbath, did God’s work on the Sabbath, including healing people. If you had been present, how would you have felt about what Jesus did? Would you have been glad that Jesus had accomplished such good things? Or, would you have been dismayed and offended by how Jesus broke tradition?

The Bible records that some people took issue with the healing that Jesus performed on the Sabbath, basically accusing Jesus of behaving indecently in their eyes. However, Jesus knew that it was more important to keep doing what was right and decent in God’s eyes than it was to follow the traditions and customs of mere humans.—Luke 13:10–17; John 5:1–17.

“Strife and Jealousy”

In the New World Translation Bible in the Watchtower Online Library, one of the scriptures linked to 1 Corinthians 13:5 with regard to “indecently” is Romans 13:13:

Let us walk decently as in the daytime, not in wild parties and drunkenness, not in immoral intercourse and brazen conduct, not in strife and jealousy.

Note that among the things that God’s Word lists as being indecent, along with things like drunkenness and sexual immorality, are “strife and jealousy”.

If someone makes an issue of a Mandarin field language learner who, say, uses Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) instead of following tradition and exclusively focusing on characters, is that person not being like those who made an issue of Jesus healing on the Sabbath? Instead of being happy and joyful because of the good that Jesus was doing, those opposers of Jesus were jealous of how “the entire crowd began to rejoice at all the glorious things he did”. (Luke 13:17) Opposers of Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) use today may similarly be jealous of how those who make good use of Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) can accomplish much in Jehovah’s service without having to put the kind of blood, sweat, and tears into learning characters the traditional way that they did. In their tradition-loving eyes, breaking from tradition and using innovative and game-changingly effective new tools like Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) may seem “indecent”, but in God’s eyes, it is the jealousy-motivated strife such ones cause over people doing good in his service that is truly indecent.

In God's organization, our unity is based on God's truth, not on human tradition.

[image or embed]

— tiandi, Links News (@tiandilinksnews.bsky.social) February 2, 2025 at 8:27 AM

Those who are motivated by true Christian love, as described in 1 Corinthians 13, would rejoice over how Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) helps Mandarin field language learners to bear witness to the truth more effectively, instead of considering it “cheating”, since love “rejoices with the truth”. (John 18:37; 1 Corinthians 13:6) Also, those who are motivated by true Christian love would not be jealous of how game-changing tools like Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) help Mandarin field language learners to more easily get more done, since “love is not jealous”. (1 Corinthians 13:4) Additionally, as per this week’s MEotW, those who are motivated by true Christian love would not stir up strife and make an issue of Mandarin field language learners beneficially using innovative new tools like Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) instead of just following human traditions involving characters, since love “does not behave indecently” in God’s eyes.—1 Corinthians 13:5.

 

* “Draconian” means “very severe, cruel, or harsh”, and it comes from an ancient word that means “dragon”. Guess what culture is one of the only ones to consider the dragon a good, positive symbol, in contrast to how the Bible uses the dragon to represent Satan the Devil. (Revelation 12:9) That’s right, it’s the worldly Chinese culture, the same one that improperly places primary emphasis on the proudly, perversely, abnormally difficult-to-learn-and-remember Chinese characters. ^

Categories
Science Technology Theocratic

xiétiáo

xiétiáo (xié·tiáo {assisting → [jointly; coordinatedly]} · {be regulated; adjusted; mixed → [suit well; fit [in] perfectly]} → [coordinate; harmonize; bring into line; fit together; match] 协调 協調) 👈🏼 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.]

The Shēngmìng Láizì Chuàngzào Ma? ((Shēngmìng Life 生命) (Lái·zì Came · From 来自 來自) (Chuàng·zào Initiating · {Making, Creating} → [Creating] 创造 創造) (Ma [? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)? → [Was Life Created? (lc)]) (Was Life Created? (lc)) brochure and the Shēngmìng de Qǐyuán—Zhíde Sīkǎo de Wǔ Ge Wèntí ((Shēngmìng Life 生命) (de ’s 的) (Qǐ·yuán {Rising → [Starting]} · Source → [Origin] 起源/原)—(Zhí·de Worth · Getting → [Worth] 值得) (Sī·kǎo {Thinking About} · Examining 思考) (de ’s 的) (Wǔ Five 五) (Ge [mw] 个 個/个) (Wèn·tí Asking · Subjects → [Questions] 问题 問題) → [The Origin of Life—Five Questions Worth Asking (lf)]) (The Origin of Life—Five Questions Worth Asking (lf)) brochure were originally published back in 2010, but relatively recently, the English version of the Was Life Created? brochure was updated to the December 2022 Printing, and the Mandarin version of it was updated to the February 2023 Printing. Also, the Was Life Created? brochure and the Origin of Life brochure are now in the Teaching Toolbox section in the JW Library app. So, it would be good to consider some of the expressions used in the Mandarin versions of these publications that can be so helpful when discussing whether life was created.

They’re Coordinated

This week’s MEotW, “xiétiáo (xié·tiáo {assisting → [jointly; coordinatedly]} · {be regulated; adjusted; mixed → [suit well; fit [in] perfectly]} → [coordinate; harmonize; bring into line; fit together; match] 协调 協調)”, occurs in the box at the end of the QUESTION 1 section of the Origin of Life brochure, which section is entitled, in English, “How Did Life Begin?”:

English:

Question: What takes greater faith—to believe that the millions of intricately coordinated parts of a cell arose by chance or to believe that the cell is the product of an intelligent mind?

Mandarin (WOL, Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus):

📖 📄 📘 Qǐng (please 请 請) xiǎngxiang (xiǎng·xiang {think about} · {think about} 想想): Xìbāo (Xì·bāo tiny · womb → [cell] 细胞 細胞) de (’s 的) wúshù (wú·shù without · number 无数 無數) bùfen (parts 部分) cuòzōng (cuò·zōng {are interlocked → [are intricate]} · {are combined → [are composite]} → [are intricate] 错综 錯綜)‐fùzá (fù·zá {are turned around → [are compound]} · {are mixed} → [are complex] 复杂 複雜), xiānghù ({with each other} 相互) xiétiáo (xié·tiáo {assisting → [coordinatedly]} · {are regulated → [fit in perfectly]} → [coordinate] 协调 協調), nǐ (you 你) rènwéi (rèn·wéi {do identify} · {(it) to be} (that) 认为 認為) xìbāo (xì·bāo tiny · womb → [cell] 细胞 細胞) shì (is 是) pèngqiǎo (pèng·qiǎo {having bumped into} · {being coincidental} → [by chance] 碰巧) chǎnshēng (chǎn·shēng {given birth to → [produced]} · {given birth to → [caused to exist]} → [brought into being] 产生 產生) de ({’s (thing)} 的), háishi (hái·shi {still more → [or]} · {is (it)} 还是 還是) zhìhuì (zhì·huì wisdom · intelligence → [wisdom] 智慧) de (’s 的) jiéjīng (jié·jīng {tied (into a knot) → [formed]} · crystal → [crystallization] 结晶 結晶) ne ([? ptcl] 呢)? Nǎ (which 哪) yí (one 一) yàng (form → [way] 样 樣) cái ({only then} 才 才/纔) shì (is 是) bùkě (bù·kě (one) not · can → [(one) cannot] 不可) zhìxìn (zhì·xìn place · {believing in} → [believe (usually used in the negative)] 置信) de ({’s (way)} 的) ne ([? ptcl] 呢)?

They’re Really Coordinated

The MEotW post on “cuòzōng (cuò·zōng {[is] interlocked and jagged → [[is] intricate]} · {[is] combined → [[is] composite]} → [[is] intricate; complex; tangled] 错综 錯綜)‐fùzá (fù·zá {[is] turned around → [[is] compound; complex]} · {[is] mixed} → [[is] complicated; complex] 复杂 複雜)”, which occurs a bit before this week’s MEotW “xiétiáo (xié·tiáo {assisting → [jointly; coordinatedly]} · {be regulated; adjusted; mixed → [suit well; fit [in] perfectly]} → [coordinate; harmonize; bring into line; fit together; match] 协调 協調)” in the above-quoted paragraph, contains this sentence:

In “cuòzōng (cuò·zōng {[being] interlocked and jagged → [[being] intricate]} · {[being] combined → [[being] composite]} → [[being] intricate; complex; tangled | (mental) complex (n)] 错综 錯綜)”, “cuò ({[is] alternating; staggered} [→ [[is] wrong; mistaken; incorrect; erroneous | missed | grinding; rubbing | moving to the side | mistake; error; blunder [→ [fault]]]] | {[is] interlocked and jagged} [→ [intricate]] 错 錯)” literally means “interlocked and jagged”, and it effectively means “intricate”.

“Interlocked and jagged” and “intricate” may bring to mind a clockwork mechanism, like this:

Closeup of a clockwork mechanism

Such a clockwork mechanism’s many parts are not only interlocked and intricate, they must also be highly coordinated in how they function—especially with mechanical clocks or watches, it’s all in the timing! This well-timed coordination is what “xiétiáo (xié·tiáo {assisting → [jointly; coordinatedly]} · {be regulated; adjusted; mixed → [suit well; fit [in] perfectly]} → [coordinate; harmonize; bring into line; fit together; match] 协调 協調)” refers to.

The “xié (assist | assisting → [joint | jointly; coordinatedly] 协 協)” in “xiétiáo (xié·tiáo {assisting → [jointly; coordinatedly]} · {be regulated; adjusted; mixed → [suit well; fit [in] perfectly]} → [coordinate; harmonize; bring into line; fit together; match] 协调 協調)” literally means “assisting”, and in this context it effectively means “jointly” or “coordinatedly”. (This “xié (assist | assisting → [joint | jointly; coordinatedly] 协 協)” also appears in the relatively well-known expression “xiézhù (xié·zhù assist · help; assist; aid 协助 協助)”.) The other morpheme “tiáo (regulate; adjust; mix; tune [→ [suit well; fit [in] perfectly | mediate | provoke; tease; tantalize | incite; instigate; sow discord]] 调 調)” literally means “be regulated; adjusted; mixed”, and here it effectively means “suit well; fit [in] perfectly”. Being put together this way, “xiétiáo (xié·tiáo {assisting → [jointly; coordinatedly]} · {be regulated; adjusted; mixed → [suit well; fit [in] perfectly]} → [coordinate; harmonize; bring into line; fit together; match] 协调 協調)” on one level of literalness can mean “coordinatedly fit in perfectly”, and it can effectively mean “coordinate; harmonize; fit together; match”.

These meanings certainly apply to a finely crafted clockwork mechanism like the one pictured above, and they also apply to the many harmoniously functioning parts of a cell. Could the many parts of a clockwork mechanism have evolved separately, and then somehow come together by chance to function in the highly coordinated way that they do? It’s even less likely that the millions of intricately coordinated parts of a cell evolved separately and then somehow came together by chance to function like they do!

To give us an idea of how some of the parts of a cell function, here is a video I came across that uses computer animation to help us visualize how tiny molecular machines (discussed in the MEotW post on “fēnzǐ jùhé‐tǐ ((fēn·zǐ {divided (off)} · {small and hard thing} → [molecular] 分子) (jù·hé assembled · {closed → [combined]} → [polymerized] 聚合)‐(tǐ body 体 體/体/躰) → [(protein) molecular machine])”) inside our cells copy DNA:

As we can see, not only are a cell’s millions of parts highly complex and intricate, like the many pieces of a static puzzle, they also dynamically coordinate in real time as they go about their various functions, like the many moving parts of a working factory.

They’re Really, Really Coordinated

The MEotW post on “cuòzōng (cuò·zōng {[is] interlocked and jagged → [[is] intricate]} · {[is] combined → [[is] composite]} → [[is] intricate; complex; tangled] 错综 錯綜)‐fùzá (fù·zá {[is] turned around → [[is] compound; complex]} · {[is] mixed} → [[is] complicated; complex] 复杂 複雜)” goes on to say:

It’s appropriate then, that the Mandarin Origin of Life brochure uses this expression to refer to the “millions of intricately coordinated parts of a cell”. Truly, most who have not specifically looked into the matter have no idea how fantastically complex even a single living cell is, never mind living organisms like us humans that are each made up of tens of trillions of cells, of which there are hundreds of different types.

Yes, not only do the millions of parts inside a single cell coordinate with each other, all of the parts inside the human body’s tens of trillions of cells, of which there are hundreds of different types, also ultimately work together in highly coordinated ways!

Let us, then, not hesitate to make good use of the Origin of Life brochure in the Mandarin field, to help ensure that our loving and wise Creator gets the praise and honour he deserves.—Revelation 4:11.

For convenience:

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

The short link for Chinese field language-learning links for the Origin of Life brochure 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 Origin of Life brochure will be made available in the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus web resource as time allows.