Tag: Pīnyīn Plus

Categories
Culture Language Learning Science Technology Theocratic

qià‐dào‐hǎochu

qià‐dào‐hǎochu ((qià just; exactly 恰)‐(dào {[is] having arrived at} 到)‐(hǎo·chu good · places; points [→ [benefits; advantages | gain; profit]] 好处 好處) → [[is] perfect; just right]) 👈🏼 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, the Teaching Toolbox in the JW Library app had recently included the No. 3 2021 issue of Awake! magazine. While it is not currently in the Teaching Toolbox, this question considered in this issue, “Should You Believe in a Creator?”, remains an important one for Mandarin field language learners to pay special attention to. Many of the Mandarin-speaking people in the field especially need help with this matter, because their cultural background tends to cause them to not believe in a Creator. At the same time, though, whether the Creator exists remains the first major question that needs to be settled before they can make real further spiritual progress. Another important factor is that the worldwide Mandarin field continues to be huge, probably the language field with more people in it than any other language field in history.

For us Mandarin field language learners, though, using Mandarin to discuss the question of the Creator’s existence is especially challenging and requires special effort from us, because of the particularly deeply technical concepts and vocabulary involved. And, this is in addition to the usual unusual challenges presented by Chinese characters, the general misinformation and disinformation present in the world about the Chinese languages, etc.

Finely Tuned to Be Just Right

This week’s MEotW, “qià‐dào‐hǎochu ((qià just; exactly 恰)‐(dào {[is] having arrived at} 到)‐(hǎo·chu good · places; points [→ [benefits; advantages | gain; profit]] 好处 好處) → [[is] perfect; just right])”, occurs in the No. 3 2021 issue of Awake! magazine in the fifth and sixth paragraphs of the article “What the Universe Tells Us”:

English:

The universe is fine-tuned to support life. Consider what scientists call the weak force. It keeps our sun burning at a steady rate. If the force were weaker, the sun would never have formed. If it were stronger, the sun would have disappeared long ago.

The weak force is just one of several finely tuned features that we depend on. …

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Yǔzhòu (Yǔ·zhòu universe · {all time, past, present, and future} → [universe] 宇宙) zhōng (within 中) de (’s 的) gèzhǒng (gè·zhǒng each · {type of} 各种 各種) lì (force 力) dōu ({each one of them} 都) qià‐dào‐hǎochu ((qià exactly 恰)‐(dào {is having arrived at} 到)‐(hǎo·chu good · place 好处 好處) → [is just right]), suǒyǐ (suǒ·yǐ {that which} · {is the reason} → [thus] 所以) shēngmìng (life 生命) cái ({only then} 才 才/纔) néng ({is able} 能) cúnzài (cún·zài {to exist} · {to be present} 存在). Lái (come 来 來) kànkan (kàn·kan {look at} · {look at} 看看) kēxué‐jiā ((kē·xué {branches of study} · learning → [science] 科学 科學)‐(jiā -ists 家) → [scientists]) suǒ ({that which (they)} 所) shuō ({speak of} 说 說/説) de (’s 的) ruò (weak 弱)‐hélì (hé·lì {pit (of a fruit) → [nuclear]} · force 核力), zhèi (this 这 這) zhǒng ({type of} 种 種/种) lì (force 力) ràng (allows 让 讓) tàiyáng (tài·yáng highest · {positive/active/male principle in nature (Chinese philosophy)} → [sun] 太阳 太陽) yǐ (at 以) wěndìng (wěn·dìng steady · set 稳定 穩定) de (’s 的) sùdù (sù·dù {being fast → [speed]} · degree → [rate] 速度) ránshāo (rán·shāo {to be ignited} · {to burn} 燃烧 燃燒). Rúguǒ (Rú·guǒ if · {fruit → [if indeed]} 如果) zhèi (this 这 這) zhǒng ({type of} 种 種/种) lì (force 力) ruò ({was weak} 弱) yìdiǎnr (yì·diǎnr a · bit (more) 一点 一點), tàiyáng (tài·yáng highest · {positive/active/male principle in nature (Chinese philosophy)} → [sun] 太阳 太陽) jiù (then 就) wúfǎ (wú·fǎ {would not have had} · way → [would have been unable] 无法 無法) xíngchéng (xíng·chéng {form (n)} · {to come to be} → [to form] 形成); rúguǒ (rú·guǒ if · {fruit → [if indeed]} 如果) zhèi (this 这 這) zhǒng ({type of} 种 種/种) lì (force 力) qiáng ({was strong} 强 強/彊) yìdiǎnr (yì·diǎnr a · bit (more) 一点 一點), tàiyáng (tài·yáng highest · {positive/active/male principle in nature (Chinese philosophy)} → [sun] 太阳 太陽) jiù (then 就) huì (would 会 會) ránshāo (rán·shāo ignite · burn 燃烧 燃燒) de (getting 得) tài ({too much} 太) kuài ({to be quick} 快), zǎo ({early on} 早) jiù (then 就) xiāoshī (xiāo·shī {would have disappeared} · {would have been lost} 消失) le ([(at the end of a phrase/sentence) indicates a change] 了).

📖 📄 📘 Ruò (weak 弱)‐hélì (hé·lì {pit (of a fruit) → [nuclear]} · force 核力) qià‐dào‐hǎochu ((qià exactly 恰)‐(dào {is having arrived at} 到)‐(hǎo·chu good · place 好处 好處) → [is just right]), dàn (but 但) tā (it 它) zhǐshì (zhǐ·shì only · is 只是) wéichí (wéi·chí maintaining · {holding → [sustaining]} → [sustaining] 维持 維持) shēngmìng (life 生命) de (’s 的) qízhōng (qí·zhōng them · among 其中) yí (one 一) ge ([mw] 个 個/个) yīnsù (yīn·sù cause · {raw silk → [basic element]} → [factor] 因素). …

In the above examples, “qià‐dào‐hǎochu ((qià just; exactly 恰)‐(dào {[is] having arrived at} 到)‐(hǎo·chu good · places; points [→ [benefits; advantages | gain; profit]] 好处 好處) → [[is] perfect; just right])” is used to correspond with the English expressions “fine-tuned” and “finely tuned”. While much cruder than the exquisite systems found in the natural world, many systems produced by human technology can help us to understand the need for certain factors to be finely tuned before an even moderately complex system can function properly. For example, a phone number that’s off by just one number is a wrong number, and older readers will remember radios that needed to be tuned to a certain frequency before the desired radio station could be heard clearly. Speaking of readers, anyone reading this post first had to follow a link (or manually type in a URL) that had to be coded just right—if the web address requested was not within a narrow margin of error, this post would not have loaded!

Let us, then, remember this week’s MEotW, “qià‐dào‐hǎochu ((qià just; exactly 恰)‐(dào {[is] having arrived at} 到)‐(hǎo·chu good · places; points [→ [benefits; advantages | gain; profit]] 好处 好處) → [[is] perfect; just right])”, so that we can be helped to be able to talk to Mandarin-speaking people about how the universe, the sun, the earth, our own bodies, etc. are tuned to be just right, so that we can live, ponder how we got here, and get to know our Creator.

A Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus resource for the No. 3 2021 issue of Awake! magazine, which discusses the question “Should You Believe in a Creator?”, is in the works. For updates on the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus resources that are available, keep an eye on this blog, on the Links News blog, and on the related account on the social network of your choice listed on this blog’s Contact page.

Categories
Culture Experiences Science Technology Theocratic

ménwèi

ménwèi (mén·wèi door; gate; entrance · {guarding; defending (person)} 门卫 門衛) 👈🏼 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.]

We in the Mandarin field should keep in mind that many Mandarin-speaking people were taught to believe in evolution, and thus tend to not believe in God. 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 they are still considered current publications, and 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. So, it would be good for us to consider some of the expressions used in the Mandarin versions of the Was Life Created? and Origin of Life brochures, which can be so helpful when discussing whether life was created.

Access Restricted

This week’s MEotW, “ménwèi (mén·wèi door; gate; entrance · {guarding; defending (person)} 门卫 門衛)”, occurs starting in the 10th paragraph in the QUESTION 2 section of the Origin of Life brochure, which section is entitled, in English, “Is Any Form of Life Really Simple?”:

English:

Think again of a factory. It might have security guards who monitor the products that enter and leave through the doorways in the factory wall. Similarly, the cell membrane has special protein molecules embedded in it that act like the doors and the security guards.

…

The cell membrane has “security guards” that allow only specific substances to pass in or out

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) gōngchǎng (gōng·chǎng work · factory → [factory] 工厂 工廠) de (’s 的) qíngkuàng (situation 情况 情況). Yǒuxiē (Yǒu·xiē {(there) are having → [(there) are]} · some 有些) gōngchǎng (gōng·chǎng work · factories (that) → [factories (that)] 工厂 工廠) huì (will 会 會) yǒu (have 有) ménwèi (mén·wèi door/entrance · {guarding (persons)} 门卫 門衛) zài (at 在) wéiqiáng (wéi·qiáng enclosing · wall 围墙 圍牆) de (’s 的) rùkǒu (rù·kǒu {to be entered} · {mouths → [openings]} → [entrances] 入口) bǎshǒu (bǎ·shǒu {holding → [guarding]} · guarding → [guarding] 把守), jiānkòng (jiān·kòng supervising · controlling 监控 監控) huòwù (huò·wù product · things’ → [products’] 货物 貨物) jìn (entering 进 進)‐chū ({(and) coming out} 出). Tóngyàng (Tóng·yàng same · {pattern → [way]} 同样 同樣), xìbāo (xì·bāo tiny · womb → [cell] 细胞 細胞)‐mó (membrane 膜) shang (upon 上) xiāngqiànzhe (xiāngqiàn·zhe embedded · {are being} → [are embedded] 镶嵌着 鑲嵌着/著) yìxiē (yì·xiē one · {indefinite number of} → [some] 一些) tèbié (tè·bié special · differentiated → [special] 特别 特別) de (’s 的) dànbái‐zhì ((dàn·bái egg · white → [protein] 蛋白)‐(zhì substance 质 質) → [protein]) fēnzǐ (fēn·zǐ {divided (off)} · {small and hard things} → [molecules] 分子), zhèixiē (zhèi·xiē this · {indefinite number of} → [these] 这些 這些) fēnzǐ (fēn·zǐ {divided (off)} · {small and hard things} → [molecules] 分子) jì (both 既) shì (are 是) mén (doors/entrances 门 門), yě (also 也) shì (are 是) ménwèi (mén·wèi door/entrance · {guarding (persons)} 门卫 門衛).

…

📖 📄 📘 Xìbāo (Xì·bāo tiny · womb → [cell] 细胞 細胞)‐mó (membrane 膜) yǒu (has 有) “ménwèi (mén·wèi door/entrance · {guarding (persons)} 门卫 門衛)”, zhǐ (only 只 只/秖/衹/祇) róngxǔ (róng·xǔ {containing → [allowing]} · allowing 容许 容許) mǒuxiē (mǒu·xiē certain · {indefinite number of} → [certain] 某些) tèdìng (tè·dìng specially · set 特定) de (’s 的) wùzhì (wù·zhì matter · substances → [substances] 物质 物質) jìn ({to enter into} 进 進)‐chū ({(or) to come out of} 出) xìbāo (xì·bāo tiny · womb → [cell] 细胞 細胞)

As can be seen from the above, the Mandarin Origin of Life brochure uses “ménwèi (mén·wèi door; gate; entrance · {guarding; defending (person)} 门卫 門衛)” to translate the English expression “security guards”.

Morphemes and Related Expressions

The morpheme “mén (door; gate; entrance; opening 门 門)” in “ménwèi (mén·wèi door; gate; entrance · {guarding; defending (person)} 门卫 門衛)” means “door; gate; entrance”. Other expressions in which it has this meaning include “kāimén (kāi·mén open · door [→ [(of a shop, etc.) open]] 开门 開門)” (“open a door”; “(of a shop, etc.) open”) and “guānmén (guān·mén shut; close · door [→ [(of a shop, etc.) close]] 关门 關/関門)” (“shut/close a door”; “(of a shop, etc.) close”). Of particular interest to us in the Mandarin field, “mén (door; gate; entrance; opening 门 門)” also occurs in “méntú (mén·tú {school of thought} · disciple; follower 门徒 門徒)” (“disciple; follower”), where it means “school of thought”. Another noteworthy use of “mén (door; gate; entrance; opening 门 門)” is in the expression “zhuānmén (zhuān·mén [is] [(in)] special; specialized · {door → [class; category; branch of study | way]} → [[is] special; specialized; customized | specially; for a particular purpose] 专门 專門)” (“special; specialized; customized”), in which it effectively means “class; category; branch of study” or “way”.

The “wèi (defending; guarding; protecting [(person) [→ [security guard]]] 卫 衛/衞)” in “ménwèi (mén·wèi door; gate; entrance · {guarding; defending (person)} 门卫 門衛)” effectively means “guarding/defending person”, from a basic meaning of “defend; guard; protect”. Other Mandarin expressions in which it appears include “bǎowèi (bǎo·wèi protect; defend; safeguard · guard; defend; protect 保卫 保衛/衞)”, “shìwèi (shì·wèi attending; serving · defending; guarding; protecting (person) → [[imperial] military bodyguard] 侍卫 侍衛)”, “shǒuwèi (guard; defend | {guarding; defending (person)} → [bodyguard] 守卫 守衛)”, and “wèishēng (wèi·shēng {defending/guarding/protecting of} · life → [hygiene; sanitation | hygienic] 卫生 衛/衞生)”. Incidentally, the character used to write this “wèi (defending; guarding; protecting [(person) [→ [security guard]]] 卫 衛/衞)” appears in “Dàwèi (David 大卫 大衛)” (“David”), but there it is used for how it sounds.

Security by Serendipity?

Our cells have molecule-sized security guards that help protect their proper functioning! This reminds us that even our simplest cells are highly complex, well-regulated systems. Similarly, a computer system may have security software, input validation code, etc. that seek to keep out malware and other kinds of digital stuff that doesn’t belong, in order to help the computer system keep running properly. Would anyone contend that any piece of security software could have evolved by chance? Let us learn how to reason with Mandarin-speaking people about how our cells and their “security guards” are even less likely to have evolved by chance.

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.

Categories
Culture Current Events History Names Theocratic

Dì‐Èr Cì Shìjiè Dàzhàn

Dì‐Èr Cì Shìjiè Dàzhàn ({(Dì [pref to form ordinal numerals] 第)‐(Èr Two 二) → [Second]} (Cì Time 次) (Shì·jiè {Generation → [World]} · Extent → [World] 世界) (Dà·zhàn {Big → [Great]} · War 大战 大戰) → [World War II]) 👈🏼 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.]

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, “Dì‐Èr Cì Shìjiè Dàzhàn ({(Dì [pref to form ordinal numerals] 第)‐(Èr Two 二) → [Second]} (Cì Time 次) (Shì·jiè {Generation → [World]} · Extent → [World] 世界) (Dà·zhàn {Big → [Great]} · War 大战 大戰) → [World War II])”, appears in lesson 13, point 5 of this book:

English:

What position did many churches take during World War II?

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

📖 📄 📘 Dì‐Èr Cì Shìjiè Dàzhàn ({(Dì [pref to form ordinal numerals] 第)‐(Èr Two 二) → [Second]} (Cì Time 次) (Shì·jiè {Generation → [World]} · Extent → [World] 世界) (Dà·zhàn {Big → [Great]} · War 大战 大戰) → [World War II]) shí ({(particular) time} 时 時), xǔduō (xǔ·duō numbers · many 许多 許多) jiàohuì (jiào·huì teaching · associations → [churches] 教会 教會) zuòle (zuò·le did · {to completion} 做了) shénme (shén·me what · [suf] 什么 什/甚麼) shì (things 事)?

“Èrzhàn (Èr·zhàn Two · War → [World War II (abbr. of Dì‐Èr Cì Shìjiè Dàzhàn)] 二战 二戰)” is a widely used abbreviated form of this week’s MEotW. For example, it is used in the Watchtower article that, as of this writing, is featured on jw.org as part of a special campaign:

English:

“The world is facing the highest number of violent conflicts since the Second World War and 2 billion people—a quarter of humanity—live in places affected by such conflict.”

United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed, January 26, 2023.

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Mùqián (Mù·qián eyes · before → [at present] 目前) wǔzhuāng (wǔ·zhuāng military · {dressing up → [attire]} → [military] 武装 武裝) chōngtū (chōng·tū {dashings → [clashings]} · {chimneys → [chargings]} → [conflicts] 冲突 衝突) de (’ 的) cìshù (cì·shù occurrences · number → [number of occurrences] 次数 次數) shì (is 是) Èrzhàn (Èr·zhàn Two · War → [World War II (abbr. of Dì‐Èr Cì Shìjiè Dàzhàn)] 二战 二戰) yǐlái (yǐ·lái {from that point} · coming → [since then] 以来 以來) zuìduō (zuì·duō most · numerous → [the most] 最多) de ({’s (number)} 的), quánqiú (quán·qiú entire · globe → [worldwide] 全球) yǒu ({(there) is having} → [(there) is] 有) sì (four 四) fēn (dividings → [parts] 分) zhī (’ → [among them] 之) yī (one 一) de (’s 的) rénkǒu (rén·kǒu people · {mouths of} → [population] 人口), yě (also 也) jiùshì (jiù·shì exactly · is 就是) dàyuē (dà·yuē largely · approximately 大约 大約) 20 yì ({hundred million} 亿 億) rén (people 人), shòudàole (shòu·dào·le {subjected to} · {arriving at} · {to completion} 受到了) yǐngxiǎng (yǐng·xiǎng relfection · sound → [being affected] 影响 影響).

—Liánhé Guó ((Lián·hé United · {Closed → [Joined]} 联合 聯合) (Guó Nations 国 國) → [United Nations]) Chángwù (Cháng·wù Common · Affairs → [General Duty] 常务 常務) Fù (Deputy 副) Mìshū‐Zhǎng ((Mì·shū Secret · Documents (Person) → [Secretary] 秘书 秘書)‐(Zhǎng {Grown (One) → [Chief]} 长 長) → [Secretary-General]) Āmíngnà (Amina 阿明娜) Mùhǎnmòdé (Mohammed 穆罕默德), 2023 Nián (Year 年 年/秊) 1 Yuè (Moon → [Month] 月) 26 Rì (Sun → [Day] 日)

Ordinal Numerals/Numbers

The “Dì ([pref to form ordinal numerals] 第)” in “Dì‐Èr Cì Shìjiè Dàzhàn ({(Dì [pref to form ordinal numerals] 第)‐(Èr Two 二) → [Second]} (Cì Time 次) (Shì·jiè {Generation → [World]} · Extent → [World] 世界) (Dà·zhàn {Big → [Great]} · War 大战 大戰) → [World War II])” has an old meaning referring to the different grades in which successful candidates in the imperial examinations were placed. Nowadays, “dì ([pref to form ordinal numerals] 第)” is used in Mandarin as a prefix to form ordinal numerals. In the example contained in this week’s MEotW, “Dì‐Èr ((Dì [pref to form ordinal numerals] 第)‐(Èr Two 二) → [Second])” corresponds to “Second”. In contrast, “èr (two 二)” and its English equivalent “two” are cardinal numerals.

(By the way, I learned while researching this post that there seems to be a distinction between “numeral” and “number”. It seems that Wiktionary sums up the situation well by defining “ordinal numeral” as “a word used to represent an ordinal number”, and by defining “cardinal numeral” as “a word used to represent a cardinal number”. But then again, according to Wiktionary, when it comes to grammar (as opposed to mathematics), an “ordinal number” can be defined as “a word that expresses the relative position of an item in a sequence” (which is the definition of an ordinal numeral), and “cardinal number” can be defined as “a word that expresses a countable quantity; a cardinal numeral”.)

The Hyphenation of Ordinal Numerals

The recommended standard GB/T 16159-2012 of the People’s Republic of China recommends that an ordinal numeral be written with a hyphen between “dì ([pref to form ordinal numerals] 第)” and the associated cardinal numeral. As can be seen from the example of “Dì‐Èr ((Dì [pref to form ordinal numerals] 第)‐(Èr Two 二) → [Second])” in this week’s MEotW, Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus material follows this official recommendation, since the hyphen helps to indicate that the multi-morpheme expression that it’s in, e.g., “Dì‐Èr ((Dì [pref to form ordinal numerals] 第)‐(Èr Two 二) → [Second])”, represents a single concept, like the single word “Second” indicates in English.

Historical Lessons

Worldly historians and others who study physical warfare consider World War II to be a highly significant chapter in the history of warfare, from which many important lessons can be learned. Lesson 13 of the Enjoy Life Forever! book shows that those of us who are concerned with spiritual warfare can also learn important lessons from World War II. This is especially so when we contrast what false religions did with how true Christians defended Bible truth and spiritually fought to stay politically neutral and faithful to the true God during that time. With the ongoing war in Ukraine being the largest scale armed conflict in Europe since World War II, and with all the other wars and violent conflicts that have been breaking out around the world and that may yet break out, it is becoming more and more important to remember and apply the lessons of World War II.

For convenience:

The direct link for the 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.