Tag: Related Expressions

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Culture Current Events History

qīnglíng

qīnglíng (qīng·líng {clear up} · {(to be) zero} [→ [restore to initial state | reset (an odometer/clock/etc.) | empty (a bank account) | eradicate (a disease) | (computing) clear; remove (from memory)]] 清零) ← Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

[Note: 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”.]

As of this writing, nearing the end of the year 2022, the subject of the COVID-19 pandemic has been, to say the least, on people’s minds now for a while. So, it would be good to be able to refer to things related to it in Mandarin when speaking to people in the Mandarin field, or when speaking to our brothers and sisters in the truth.

electron microscope image of SARS-CoV-2—also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19

An electron microscope image of SARS-CoV-2—also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19
Creative Commons Attribution License logo NIAID

This week’s MEotW, “qīnglíng (qīng·líng {clear up} · {(to be) zero} [→ [restore to initial state | reset (an odometer/clock/etc.) | empty (a bank account) | eradicate (a disease) | (computing) clear; remove (from memory)]] 清零)”, was mentioned by the website The World of Chinese back in its Dec. 21, 2021 article “Words to Sum Up 2021”. Recently, though, the Chinese government’s zero-COVID policy represented by this expression has become a hot button issue, as demonstrations against it have erupted in several places across China, as well as elsewhere across the globe.

One news service’s YouTube video called these protests “the biggest wave of protests in China since the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests”. Time will tell what, if anything, becomes of these protests, and what effect, if any, they will end up having on our fellow workers in China.

Short For…

Note that “qīnglíng (qīng·líng {clear up} · {(to be) zero} → [eradicate (COVID)] 清零)” is apparently a shortened form representing either of two different longer Mandarin expressions that are used to refer to zero-COVID. For what it’s worth, the Simplified Chinese version of Wikipedia says that mainland China uses “dòngtài (dòng·tài moving · condition → [situation] 动态 動態) qīnglíng (qīng·líng {clear up} · {(to be) zero} → [eradicate (COVID)] 清零)” to refer to zero-COVID, while other places use “qīnglíng (qīng·líng {clear up} · {(to be) zero} → [eradicate (COVID)] 清零) zhèngcè (zhèng·cè government · {bamboo/wooden slip used for writing → [strategy]} → [policy] 政策)” to do so.

To Be Clear

The “qīng ({[is] clear}; {[is] pure}; {[is] clean} [→ [quiet]] | {clear up}; settle [→ [clean up; purge]] 清)” in “qīnglíng (qīng·líng {clear up} · {(to be) zero} [→ [restore to initial state | reset (an odometer/clock/etc.) | empty (a bank account) | eradicate (a disease) | (computing) clear; remove (from memory)]] 清零)” basically means “clear”, used as either an adjective (or stative verb, according to the ABC Chinese-English Dictionary) or a verb. The English word “clear” can similarly be used as a verb or as an adjective. For example, one might say, “I will clear (verb) my schedule so that it is clear (adjective).”

When it’s used to represent zero-COVID, “qīnglíng (qīng·líng {clear up} · {(to be) zero} [→ [restore to initial state | reset (an odometer/clock/etc.) | empty (a bank account) | eradicate (a disease) | (computing) clear; remove (from memory)]] 清零)” is evidently used as a verb. So, in this context, the “qīng ({[is] clear}; {[is] pure}; {[is] clean} [→ [quiet]] | {clear up}; settle [→ [clean up; purge]] 清)” in it would be used as a verb meaning “clear up”.

Incidentally, this “qīng ({[is] clear}; {[is] pure}; {[is] clean} [→ [quiet]] | {clear up}; settle [→ [clean up; purge]] 清)” is also used as the name of the Qīng ([Qing (dynasty that ruled China 1644–1911 C.E.)] 清) (Qing) dynasty, which ruled China from 1644 C.E. to 1911 C.E., and which ended up being the last of the dynasties.

Related Expressions

Some other Mandarin expressions that include the “qīng ({[is] clear}; {[is] pure}; {[is] clean} [→ [quiet]] | {clear up}; settle [→ [clean up; purge]] 清)” in “qīnglíng (qīng·líng {clear up} · {(to be) zero} [→ [restore to initial state | reset (an odometer/clock/etc.) | empty (a bank account) | eradicate (a disease) | (computing) clear; remove (from memory)]] 清零)” are:

  • qīngbái (qīng·bái {[is] clear}; {[is] pure}; {[is] clean} · {[is] white} [→ [[is] innocent]] 清白)
  • qīngchú (qīng·chú {clear away} · {get rid of}; eliminate; remove 清除)
  • qīngchu ({[is] clear}; {is clear about} | clearly 清楚)
Categories
Culture Current Events

qìhòu biànhuà

qìhòu (qì·hòu {air → [weather]} · conditions → [climate] 气候 氣候)
biànhuà (biàn·huà changing · transforming 变化 變化) ← Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

At the time of this writing, jw.org was featuring the article “Can the Nations Unite to Avoid Climate Catastrophe?—What Does the Bible Say?”. At certain places where the English version of this article uses the word “climate change”, the Mandarin version uses this week’s MEotW, “qìhòu (qì·hòu {air → [weather]} · conditions → [climate] 气候 氣候) biànhuà (biàn·huà changing · transforming 变化 變化)”.

Interestingly, the Mandarin version of the article at some places also uses the expression “qìhòu (qì·hòu {air → [weather]} · conditions → [climate] 气候 氣候) wèntí (wèn·tí asking · problem → [problem] 问题 問題)”, which basically means “climate problem”, i.e., the current overall problematic situation related to the climate, which many recognize involves global warming.

A Spiritually Problematic Related Expression

The “qì (air; gas; steam; vapour [→ [smell | spirit; morale | vital energy (in Ch. metaphysics) | tone; atmosphere; airs; manner; attitude | anger (v or n); get angry | breath | weather]] 气 氣/气)” in “qìhòu (qì·hòu {air → [weather]} · conditions → [climate] 气候 氣候)” is polysemous, meaning that it has many possible meanings. Christians should be aware that besides the way it’s used in “qìhòu (qì·hòu {air → [weather]} · conditions → [climate] 气候 氣候)”, where its meaning of “weather” seems to have been derived from the basic meaning of “air”, “qì (air; gas; steam; vapour [→ [smell | spirit; morale | vital energy (in Ch. metaphysics) | tone; atmosphere; airs; manner; attitude | anger (v or n); get angry | breath | weather]] 气 氣/气)” is also used as summarized this way by the Wikipedia article on it:

Literally meaning “vapor”, “air”, or “breath”,[source] the word qi is often translated as “vital energy”, “vital force”, “material energy”, or simply as “energy”.[source] Qi is the central underlying principle in Chinese traditional medicine and in Chinese martial arts. The practice of cultivating and balancing qi is called qigong.

How spiritually problematic it can be to mess around with this kind of qì (air; gas; steam; vapour [→ [smell | spirit; morale | vital energy (in Ch. metaphysics) | tone; atmosphere; airs; manner; attitude | anger (v or n); get angry | breath | weather]] 气 氣/气) is further emphasized for us in an article in the August 22, 1986 Awake! magazine. A quote:

There are, for example, masters of the martial arts who can exert what they call ki [qì (air; gas; steam; vapour → [vital energy (in Ch. metaphysics)] 气 氣/气)] power. “Learn to flow your ‘ki’ or mind by concentrating on the One-Point [lower abdomen] and stretch your arm out,” instructs Black Belt, a martial arts magazine. “Pretend the water or power is flowing out from the one point through your arm and finger.”

“As long as one continues to train his ‘Ki,’” Black Belt says, “his students will never surpass him. The founder of Aikido [one of the martial arts], Master Morihei Uyeshiba, is over eighty years old, but as yet, no one can face him. He is capable of throwing twenty strong men simultaneously. He has become stronger and stronger as he grows older. …One must accept ‘Ki’ as an addition to your five senses.”

But is the human mind really the source of such extraordinary power? Does it enable persons to perform exploits that cannot be scientifically explained?

Well, consider a case of poltergeist-type activity…

“Use the Force”?

Star Wars fans might recognize some similarities between qì (air; gas; steam; vapour → [vital energy (in Ch. metaphysics)] 气 氣/气) and the Force of that fictional universe. This is not a coincidence. The Wikipedia article on the Force provides these summaries on the inspirations feeding into the concept of the Force:

George Lucas…developed the Force as a nondenominational religious concept, “distill[ed from] the essence of all religions”, premised on the existence of God and distinct ideas of good and evil.[source] …In 1970s San Francisco, where Lucas lived when he wrote the drafts that became Star Wars, New Age ideas that incorporated the concept of qi and other notions of a mystical life-force were “in the air” and widely embraced.[source]

Lucas used the term the Force to “echo” its use by cinematographer Roman Kroitor in Arthur Lipsett’s 21-87 (1963), in which Kroitor says, “Many people feel that in the contemplation of nature and in communication with other living things, they become aware of some kind of force, or something, behind this apparent mask which we see in front of us, and they call it God”.[source] Although Lucas had Kroitor’s line in mind specifically, Lucas said the underlying sentiment is universal and that “similar phrases have been used extensively by many different people for the last 13,000 years”.[source]

The connectedness between the light and dark sides has been compared to the relationship between yin and yang in Taoism,[source] although the balance between yin and yang lacks the element of evil associated with the dark side.[source] Taylor identifies other similarities between the Force and a Navajo prayer, prana, and qi.[source] It is a common plot device in jidaigeki films like The Hidden Fortress (1958), which inspired Star Wars, for samurai who master qi to achieve astonishing feats of swordsmanship.[source]

Problematic Spiritually, Problematic Transcription

It’s worth noting that “qì (air; gas; steam; vapour → [vital energy (in Ch. metaphysics)] 气 氣/气)” is not the “chi” in what in English is called “tai chi”, something that’s also spiritually problematic for true Christians in its own way. The Wikipedia article on tai chi summarizes this confusing situation this way:

Tàijíquán and T’ai-chi ch’üan are two different transcriptions of three Chinese characters that are the written Chinese name for the art form:

Characters Wade–Giles Pinyin Meaning
太極 t’ai chi tàijí the relationship of Yin and Yang
拳 ch’üan quán technique

The English language offers two spellings, one derived from Wade–Giles and the other from the Pinyin transcription. Most Westerners often shorten this name to t’ai chi (often omitting the aspirate sign—thus becoming “tai chi”). This shortened name is the same as that of the t’ai-chi philosophy. However, the Pinyin romanization is taiji. The chi in the name of the martial art is not the same as ch’i (qi 气 the “life force”). Ch’i is involved in the practice of t’ai-chi ch’üan. Although the word 极 is traditionally written chi in English, the closest pronunciation, using English sounds, to that of Standard Chinese would be jee, with j pronounced as in jump and ee pronounced as in bee. Other words exist with pronunciations in which the ch is pronounced as in champ. Thus, it is important to use the j sound. This potential for confusion suggests preferring the pinyin spelling, taiji. Most Chinese use the Pinyin version.[source]

Categories
Language Learning Science Technology Theocratic

lìjīng

lìjīng (lì·jīng {go through}; experience; undergo · {pass through; undergo; experience [→ [bear; endure]]} 历经 歷經) ← Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

One of the unique features of Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus material at this time is Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus video transcripts. These should help us Mandarin field language learners to analyze and understand the Mandarin speech used in the many videos referenced in the Mandarin Enjoy Life Forever! book, for example. This in turn should help us make more effective use of these videos while participating in Mandarin Bible discussions using this book. Hopefully in the future, Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus transcripts will also be available for other publications that use videos.

lff Lesson 01 - Video Transcripts - Enjoy Life Forever! Bk. (Pīnyīn Plus, Web)

The Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus transcript for the video used in lesson 04 point 5 of the Mandarin Enjoy Life Forever! book contains the expression “lìjīng (lì·jīng {go through}; experience; undergo · {pass through; undergo; experience [→ [bear; endure]]} 历经 歷經)”, which is this week’s MEotW:

51
00:03:12,542 → 00:03:14,344
📖 📄 📘 Lìjīng (Lì·jīng {having gone through} · {having experienced → [having endured]} 历经 歷經) qiānxīn‐wànkǔ ((qiān·xīn {a thousand} · {(things) being hot in taste → [sufferings]} 千辛)‐(wàn·kǔ {ten thousand} · {(things) being bitter → [hardships]} 万苦 萬苦) → [innumerable trials and tribulations (an interweaving of qiānwàn and xīnkǔ)]),

“Lìjīng (Lì·jīng {go through}; experience; undergo · {pass through; undergo; experience [→ [bear; endure]]} 历经 歷經)” is noteworthy especially because of the meanings of the morphemes that make it up, and because of some of the other expressions that these morphemes are used in.

Mirrors, Histories, and Calendars

First, note that when written in Chinese characters, “lìjīng (lì·jīng {go through}; experience; undergo · {pass through; undergo; experience [→ [bear; endure]]} 历经 歷經)” (历经) is an anadrome (a word which is a different word spelled backwards, its mirror image, if you will) of “jīnglì (jīng·lì {pass/go through}; undergo; experience · {experience (v)} | {passed/gone through; undergone; experienced (thing)} · {experience (n)} → [experience (n)] 经历 經歷)” (经历), which in its verb form seems to mean basically the same thing as “lìjīng (lì·jīng {go through}; experience; undergo · {pass through; undergo; experience [→ [bear; endure]]} 历经 歷經)”. (A “jīnglì (jīng·lì {experienced (thing)} · {experience (n)} → [experience (n)] 经历 經歷)” (noun) is an “experience”, but in contrast, it seems that “lìjīng (lì·jīng {go through}; experience; undergo · {pass through; undergo; experience [→ [bear; endure]]} 历经 歷經)” is not used as a noun.)

Interestingly, the “lì ({pass/go through}; experience; undergo | {experienced (thing[s])} → [experience[s]; record; history] | experienced → [all previous] | calendar 历 歷)” in “lìjīng (lì·jīng {go through}; experience; undergo · {pass through; undergo; experience [→ [bear; endure]]} 历经 歷經)” is also used in “lìshǐ (lì·shǐ {experienced (things) → [history; record[s]} · history → [history; record[s]] 历史 歷史)”, and in “Lìdàizhì Shàng ((Lì·dài·zhì {Experienced → [All Previous]} · {Replacings → [Generations]} · Records 历代志 歷代志) (Shàng Upper 上) → [1 Chronicles])” and “Lìdàizhì Xià ((Lì·dài·zhì {Experienced → [All Previous]} · {Replacings → [Generations]} · Records 历代志 歷代志) (Xià Lower 下) → [2 Chronicles])”.

In its meaning as “calendar”, this “lì ({pass/go through}; experience; undergo | {experienced (thing[s])} → [experience[s]; record; history] | experienced → [all previous] | calendar 历 歷)” also appears in, for example, “gōnglì (gōng·lì {common → [Gregorian]} · calendar 公历 公曆)”, meaning “Gregorian calendar”. Connected to this, the Referenced Theo. Expressions (RTE) resource has an interesting entry on “Gōnglì (Gōng·lì {Common → [Gregorian]} · Calendar 公历 公曆) Jìyuán (Jì·yuán Era · Unit → [Era] 纪元 紀元)”:

common era; wtl09 index sync. Lit. “Gregorian-calendar beginning-of-era”. Often abbreviated to 公元 gōngyuán (see 2001 NWT’s table of books). Note that in Chinese you put 公元 and 公元前 BEFORE the year number, not after it as in English. E.g. 公元29年 = 29C.E.

Warp, Weft, and Scriptures

The “jīng ({pass through; undergo; experience [→ [bear; endure]]} | scripture; canon; classics | constant; regular | {warp (textiles)} [→ [longitude]] 经 經)” in “lìjīng (lì·jīng {go through}; experience; undergo · {pass through; undergo; experience [→ [bear; endure]]} 历经 歷經)” also appears in some noteworthy expressions. Since it can mean “pass through; undergo; experience”, it’s no surprise that “jīng ({pass through; undergo; experience [→ [bear; endure]]} | scripture; canon; classics | constant; regular | {warp (textiles)} [→ [longitude]] 经 經)” appears in “jīngguò (jīng·guò {pass through} · pass; cross [→ [go through; undergo]] 经过 經過)” and in “jīngyàn (jīng·yàn {having passed through} · testing → [experience] 经验 經驗)”. (Jīngyàn (Jīng·yàn {having passed through} · testing → [experience] 经验 經驗) (experience) is what one gains after going through jīnglì (jīng·lì {experienced (things)} · experiences → [experiences] 经历 經歷) (experiences), although an experience can also be called a jīngyàn (jīng·yàn {having passed through} · testing → [experience] 经验 經驗).)

“Jīng ({pass through; undergo; experience [→ [bear; endure]]} | scripture; canon; classics | constant; regular | {warp (textiles)} [→ [longitude]] 经 經)” also has a meaning—possibly its root meaning—of “warp”, a term from weaving. As summarized by Wikipedia:

Warp and weft are the two basic components used in weaving to turn thread or yarn into fabric. The lengthwise or longitudinal warp yarns are held stationary in tension on a frame or loom while the transverse weft (sometimes woof) is drawn through and inserted over and under the warp.[source]

Thus, in the picture below, the warp is the threads that are mounted on the loom, that go up and down, and the weft is the threads that go left and right.

Diagram of a loom, in a Chinese museum
Public Domain Dedication (CC0) Some rights reserved by Gary Lee Todd, Ph.D.

Note that the quote above from Wikipedia calls the warp the longitudinal threads. Mandarin takes this comparison to the place of actually using “jīng ({pass through; undergo; experience [→ [bear; endure]]} | scripture; canon; classics | constant; regular | {warp (textiles)} [→ [longitude]] 经 經)” to also mean “longitude”, as used in geography. So, “jīngwěi (jīng·wěi {warp (textiles) [→ [longitude]]} · {weft; woof [→ [latitude]]} [→ [logical planning; plan; orderliness | situation; state of affairs | manage; administer]] 经纬 經緯)”, which means “warp and weft” in weaving, also means “longitude and latitude” in geography.

Of course, as students of the Bible, we Mandarin field language learners should also be aware that the “jīng ({pass through; undergo; experience [→ [bear; endure]]} | scripture; canon; classics | constant; regular | {warp (textiles)} [→ [longitude]] 经 經)” in “lìjīng (lì·jīng {go through}; experience; undergo · {pass through; undergo; experience [→ [bear; endure]]} 历经 歷經)” can mean “scripture”. So, it appears in expressions that we see and hear a lot, like “Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng (the) Holy · Scriptures → [the Bible] 圣经 聖經)”, “jīngwén (jīng·wén scripture · writing → [scripture] 经文 經文)”, and jīngjuàn (jīng·juàn scripture · volume [→ [Bible book]] 经卷 經卷).

For convenience:

The direct link for the current generation 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.