Tag: Related Expressions

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xīngqiú

xīngqiú (xīng·qiú {star → [heavenly body]} · globe; sphere; ball → [celestial/heavenly body] 星球) 👈🏼 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, “xīngqiú (xīng·qiú {star → [heavenly body]} · globe; sphere; ball → [celestial/heavenly body] 星球)”, appears in lesson 6, point 2 of this book:

English:

[The earth] is the only known planet that can sustain human life.

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

📖 📄 📘 Chúle (Chú·le {eliminating → [besides]} · {to completion} 除了) dìqiú (dì·qiú earth · globe 地球), mùqián (mù·qián eyes · before → [at present] 目前) hái ((there) still 还 還) méiyǒu (méi·yǒu not · {has had → [has been]} → [has not been] 没有 沒有) fāxiàn (fā·xiàn {sent out → [developed]} · {appearing of} → [discovered] 发现/见 發現/見) biéde (bié·de other · ’s 别的 別的) xīngqiú (xīng·qiú {star → [heavenly body]} · globe → [celestial body] 星球) shìhé (shì·hé {suitable for} · {closing with → [fitting with]} 适合 適合) rénlèi (rén·lèi human·kind’s 人类 人類) shēngcún (shēng·cún living · surviving 生存).

The above-quoted Mandarin sentence is noteworthy in that it was worded differently before, and was revised into the form quoted above for the current 2024-07 Printing of the Mandarin version of the Enjoy Life Forever! book.

Earthrise - This iconic picture shows Earth peeking out from beyond the lunar surface as the first crewed spacecraft circumnavigated the Moon.

Earthrise
This iconic picture shows Earth peeking out from beyond the lunar surface as the first crewed spacecraft circumnavigated the Moon.

Morphemic Breakdown

The first morpheme in this week’s MEotW, “xīng (star [→ [heavenly body | bit; particle]] 星)”, literally means “star”, but in some contexts it can effectively mean “heavenly body”. (I suspect that in the past, this expression was used to refer to any and all of the points of light visible in the night sky, most of which are what we now call stars. Over time, though, scientists figured out that some of those points of light are technically not what they would call stars, but rather, planets, moons, etc. So, it could be that this revised understanding led to the effective meaning of “xīng (star [→ [heavenly body | bit; particle]] 星)” to be revised from always being “star” to being the more general “heavenly body” in some settings.)

The next morpheme, “qiú ({ball (or anything shaped like a ball)}; sphere; globe 球)”, means “ball (or anything shaped like a ball); sphere; globe”. Besides appearing in “qiúsài (qiú·sài ball · game; competition; match 球赛 球賽)” (“ball game”), it also appears in “dìqiú (dì·qiú earth · globe 地球)” (“the earth”), which also appears in the quote above.

Taken together, the constituent morphemes in “xīngqiú (xīng·qiú {star → [heavenly body]} · globe; sphere; ball → [celestial/heavenly body] 星球)” effectively mean “celestial/heavenly body”, most of which are at least roughly ball-shaped.

A Mandarin expression used to directly, specifically translate “planet” is “xíngxīng (xíng·xīng travelling · {star → [heavenly body]} → [planet] 行星)”. “Xīng (star [→ [heavenly body | bit; particle]] 星)” is used in the names of specific planets. For example, “Huǒ‐Xīng ((Huǒ Fire 火)‐(Xīng Star → [Heavenly Body] 星) → [Mars])” is “Mars” in Mandarin.

“Space: the Final Frontier…”

These days, many, including some serving in the Mandarin field, are fans of science fiction stories like those of Star Trek, Star Wars, etc. A common feature of such stories is the idea that humans will eventually travel to and live on other planets besides the earth. What has God’s organization said about this? Here are a couple of paragraphs that I found that comment on this idea, from the article “Space Exploration—What Does the Future Hold?”, in the September 8, 1992 issue of Awake! magazine:

What can be said from a Biblical viewpoint? True, man was told by God to ‘multiply and fill the earth.’ (Genesis 1:28) At the same time, he was given intelligence and an insatiable desire to know more about his context, including the biosphere, the stratosphere, and beyond. That context includes our tiny solar system and the stars beyond. Thus, King David was inspired to write some three thousand years ago: “When I see your heavens, the works of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have prepared, what is mortal man that you keep him in mind, and the son of earthling man that you take care of him?”—Psalm 8:3, 4.

…

The Bible shows that Jehovah God, earth’s Maker and Landlord, will soon take action against this planet’s unruly and unrulable tenants. Only the truly meek will be left to inherit the earth. Then only will we get to see what further purposes God has in mind for an obedient human family.—Psalm 37:11, 29; Revelation 11:18; 16:14-16.

Also interesting is this paragraph that I found, from the Awake! article “Is There Life Beyond the Earth?”, from way back in 1973:

But what about the other planets? Were they put in space and into orbit for no reason at all? No, we cannot conclude that. All that God does has meaning and purpose. Obviously the Creator Jehovah God has a purpose for these planets, including the planets in our own solar system. In time, he may well reveal that purpose to obedient mankind. We should not be so shortsighted as to think that the earth is the center of the universe.

“Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft”

Many people today, including some Mandarin-speaking people whom we may meet in the ministry, are also fascinated by the idea that intelligent beings from other planets are visiting the earth in spacecraft that appear to people as unidentified flying objects (UFOs), unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), etc. Jehovah’s organization has warned us about what may be behind such phenomena. For example, the article “UFO’s—Messengers From God?”, in the July 8, 1996 issue of Awake! magazine, said:

Instead of assisting mankind to survive, stories about ‘nonhuman beings’ divert people’s attention away from what God actually requires for their everlasting welfare.

Who may try to steer mankind away from God’s means of survival, yet claim to represent God? Ed Conroy, in his book Report on Communion, states that “serious ufologists [those who study UFO’s] with training in the psychological and social sciences” include comparative studies of “‘bedroom visitors,’ ghosts, poltergeists, apparitions, religious visions, and what have been regarded as demons.” Many ufologists and those who claim to be extraterrestrials in human form state that using spaceships to travel is mostly unnecessary. They say that these beings can travel invisibly and materialize anywhere on earth without arriving in spacecraft.

The Bible warns that Satan and his demons are intent on misleading mankind. They take advantage of mankind’s despair and hopelessness to offer attractive, but false, solutions. (2 Corinthians 11:14) Hence, the Bible warning: “In later periods of time some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to misleading inspired utterances and teachings of demons.”—1 Timothy 4:1.

In like manner today, any supposed visits and seemingly beneficial guidance from such beings should be rejected, whatever form they may take. Those who would rather follow the advice of “extraterrestrials” than God’s Word are bound to be misled—a terrible mistake to make in these critical times.

The Only Possible Real Way to the Stars

In the Mandarin field, we have the privilege of helping Mandarin-speaking people to not be misled by the misinformation from Satan and the demons, but rather, to come to know and draw close to the true God Jehovah. Jehovah created all the stars, planets, and other celestial bodies in the universe, and, as mentioned above, he may in good time tell us more about his purpose for them. The only way to find out for sure about that is to do God’s will now, and make it into the new system that he will bring to the earth, this pale blue dot that we are now living on, and that is still the only celestial body we know of that can sustain human life.—1 John 2:17.

Pale Blue Dot - This narrow-angle color image of the Earth, taken from a distance of more than 4 billion miles (6.4 billion km) from Earth, is a part of the first ever “portrait” of the solar system taken by Voyager 1 (Earth is the blueish-white speck almost halfway up the rightmost band of light.)

Pale Blue Dot
This narrow-angle color image of the Earth, taken from a distance of more than 4 billion miles (6.4 billion km) from Earth, is a part of the first ever “portrait” of the solar system taken by the Voyager 1 space probe. (Earth is the blueish-white speck almost halfway up the rightmost band of light.)

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.

Categories
Culture Current Events Experiences Language Learning Science Technology Theocratic

cōnghuì

cōnghuì (cōng·huì {[is] quick at hearing → [[is] intelligent; bright; clever; sharp-witted]} · {[is] intelligent; bright} → [[is] intelligent; bright; witty] 聪慧 聰慧) 👈🏼 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.

“There Is No Intelligent Creator”?

This week’s MEotW, which appears in the section of the Mandarin Was Life Created? brochure entitled “Nǐ (You 你) Xiāngxìn (Xiāng·xìn It · {Do Believe} → [Do Believe] 相信) Shénme (Shén·me What · [suf] 什么 什/甚麼) Ne ([? ptcl] 呢)?” (“What Do You Believe?”), is “cōnghuì (cōng·huì {[is] quick at hearing → [[is] intelligent; bright; clever; sharp-witted]} · {[is] intelligent; bright} → [[is] intelligent; bright; witty] 聪慧 聰慧)”:

English:

Will you trust the claims of those who say that there is no intelligent Creator and that the Bible is unreliable? Or will you examine what the Bible actually says?

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

📖 📄 📘 Yǒuxiē (Yǒu·xiē {(there) are having → [(there) are]} · some 有些) rén (people 人) shuō (saying 说 說/説) méiyǒu (méi·yǒu (there) not · {is having → [is]} → [(there) does not exist] 没有 沒有) cōnghuì (cōng·huì {quick at hearing → [intelligent]} · intelligent → [intelligent] 聪慧 聰慧) de (’s 的) Zàowù‐Zhǔ ((Zào·wù Created · Things 造物)‐(Zhǔ Master 主) → [Creator]), Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng (the) Holy · Scriptures → [the Bible] 圣经 聖經) yě (also 也) bù (not 不) kěkào (kě·kào {is able} · {to be leaned on → [to be relied on]} → [is reliable] 可靠), nǐ (you 你) xiāngxìn (xiāng·xìn them · {do believe} → [do believe] 相信) tāmen de ((tā·men him/her · [pl] → [them] 他们 他們) (de ’s 的) → [their]) huà (words 话 話) ma ([? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)? Háishi (Hái·shi {still more → [or]} · {is (it) that} 还是 還是) huì ((you) will 会 會) qīnzì (qīn·zì {in person} · self 亲自 親自) kànkan (kàn·kan {look at} · {look at} 看看) Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng (the) Holy · Scriptures → [the Bible] 圣经 聖經) dàodǐ (dào·dǐ to · bottom → [in the final analysis] 到底) zěnme (zěn·me what · [suf] 怎么 怎麼/麽) shuō (says 说 說/説) ne ([? ptcl] 呢)?

As can be seen from the above quotes, the Mandarin Was Life Created? brochure uses “cōnghuì (cōng·huì {[is] quick at hearing → [[is] intelligent; bright; clever; sharp-witted]} · {[is] intelligent; bright} → [[is] intelligent; bright; witty] 聪慧 聰慧)” to effectively mean “intelligent”. Related expressions include “cōngming (cōng·ming {[is] quick at hearing → [[is] intelligent; bright; clever; sharp-witted]} · {[is] bright → [[is] understanding]} 聪明 聰明)”, which has the same first morpheme as “cōnghuì (cōng·huì {[is] quick at hearing → [[is] intelligent; bright; clever; sharp-witted]} · {[is] intelligent; bright} → [[is] intelligent; bright; witty] 聪慧 聰慧)”, and “zhìhuì (zhì·huì wisdom · intelligence → [wisdom] 智慧)”, which has the same second morpheme.

Note that the first morpheme in “cōnghuì (cōng·huì {[is] quick at hearing → [[is] intelligent; bright; clever; sharp-witted]} · {[is] intelligent; bright} → [[is] intelligent; bright; witty] 聪慧 聰慧)” literally means “quick at hearing”. This may remind us of the scripture at James 1:19:

Know this, my beloved brothers: Everyone must be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger,

Brains and Brawn

These days, people in the world are making a big deal about what artificial intelligence can do, but in many ways, current artificial intelligence is not even as intelligent and sensible as an average human child, so of course it cannot compare with the original Divine Intelligence, the Almighty God Jehovah. Is madly pursuing artificial intelligence—that in many ways is not really that intelligent, that does not love humans back, and that could prove to be beyond humans’ ability to control—really an intelligent thing to be doing? Are the feverish efforts to develop ever more powerful artificial intelligence really about intelligence, or the blind pursuit of power?

Many in this world, including dictators (and wannabe dictators) and their supporters, certain varieties of technology enthusiasts, people intent on climbing the corporate ladder, etc., have shown that they simple-mindedly and hard-heartedly worship power above all else, and that they dismiss the value of intelligence (and also dismiss such vital things as love and justice as being inconsequential).

Regarding how many view knowledge and intelligence, famous science fiction writer and professor Isaac Asimov said this about a common attitude he observed in the USA:

There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that “my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”

Actually, though, in many situations, sufficient intelligence can make all the difference. What difference can intelligence make? I remember that when I watched the movie Jurassic Park (which is about dinosaurs that humans recreate, and that then prove to be beyond the humans’ ability to control), the time I found the predatory velociraptors most scary was not when they were using their teeth, claws, or speed, or otherwise showing how powerful they were. Rather, it was when one of them showed considerable intelligence and figured out how to turn a door handle to open the door that children it was chasing were hiding behind.

Yes, sufficient intelligence, or wisdom, can be the difference between whether something gets done—even something as simple as opening a door—and if it never gets done. This is so even if much power is involved, and it is so no matter how long random chance is allowed to “work” on it. Jehovah God’s creative wisdom and intelligence, in addition to his almighty power, are certainly evident all around us in the natural world, in things that could never have come into existence without them. As Psalm 104:24 and Jeremiah 10:12 say:

How many your works are, O Jehovah!
You have made all of them in wisdom.
The earth is full of what you have made.

He is the Maker of the earth by his power,
The One who established the productive land by his wisdom
And who stretched out the heavens by his understanding.

Working Hard and Working Smart

Speaking of intelligence, sometimes Mandarin learners who work smart by using Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) whenever they can are accused by Chinese character chauvinists (masochists?) of being unwilling to work hard. However, does working smart necessarily mean not working hard? The best results actually come from doing both—working hard and working smart—not just doing one or the other.

And really, are we not showing an anti-intelligence and anti-wisdom attitude if we oppose doing God’s work the easy way in order to support doing things the hard way, just for the sake of preserving human tradition? Do we want to be part of the “cult of ignorance”?

For convenience:

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

The short link for Chinese field language-learning links for the Was Life Created? 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 Was Life Created? 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 Experiences History Language Learning Names Science Technology Theocratic

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.