Tag: Short Links

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Culture Experiences Language Learning Science Technology Theocratic

wūdú

wūdú (voodoo 巫毒) 👈🏼 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. An outstanding feature of this book is its extensive use of the post-paper technology of video, which enables information to be presented much more vividly than could be done with paper. Also, at this time, one of the unique features of Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus material is Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus video transcripts. These can 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. This in turn can help us make more effective use of these videos while participating in Mandarin Bible discussions using this book.

This week’s MEotW, “wūdú (voodoo 巫毒)”, occurs in subtitle 3 of the transcript for the video for lesson 14, point 5 of the Mandarin Enjoy Life Forever! book:

English:

At a tender age, I had a troubled mind

as to how I would be pleasing to God

and also at the same time be pleasing in the eyes of the voodoo.

Mandarin:

1
00:00:02,952 → 00:00:06,556
📖 📄 📘 Cóngxiǎo (Cóng·xiǎo from · {being little → [being young]} → [from childhood] 从小 從小) wǒ (I 我) jiù (then 就) yìzhí (yì·zhí one · {being straight} → [all the while] 一直) zài ({had been in} → [had then been] 在) xiǎng (thinking 想)

2
00:00:06,556 → 00:00:11,461
📖 📄 📘 wǒ (I 我) zěnyàng (zěn·yàng (in) what · {pattern → [way]} → [how] 怎样 怎樣) zuò ({would do} 做) kěyǐ (kě·yǐ {to be able} · [suf] 可以) tóngshí (tóng·shí {(at the) same} · {(particular) time} 同时 同時) ràng ({to make} 让 讓) Shàngdì (Shàng·dì Above’s · {Emperor → [God]} → [God] 上帝) xǐyuè ({to be pleased} 喜悦 喜悅),

3
00:00:11,461 → 00:00:14,964
📖 📄 📘 yòu (also 又) ràng ({to make} 让 讓) wūdú (voodoo 巫毒) de (’s 的) shénlíng (shén·líng gods · spirits 神灵 神靈) xǐyuè ({to be pleased} 喜悦 喜悅).

Speech Is Primary!

The individual morphemes of “wūdú (voodoo 巫毒)” have interesting meanings (“witch/wizard/shaman” and “poison”), but ultimately, “wūdú (voodoo 巫毒)” is a loanword from the English word “voodoo”, which in turn comes, via Louisiana French, from the Fon word “vodun”, meaning “god; deity”.

How similar these loanwords sound reminds us that, as linguists say, speech, with its invisible sounds to represent meaning, is actually the primary aspect of language, as opposed to writing, which is secondary, no matter how intricate its visual symbols are.

Power-Hungry?

As Jehovah’s people, we have been taught to seek to imitate him and cultivate and display a healthy balance and combination of Jehovah’s four cardinal attributes: power, justice, wisdom, and love. (Ephesians 5:1, 2) However, those who are devoted to voodoo and other forms of spiritism seek power over all else. This unbalanced thirst for power over all else, ignoring and even actively fighting against wisdom, justice, and love, is common in Satan’s world, which is made in Satan’s deformed spiritual image.

The perceived voodooesque power of characters—including their mythical idol-like power to represent invisible meaning with their mesmerizing visual designs, and also the cultural power, social status, and glamour associated with them—is of course appealing to those who conform to the power-hungry template of those infected with the spirit of Satan’s world.

When such ones are presented with the simple, humble effectiveness of Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音), they recoil at this this threat to their precious characters-based power, much as the Pharisees, etc. recoiled at the threat Jesus and his back-to-spiritual-basics teachings posed to their traditions-based power. On the other hand, Mandarin field language learners who are truly motivated by love for God and neighbour see in Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) an excellent tool for helping them to effectively use Mandarin speech—the actual primary aspect of the Mandarin language—to help them praise and glorify Jehovah and give spiritual assistance to honest-hearted people in the Mandarin field.

汉字 / 漢字? Pīnyīn?

Indeed, whereas some feel that characters present a test of our determination to serve God in the face of difficulties, it is evident that characters can actually present a test of our motivations as Mandarin field language learners, especially when Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) is available (as it often is now). Are we in our pride hungry for the voodooesque power often associated with the characters? Or are we truly motivated by love of God and neighbour to look for ways to get past the unnecessarily obstructive Great Wall of characters, and to make good use of Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音), in many situations the evidently better tool for glorifying God and helping our Mandarin-speaking neighbours, when it is available?—1 Corinthians 13.

The Great Wall of China

How do we respond to the seemingly powerful Great Wall of characters?

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 History Language Learning Science Theocratic

tiān‐yī‐wúfèng

tiān‐yī‐wúfèng ((tiān [(is)] heavenly 天)‐(yī garment 衣)‐(wú·fèng without · seams 无缝 無縫) → [[is] flawless]) 👈🏼 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 the fundamentally important question of whether life was created.

“Very Fortunate” Indeed!

This week’s MEotW, which appears in the first paragraph of the section of the Mandarin Was Life Created? brochure entitled “Shēngjī (Shēng·jī Life · {Mechanism → [Being Organic]} → [Life] 生机 生機)‐Bóbó (Bó·bó Flourishing · Flourishing 勃勃) de (’s 的) Dìqiú (Dì·qiú Earth · Globe 地球)” (“The Living Planet”), is “tiān‐yī‐wúfèng ((tiān [(is)] heavenly 天)‐(yī garment 衣)‐(wú·fèng without · seams 无缝 無縫) → [[is] flawless])”:

English:

Life on earth could never exist were it not for a series of very fortunate “coincidences,”

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

📖 📄 📘 Dìqiú (Dì·qiú earth · globe 地球) zài (in 在) hěn (very 很) duō (many 多) fāngmiàn (fāng·miàn {directions → [sides]} · faces → [aspects] 方面) dōu ({all of them} 都) “qiǎohé (qiǎo·hé {being coincidental → [coincidentally]} · {closing → [matching]} → [coincidental] 巧合)” de (-ly 地) pèihe (pèi·he matches · {closes → [accords]} → [is suitable] 配合) de (getting 得) tiān‐yī‐wúfèng ((tiān (to be) heavenly 天)‐(yī garment 衣)‐(wú·fèng without · seams 无缝 無縫) → [to be flawless]), yào (if 要)‐bu ((it) not 不)‐shì ({would be} 是) zhèyàng (zhè·yàng this · {form → [way]} 这样 這樣), dìqiú (dì·qiú earth · globe 地球) shang (upon 上) gēnběn (gēn·běn {root (of a plant)} · {root or stem of a plant} → [basically] 根本) jiù (then 就) bù (not 不) kěnéng (could 可能) yǒu (have 有) shēngmìng (life 生命).

Where the English Was Life Created? brochure speaks of the “coincidences” that made life possible on earth as “very fortunate” (a bit of British understatement?), the Mandarin Was Life Created? brochure effectively says these “coincidences” made earth “suitable for life to a miraculously/superhumanly flawless extent”. In the process of doing so, it evokes the long-standing Chinese cultural concept of “Tiān (Heaven [→ [God]] 天),” or Heaven.

“Let Me Reintroduce You to…”

As the Lasting Peace brochure (English, Mandarin) helps us understand, this concept of “Tiān (Heaven [→ [God]] 天)” is a kind of conceptual bridge back to a time when historical records show that the Chinese worshipped one supreme deity:

WHO IS GOD?

TO THE Chinese, the concept of God, or Shang-di (literally “Emperor above”), is both foreign and abstract. Most people worship heaven and earth, spirits and demons, ancestors and other humans. Interestingly, however, according to Chinese historical records, between three and four thousand years ago, during the Xia and Shang dynasties, the Chinese were already worshipping one supreme deity. The book The Religious History of China explains that they “reckoned that between heaven and earth there was a principal God who stood supreme and had absolute control over all things. . . . This supreme deity came to be called Di, or Shang-di, during the Shang Dynasty, and was known as Tien [heaven], or Tien-di [Emperor in Heaven], during the Zhou Dynasty [11th century to 256 B.C.E.].” Thus, the ancient Chinese believed in the existence of a Supreme Sovereign of the universe.

During the Spring and Autumn period (c. 722-481 B.C.E.) and the Warring States period (c. 480-221 B.C.E.), Confucianism and Taoism gained ascendancy. Influenced by these two schools of thought, the worship of Shang-di was gradually replaced by the abstract idea of reverence for Tien. By the Han dynasty (202 B.C.E.–221 C.E.), under the dominance of Confucianism, the Chinese became engrossed in moral culture and social order, and the concept of Shang-di suffered another setback. With the spread of Buddhism into China, the Chinese no longer held to the belief of a Creator who is in control of the universe, but they accepted Heaven, or Providence, as the first cause of all things. Since then, the concept of God, or Shang-di, has become something completely foreign to most Chinese.

Who, then, really is God? The Bible shows that God is not a force or law of nature that governs the operation of all things in the universe. Nor is he Tien, which is venerated by many Chinese. Rather, God is a living spirit who has feelings and personality traits. He is the almighty and omniscient Sovereign of the Universe, and his love is boundless. Not only has he created all things but he also has a definite purpose for mankind—that we worship him with love and live forever on this beautiful earth in lasting peace and happiness.

(PDF files with 3-line material covering the Mandarin version of the above quotation from the Lasting Peace brochure can be downloaded from here (iPad-Letter-A4) or here (XLP-iPhone-A5). (Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus material for the Lasting Peace brochure is in the works, but is not quite ready to be posted yet.) The short link for Chinese field language-learning links for the Lasting Peace brochure is: Lasting Peace Brochure Links (tiandi.info/pc).)

Use of this week’s MEotW in the Mandarin Was Life Created? brochure reflects good insight into what can help us to reach the hearts of the Chinese people we meet in the Mandarin field, as we reintroduce them to the “Supreme Sovereign of the universe” whom they once recognized and worshipped.

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 Technology Theocratic

cùnbù‐bù‐lí

cùnbù (cùn·bù {Ch. inch (3⅓ cm) → [tiny]} · step 寸步)‐bù (not 不)‐lí (leave; {part/depart [from]}; {[is] away/apart/distant/far apart from} 离 離/离) 👈🏼 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.]

Rather than dismissively thinking to ourselves that the songs produced by the organization are “just songs”, we should remember that the slave class takes seriously its responsibility to provide spiritual food to God’s people, and so it is going to make sure that the lyrics in its songs are spiritually correct, while also being emotionally moving.—Ezekiel 33:32; Matthew 24:45.

Not Deviating an Inch

“cùnbù‐bù‐lí” _Pīnyīn_ Plus info, Song 161 (music+_Pīnyīn_), on iPhone 13 mini (landscape orientation)

This week’s MEotW in the unofficial Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus resource “Sing Out Joyfully” Bk. (Pīnyīn+Music, Pīnyīn Plus, Web)

This week’s MEotW, “cùnbù (cùn·bù {Ch. inch (3⅓ cm) → [tiny]} · step 寸步)‐bù (not 不)‐lí (leave; {part/depart [from]}; {[is] away/apart/distant/far apart from} 离 離/离)”, comes from the chorus of song 161, which is entitled “To Do Your Will Is My Delight” in English and “Wǒ (I 我) Lèyú (Lè·yú {Am Happy} · to 乐于 樂於) Zūnxíng (Zūn·xíng {Abide by} · {Walk → [Do]} 遵行) Nǐ de ((Nǐ You 你) (de ’s 的) → [Your]) Zhǐyì (Zhǐ·yì Will · {Meaning → [Will]} → [Will] 旨意)” in Mandarin:

English:

To do your will is my delight.
I give you all my strength and might.
This joy I feel; this joy is real.
I will walk on in your light.

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

📖 📄 📘 “Wǒ (I 我) lèyú (lè·yú {am happy} · to 乐于 樂於) zūnxíng (zūn·xíng {abide by} · {walk → [do]} 遵行) nǐ (your 你) zhǐyì (zhǐ·yì will · {meaning → [will]} → [will] 旨意)!”
Chíshǒu (Chí·shǒu {to hold → [to support]} · {to defend → [to abide by]} → [to hold fast to] 持守) zhēnlǐ (zhēn·lǐ true · reasoning → [the truth] 真理), cùnbù (cùn·bù {Ch. inch (3⅓ cm) → [tiny]} · step 寸步)‐bù (not 不)‐lí ({to depart} 离 離/离),
Gānxīn (Gān·xīn {to be (of) sweet → [to be of willing]} · heart → [to be willing] 甘心) lèyì (lè·yì {to be (of) happy} · {meaning → [intention]} → [to be willing] 乐意 樂意), wúwèi (wú·wèi {to be without} · {fearing of} 无畏 無畏) jiānxīn (jiān·xīn {(things being) arduous} · {(things being) hot (in taste) → [(things being) hard]} → [hardships] 艰辛 艱辛),
Jìn ({to expend to the limit} 尽 盡) quánlì (quán·lì whole · strength 全力), zài‐suǒ‐bùxī ((zài in 在)‐(suǒ place 所)‐(bù·xī not · {to cherish → [to stint]} 不惜) → [not to balk]).

While not being a direct translation, “Chíshǒu (Chí·shǒu {to hold → [to support]} · {to defend → [to abide by]} → [to hold fast to] 持守) zhēnlǐ (zhēn·lǐ true · reasoning → [the truth] 真理), cùnbù (cùn·bù {Ch. inch (3⅓ cm) → [tiny]} · step 寸步)‐bù (not 不)‐lí ({to depart} 离 離/离)” seems to correspond with “I will walk on in your light” in the above example. For those who are interested, a more literal translation of “Chíshǒu (Chí·shǒu {to hold → [to support]} · {to defend → [to abide by]} → [to hold fast to] 持守) zhēnlǐ (zhēn·lǐ true · reasoning → [the truth] 真理), cùnbù (cùn·bù {Ch. inch (3⅓ cm) → [tiny]} · step 寸步)‐bù (not 不)‐lí ({to depart} 离 離/离)” would be “to hold fast to the truth, (even) a step of an inch not to depart (from it)”. To get even further into the weeds, while the expression “cùn ({Ch. inch (3⅓ cm)} [→ [inch | very little/short; small; tiny]] 寸)” that is used above is now often used to mean the British Imperial inch (2.54 cm), it actually originally referred to the Chinese inch (3⅓ cm). Either way, a “cùnbù (cùn·bù {Ch. inch (3⅓ cm) → [tiny]} · step 寸步)” is a tiny step indeed.

Regarding the other morphemes in “cùnbù (cùn·bù {Ch. inch (3⅓ cm) → [tiny]} · step 寸步)‐bù (not 不)‐lí (leave; {part/depart [from]}; {[is] away/apart/distant/far apart from} 离 離/离)”, it may be helpful to note that the “bù” (step; pace (v or n) [→ [condition; situation; state]] 步) in “cùnbù” (cùn·bù {Ch. inch (3⅓ cm) → [tiny]} · step 寸步) also appears in the well-known expressions “bùzhòu” (bù·zhòu step · {to be trotted} → [step; move; measure; phase] 步骤 步驟) and “jìnbù (jìn·bù {advancing [of]} · steps → [progress[ing]; advancing; improvement] 进步 進步)”, and that this “lí” (leave; {part from}; {[is] away/apart/distant/far apart from} 离 離/离) is the one in “líkāi (lí·kāi leave · {to be opened [from] → [away [from]; apart [from]; clear [of]]} 离开 離開).”

Musical Notation 🎼 and the Mandarin Field

In this post about a Mandarin expression found in our songbook, another subject that I want to touch on is: Is musical notation 🎼 too hard to be worth the trouble of producing it and using it? Are fewer and fewer people able to read it? I was fortunate enough to have been taught how to read musical notation in school. I have never thought of musical notation as being particularly difficult to use (it’s much easier to learn than characters, which many unquestioningly try to learn), and I find that it helps me to sing Kingdom songs more correctly (according to the intended melody, message, etc.) and more confidently more of the time. However, I am aware that not everyone in the Mandarin field has the same experience with musical notation. For example, a while ago, an older brother told me that he didn’t know how to read musical notation. Also, some people in the Mandarin field may have been affected by how education systems in this old world have been facing significant challenges relating to providing music education for younger ones.

Regardless of how the world may be failing in many cases to equitably provide good music education, Jehovah’s organization has pointed out that music is important in Jehovah’s worship. For example, not long ago, a Meeting Workbook said:

Music can have a powerful influence on the mind and body. Singing is an important part of our worship of Jehovah.

In accordance with the importance of music in Jehovah’s worship, Mandarin field language learners used to have available to them official material from the organization containing musical notation with Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) in the lyrics. However, perhaps at least partially because of the technical difficulty and costliness of producing material with musical notation and both Chinese characters and Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) in the lyrics, as of this writing, there is no official material currently available from the organization that shows Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) and musical notation on the same page or screen.

Screenshot of Sis. Margarita Königer and others using official _Pīnyīn_ _Sing to Jehovah_ songbooks with musical notation

A screenshot from an official video, of Sis. Margarita Königer and others using official Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Sing to Jehovah songbooks with musical notation

The organization continues to publish official songbook material for different languages in general that contains musical notation, so it evidently still considers musical notation to generally be worthwhile to produce. It continues to produce official material for the current songbook that uses musical notation along with lyrics rendered only in Chinese characters, without Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音), and it has even produced official material that uses jiǎnpǔ (jiǎn·pǔ simple · {register or record for reference → [musical notation]} → [numbered musical notation] 简谱 簡譜) (a kind of musical notation also known as numbered musical notation) and Chinese characters.

For those who find it helpful in their Mandarin field activities to put musical notation together with Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音), the unofficial Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus resource “Sing Out Joyfully” Bk. (Pīnyīn+Music, Pīnyīn Plus, Web) exists and is continuing to be improved. As shown in the screenshot near the beginning of this post, this resource aids Mandarin field language learners by breaking with tradition and featuring lyrics in the musical notation that are only in relatively large-print Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) by default—characters are relegated to Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus “flashcards” that are added as time allows.

Unlike the traditionally-used but unnecessarily extraordinarily complex characters that need to be accompanied by Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) before many are able to read them, Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) itself is a simple, elegant alphabetical full writing system for Mandarin that is easy to learn and remember. Also, it is no harder to typeset than other alphabetical writing systems with diacritics, such as the writing systems now used for French, Czech, Vietnamese, etc.*

In its Tips: section at the bottom of its home page, the “Sing Out Joyfully” Bk. (Pīnyīn+Music, Pīnyīn Plus, Web) resource contains these links that some may find helpful:

For convenience:

The direct link for the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus resource for the “Sing Out Joyfully” book is:

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

 

* Thanks to ongoing advancements in personal computing hardware and software, producing material that contains things like musical notation and Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) text at reasonable cost is quicker and easier than ever. At this time, production of the musical notation in the “Sing Out Joyfully” Bk. (Pīnyīn+Music, Pīnyīn Plus, Web) resource begins in free open source software called MuseScore Studio, running on a Mac. Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) text for the lyrics in the musical notation is entered using macOS’s ABC – Extended input source (keyboard layout). (Just using Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) text only here simplifies things so much compared to having to somehow input characters with Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) ruby text!) When it’s ready, the musical notation for a song is exported from MuseScore Studio into SVG format, which is a plain text format that allows for the inclusion of links that activate Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus flashcards on webpages. The coding for the SVG links is currently done using the text editor BBEdit, in which editing large text files is quite performant. For Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus web material production in general, my current favourite tool is Nova, but such web material can be produced in any application suitable for web development, such as Visual Studio Code, etc. ^