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nándào

nándào+ (nán·dào {is (it) difficult} · {to say [→ [to suppose]] (that)} → [can/could it be that; is it possible that; do you really mean to say that; don’t tell me that] 难道 難道) 👈🏼 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 + Symbols 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, “nándào+ (nán·dào {is (it) difficult} · {to say [→ [to suppose]] (that)} → [can/could it be that; is it possible that; do you really mean to say that; don’t tell me that] 难道 難道)”, appears in subtitle 35 of the video used in point 5 of lesson 15 of this book:

English:

[Jesus’] mother, Mary, lived in Nazareth.
Could he tell her while in the womb,
‘Please take me to Bethlehem because the scriptures say
I must be born there’?

Mandarin (Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音)+ 🔗):

34
00:02:05,141 → 00:02:08,812
📖 📄 ➕ Yēsū (Jesus 耶稣 耶穌) de (’ 的) mǔqin (mǔ·qin mother · relative 母亲 母親) Mǎlìyà (Mary 马利亚 馬利亞) yuánběn+ (yuán·běn originally · {root or stem → [originally]} 原本) zhù (lived 住) zài (in 在) Násālè+ (Nazʹa·reth 拿撒勒).

35
00:02:08,812 → 00:02:12,882
📖 📄 ➕ Nándào+ (Nán·dào {is (it) difficult} · {to say → [to suppose] (that)} → [could it be that] 难道 難道) Yēsū (Jesus 耶稣 耶穌) nénggòu (néng·gòu {was able} · enough 能够 能夠) zài (in 在) māma (mā·ma ma·ma 妈妈 媽媽) de (’s 的) dùzi+ (dù·zi belly · [suf for nouns] 肚子) li (inside 里 裡/裏) gēn (with 跟) māma (mā·ma ma·ma 妈妈 媽媽) shuō ({to say} 说 說/説),

Lesson 15 point 5 video subtitle 36

36
00:02:12,882 → 00:02:14,651
📖 📄 ➕ “Nǐ (you 你) yào (must 要) qù ({go to} 去) Bólìhéng (Bethʹle·hem 伯利恒 伯利恆) shēng+ ({to give birth to} 生) wǒ (me 我),

37
00:02:14,651 → 00:02:17,220
📖 📄 ➕ wǒ (I 我) cái ({only then} 才 才/纔) néng ({will be able} 能) yìngyàn+ (yìng·yàn {to respond to} · verifying (regarding) → [to fulfil] 应验 應驗) Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng Holy · Scriptures → [Bible] 圣经 聖經) yùyán (yù·yán {in advance} · saying → [prophecy] 预言 預言)” ma ([? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)?

It’s Hard to Say?

Over the years, I would occasionally encounter “nándào (nán·dào {is (it) difficult} · {to say [→ [to suppose]] (that)} → [can/could it be that; is it possible that; do you really mean to say that; don’t tell me that] 难道 難道)” in my Mandarin field activities, and I would find it hard to say whether my initial impression was correct, that its morphemes literally translated to “is (it) difficult” “to arrive at (that)”. When I finally got around to looking up this expression and analyzing it, it turned out that I was right about the first morpheme, but wrong about the second one—the first morpheme “nán ({[is] difficult}; {[is] hard} | difficultly | {make difficult/difficulties} 难 難)” is indeed the one that means “difficult” or “hard”, and that also appears in “nántí (nán·tí difficult · topic → [problem] 难题 難題)”, but the second morpheme is actually not the “dào ({arrive [at/in/etc.]}; reaching [→ [[up/out/etc.] to; until]] 到)” that means “to arrive at”. Rather, it is the “dào (way; path; road [→ [mw]] | say; speak; talk; chat | think; suppose 道)” that is used in “chuándào (chuán·dào spreading · way → [preaching] 传道 傳道)” and in “dàoli (dào·li way; path; road · reasoning; logic; doctrine [→ [principle]] 道理)”, where it means “way; path; road”. When it’s used in “nándào (nán·dào {is (it) difficult} · {to say [→ [to suppose]] (that)} → [can/could it be that; is it possible that; do you really mean to say that; don’t tell me that] 难道 難道)” though, it seems to have a different meaning that I was not familiar with before, that of “say; speak”.

When the morphemes of “nándào (nán·dào {is (it) difficult} · {to say [→ [to suppose]] (that)} → [can/could it be that; is it possible that; do you really mean to say that; don’t tell me that] 难道 難道)” are put together, then, they literally mean “is (it) difficult” “to say [or, to suppose] (that)”, and they can effectively mean “can/could it be that; is it possible that; do you really mean to say that; don’t tell me that”. As Pleco’s built-in dictionary says, this enigmatic expression is used for “giving force to a rhetorical question”.

A Usage Example From the Bible

Here is another example of “nándào (nán·dào {is (it) difficult} · {to say [→ [to suppose]] (that)} → [can/could it be that; is it possible that; do you really mean to say that; don’t tell me that] 难道 難道)” in use, from a familiar Bible account:

English:

You are not greater than our forefather Jacob, who gave us the well and who together with his sons and his cattle drank out of it, are you?”

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

📖 📄 ➕ Zhèi (this 这 這) kǒu ({mouth of a} → [mw for things with mouths/openings] 口) jǐng+ (well 井) shì (is 是) wǒmen de ((wǒ·men us · [pl] 我们 我們) (de ’s 的) → [our]) zǔxiān (zǔ·xiān forefather · {earlier (person) → [ancestor]} → [forefather] 祖先) Yǎgè+ (Jacob 雅各) liúgěi (liú·gěi {left behind} · {to be given to} 留给 留給) wǒmen (wǒ·men us · [pl] 我们 我們) de ({’s (well)} 的), tā (he 他) zìjǐ (himself 自己) hé ({(together) with} → [and] 和 和/龢) érzi (ér·zi {(his) children → [his sons]} · [suf for nouns] 儿子 兒子), jiāchù+ (jiā·chù (his) household · livestock → [his cattle] 家畜) dōu (all 都) hē (drank 喝) zhèi (this 这 這) kǒu ({mouth of a} → [mw for things with mouths/openings] 口) jǐng (well 井) de (’s 的) shuǐ (water 水), nándào+ (nán·dào {is (it) difficult} · {to say → [to suppose] (that)} → [can it be that] 难道 難道) nǐ (you 你) bǐ ({compared to} 比) tā (him 他) hái ({still more} 还 還) dà ({are big} → [are great] 大) ma ([? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)?”

A Question for the Mandarin Field

Here is a rhetorical question for Mandarin field language learners to consider:

English:

Is learning Chinese characters really the most important aspect of learning Mandarin?

Mandarin:

📖 📄 ➕ Nándào+ (Nán·dào {is (it) difficult} · {to say → [to suppose] (that)} → [can it be that] 难道 難道) xué (learning 学 學) Hànzì+ (Hàn·zì {Han (Chinese)} · Characters 汉字 漢字) zhēnde (zhēn·de {being real} · {’s (thing)} → [really] 真的) shì (is 是) xué (learning 学 學) pǔtōng‐huà+ ((pǔ·tōng common · {through(out) → [common]} 普通)‐(huà speech 话 話) → [(Modern Standard) Mandarin (term commonly used in China)]) de (’s 的) zuì (most 最 最/㝡) zhòngyào (zhòng·yào weighty · important 重要) de (’s 的) yì (one 一) fāngmiàn (fāng·miàn {direction → [side]} · face → [aspect] 方面) ma ([? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)?

For an answer to this question that’s based, not on human tradition or cultural pride, but rather on the Bible, The Watchtower, and linguistics (language science), check out the article “SPEECH is Top Priority, Not Characters”.

Here is an excerpt:

Just like it’s an established fact that the earth is round, according to modern linguistics (the scientific study of language) this is also an established fact: “Speech is primary, writing is secondary and is always derivative of speech.” This scientific truth about language, that Jehovah built us and wired us to primarily communicate meaning through speech, supports what 1 Corinthians 14:8–11 (quoted above) says about understandable speech being of prime importance to Christian evangelizers.

For convenience:

The direct link for the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus / Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音)+ 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)+ 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 / Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音)+ web resource as time allows.

Categories
Current Events Theocratic

jīngjì

jīngjì+ (jīng·jì {managing [of]} · {crossing [of] a river → [helping]} → [economy | [is] economical | economic | financial condition] 经济 經濟) 👈🏼 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 + Symbols re all the “flashcards” in the heading, paragraph, etc. that they are placed at the beginning of.]

At the time of this writing, jw.org was featuring an article from the No. 1 2026 issue of The Watchtower, with the title “Can Economic Reform Bring World Peace?”. By comparing the English version of this issue with the Mandarin version, we can see that the organization is using this week’s MEotW, “jīngjì (jīng·jì {managing [of]} · {crossing [of] a river → [helping]} → [economy | [is] economical | economic | financial condition] 经济 經濟)”, to correspond to the English word “economic”:

English:

Can Economic Reform Bring World Peace?

Mandarin:

📖 📄 ➕ Fāzhǎn+ (Fā·zhǎn {Sending Out → [Developing]} · {Opening Up} → [Developing] 发展 發展) Jīngjì (Jīng·jì {Managing of} · {Crossing of a River → [Helping]} → [the Economy] 经济 經濟) Néng (Can 能) Dàilái (Dài·lái Bring · {to Come} 带来 帶來) Hépíng (Hé·píng {Being (Together) with (One Another)} · {Being Flat, Level, Even} → [Peace (nwtsty-CHS Appx. A2 says this term mainly refers to the absence of war or conflict)] 和平) Ma ([? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)?

Morphemic Breakdown

The “jīng ({pass through; undergo; experience [→ [bear; endure]]} | manage; {deal/engage in} | scripture; canon; classics | constant; regular | {warp (textiles)} [→ [longitude]] 经 經)” in “jīngjì (jīng·jì {managing [of]} · {crossing [of] a river → [helping]} → [economy | [is] economical | economic | financial condition] 经济 經濟)” has multiple possible meanings, several of which were discussed in the MEotW post on “lìjīng (lì·jīng {go through}; experience; undergo · {pass through; undergo; experience [→ [bear; endure]]} 历经 歷經)”. In “jīngjì (jīng·jì {managing [of]} · {crossing [of] a river → [helping]} → [economy | [is] economical | economic | financial condition] 经济 經濟)”, it seems to have its old but still current meaning of “managing [of]”.

As for the “jì ({cross [a river]} [→ [aid; relieve; help | benefit]] 济 濟)” in “jīngjì (jīng·jì {managing [of]} · {crossing [of] a river → [helping]} → [economy | [is] economical | economic | financial condition] 经济 經濟)”, in this expression it seems to have a literal meaning of “crossing [of] a river”, and an effective meaning of “helping”.

Together, the morphemes in “jīngjì (jīng·jì {managing [of]} · {crossing [of] a river → [helping]} → [economy | [is] economical | economic | financial condition] 经济 經濟)” seem to on one level of literalness mean “managing of helping”, effectively having meanings related to “economy” or “economic”. (Be careful not to confuse “jīngjì (jīng·jì {managing [of]} · {crossing [of] a river → [helping]} → [economy | [is] economical | economic | financial condition] 经济 經濟)” with past MEotW “zhèngzhì+ (zhèng·zhì {politics | political} · governing [→ [politics | political]] 政治)”, which basically means “politics” or “political”.)

More Usage Examples

Here are a couple more examples taken from the above-mentioned Watchtower article, of “jīngjì (jīng·jì {managing [of]} · {crossing [of] a river → [helping]} → [economy | [is] economical | economic | financial condition] 经济 經濟)” in use:

English:

Can economic reform truly address conflicts that are driven by nationalism, religious extremism, or political divisions?

Mandarin:

📖 📄 ➕ Fāzhǎn (Fā·zhǎn {sending out → [developing]} · {opening up} → [developing] 发展 發展) jīngjì (jīng·jì {managing of} · {crossing of a river → [helping]} → [the economy] 经济 經濟) jiù (then 就) néng (can 能) xiāochú (xiāo·chú eliminate · {get rid of} 消除) guójiā zhǔyì+ ((guó·jiā nation · family → [nation] 国家 國家) (zhǔ·yì master · meaning → [-ism] 主义 主義) → [nationalism]), zōngjiào+ (zōng·jiào {school of thought} · teaching → [religious] 宗教) jíduān zhǔyì ((jí·duān extreme · extremity → [extreme] 极端 極端) (zhǔ·yì master · meaning → [-ism] 主义 主義) → [extremism]), zhèngzhì+ (zhèng·zhì political · governing → [political] 政治) fēnqí (fēn·qí divided · branches → [disagreements] 分), děng (kind → [etc.] 等) dǎozhì (dǎo·zhì lead · {to extend to} 导致 導致) chōngtū+ (chōng·tū {dashings → [clashings]} · {chimneys → [dashings forward]} → [conflicts] 冲突 衝突) de (’ 的) yuányīn (yuán·yīn origins · causes 原因) ma ([? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)?

English:

Economic reforms cannot eliminate human greed. The Bible explains that true peace will come when people are taught God’s ways and not because of trade deals or economic reforms.

Mandarin:

📖 📄 ➕ Jīngjì (Jīng·jì {managing of} · {crossing of a river → [helping]} → [the economy] 经济 經濟) fāzhǎn (fā·zhǎn {sends out → [develops]} · {opens up} → [develops] 发展 發展) de (getting 得) zài (more 再) hǎo ({to be well} 好), yě (also 也) bùnéng (bù·néng not · can → [cannot] 不能) xiāochú (xiāo·chú eliminate · {get rid of} 消除) rén (humans 人) de (’ 的) tānyù+ (tān·yù {insatiably desiring} · desiring → [greed] 贪欲 貪欲/慾), zhōngzhǐ (zhōng·zhǐ end · stop 终止 終止) zhànzhēng (zhàn·zhēng wars · contendings → [wars] 战争 戰爭). Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng (the) Holy · Scriptures → [the Bible] 圣经 聖經) shuō (says 说 說/説), suǒyǒu (suǒ·yǒu {(all) whom} · {(there) are having → [(there) are]} → [all] 所有) rén (people 人) dōu (all 都) jiēshòu (jiē·shòu {come into contact with → [receive]} · receive → [receive] 接受) Shàngdì (Shàng·dì Above’s · {Emperor → [God]} → [God] 上帝) de (’s 的) jiàoyù+ (jiào·yù teaching · educating → [education] 教育), shìjiè (shì·jiè {generation → [world]} · extent → [world] 世界) cái ({only then} 才 才/纔) huì (will 会 會) hépíng (hé·píng {be (together) with (one another)} · {be flat, level, even} → [be peaceful (nwtsty-CHS Appx. A2 says this term mainly refers to the absence of war or conflict)] 和平).

Categories
Current Events Theocratic

shìjiè hépíng

shìjiè+ (shì·jiè {generation → [world]} · extent → [world] 世界)
hépíng+ (hé·píng {being (together) with (one another)} · {being flat, level, even} → [peace (nwtsty-CHS Appx. A2 says this term mainly refers to the absence of war or conflict)] 和平) 👈🏼 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 + Symbols re all the “flashcards” in the heading, paragraph, etc. that they are placed at the beginning of.]

At the time of this writing, jw.org was featuring the No. 1 2026 issue of The Watchtower, the theme of which is “Is World Peace Possible?”. By comparing the English version of this issue with the Mandarin version, we can see that the organization is using this week’s MEotW, “shìjiè (shì·jiè {generation → [world]} · extent → [world] 世界) hépíng (hé·píng {being (together) with (one another)} · {being flat, level, even} → [peace (nwtsty-CHS Appx. A2 says this term mainly refers to the absence of war or conflict)] 和平)”, to translate the English expression “world peace” into Mandarin:

English:

Is World Peace Possible?

World peace is possible. In fact, it is a certainty—but not in the way you might expect.

Mandarin:

📖 📄 ➕ Shìjiè (Shì·jiè {Generation → [World]} · Extent → [World] 世界) Hépíng (Hé·píng {Being (Together) with (One Another)} · {Being Flat, Level, Even} → [Peace (nwtsty-CHS Appx. A2 says this term mainly refers to the absence of war or conflict)] 和平) Zhǐshì (Zhǐ·shì Only · Is 只是) Mèng ({a Dream} 梦 夢) Ma ([? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)?

📖 📄 ➕ Shìjiè (Shì·jiè {generation → [world]} · extent → [the world] 世界) yídìng (yí·dìng {(with) one} · {setting fixedly} → [definitely] 一定) huì (will 会 會) hépíng (hé·píng {be (together) with (one another)} · {be flat, level, even} → [be peaceful (nwtsty-CHS Appx. A2 says this term mainly refers to the absence of war or conflict)] 和平), dàn (but 但) shíxiàn+ (shí·xiàn (it) {solidly → [really]} · {will appear} → [(it) will come true] 实现 實現) de (’s 的) fāngshì (fāng·shì direction · style → [way] 方式) yěxǔ (yě·xǔ {on the whole} · maybe 也许 也許) shì ({will be} 是) nǐ (you 你) xiǎng‐budào+ ((xiǎng {thinking of} 想)‐(bu·dào not · {are arriving at} 不到) → [are not expecting]) de ({’s (way)} 的)!

A Specific Kind of Peace

“Shìjiè (Shì·jiè {generation → [world]} · extent → [world] 世界)” effectively means “world”, and as Appendix A2 of the Mandarin New World Translation Bible tells us, “hépíng (hé·píng {[is/being] (together) with (one another)} · {[is/being] flat, level, even} → [peace | [is] peaceful | peacefully (nwtsty-CHS Appx. A2 says this term mainly refers to the absence of war or conflict)] 和平)” mainly refers to a specific kind of peace: the absence of war or conflict. So, it is the appropriate Mandarin expression to use to refer to the kind of peace that people generally have in mind when they use the English expression “world peace”.

Other Kinds of Peace

Past MEotW posts have discussed the Mandarin expressions used to refer to other kinds of peace, as discussed in Appendix A2 of the Mandarin New World Translation Bible. For example, the MEotW post on “ānníng ({being peaceful}; {being tranquil} [→ [peace; tranquillity]] 安宁 安寧)” has this to say:

Appendix A2 of the current Mandarin version of the New World Translation Bible (nwtsty) explains that “hépíng (peace | {[is] peaceful} (nwtsty-CHS Appx. A2 says this term mainly refers to the absence of war or conflict) 和平)” mainly refers to the absence of war or conflict. However, even in a situation in which there is no hépíng (peace | {[is] peaceful} (nwtsty-CHS Appx. A2 says this term mainly refers to the absence of war or conflict) 和平), God’s holy spirit can still help people to maintain the spiritual quality of ānníng ({being peaceful}; {being tranquil} 安宁 安寧) in their hearts—inner peace.

As for the MEotW post on “hémù ({[is] harmonious} [→ [harmony; peaceful relations]] 和睦)”, it says:

Appendix A2 of the current Mandarin version of the New World Translation Bible (nwtsty) explains that “hépíng (peace | {[is] peaceful} (nwtsty-CHS Appx. A2 says this term mainly refers to the absence of war or conflict) 和平)” mainly refers to the absence of war or conflict. In contrast, “hémù ({[is] harmonious} 和睦)” is used here in a more positive and precise way to refer to the peaceful harmony and unity that the Christ makes possible for “shuāngfāng+ (shuāng·fāng (the) two · {directions → [parties]} 双方 雙方)”, “the two groups”, Jews and non-Jews.

Additionally, the MEotW post on “héxié ({[is] harmonious} [→ [harmony]] 和谐 和諧)” says:

Why doesn’t the Mandarin translation use good old “píng’ān (píng’·ān {[is] flat, level, even → [[is] peaceful]} · {[is] safe, secure} (nwtsty-CHS Appx. A2 says this term mainly refers to things being smooth and stable, safe and secure, free of danger) 平安)” or “hépíng (peace | {[is] peaceful} (nwtsty-CHS Appx. A2 says this term mainly refers to the absence of war or conflict) 和平)” to translate “peace” in this verse? Appendix A2 of the current Mandarin version of the New World Translation Bible (nwtsty) explains that “píng’ān (píng’·ān {[is] flat, level, even → [[is] peaceful]} · {[is] safe, secure} (nwtsty-CHS Appx. A2 says this term mainly refers to things being smooth and stable, safe and secure, free of danger) 平安)” mainly refers to things being smooth and stable, safe and secure, free of danger, and that “hépíng (peace | {[is] peaceful} (nwtsty-CHS Appx. A2 says this term mainly refers to the absence of war or conflict) 和平)” mainly refers to the absence of war or conflict. These are specific aspects of peace that don’t necessarily apply in every context.

We can see that those who translated the current Mandarin NWT Bible felt that the context of 1 Corinthians 14:33, which discusses who should speak when during meetings for spiritual encouragement, calls for “héxié+ ({[is] harmonious} 和谐 和諧)” to be used in this verse to translate the Greek word ei·reʹne, since the harmony that “héxié ({[is] harmonious} 和谐 和諧)” refers to contrasts well with the dissonance and disorder that would result if a meeting degenerated into a free-for-all of people speaking whenever and however they pleased.