Tag: Translation

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dòngdàng‐bù’ān

dòngdàng (dòng·dàng {[is] moving} · {[is] swinging; shaking; swaying} → [[is] suffering unrest/upheaval/turmoil; unstable; turbulent; chaotic] 动荡 動蕩/盪)‐bù’ān (bù’·ān not · {[is] peaceful; tranquil; calm} 不安) ← Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

[Notes: 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”. 📖 📄 📘 icons mean 📖 Reveal All, 📄 Reveal Advanced, and 📘 Reveal None re all the “flashcards” in the heading, paragraph, etc. that they are placed at the beginning of.]

At the time of this writing, jw.org was featuring the article “2022: A Year of Turmoil—What Does the Bible Say?”. Although we do not participate in New Year’s celebrations, we may find it beneficial to talk to people who are looking back on the past year at around this time, and who may be a little more contemplative than usual about the significance of the things that happened over the course of that tumultuous year.

To correspond with the sense of the English word “turmoil” (a noun), the Mandarin version of the above-mentioned article uses this week’s MEotW, “dòngdàng (dòng·dàng {[is] moving} · {[is] swinging; shaking; swaying} → [[is] suffering unrest/upheaval/turmoil; unstable; turbulent; chaotic] 动荡 動蕩/盪)‐bù’ān (bù’·ān not · {[is] peaceful; tranquil; calm} 不安)” (an adjective phrase which can mean “suffered turmoil”), to describe the year 2022.

Related Expressions

The “dòng (move [→ [stir | arouse | change; alter]] 动 動)” in “dòngdàng (dòng·dàng {[is] moving} · {[is] swinging; shaking; swaying} → [[is] suffering unrest/upheaval/turmoil; unstable; turbulent; chaotic] 动荡 動蕩/盪)‐bù’ān (bù’·ān not · {[is] peaceful; tranquil; calm} 不安)” literally means “moving”, and is used in a wide variety of other expressions. These include expressions as different as “dòngcí (dòng·cí moving · word → [verb] 动词 動詞)”, “dònglì (dòng·lì moving · force 动力 動力)”, “gǎndòng (gǎn·dòng feeling · moved | {make to feel} · move 感动 感動)”, and “dòngwù (dòng·wù moving · thing → [animal] 动物 動物)”.

The “ān ({set (sb.’s mind) at ease; calm} | {rest content; be satisfied} | {place in a suitable position [→ [install; fix; fit; set up]]} | {[is] peaceful; tranquil; calm; quiet [→ [[is] safe; secure; in good health]]} 安)” in “dòngdàng (dòng·dàng {[is] moving} · {[is] swinging; shaking; swaying} → [[is] suffering unrest/upheaval/turmoil; unstable; turbulent; chaotic] 动荡 動蕩/盪)‐bù’ān (bù’·ān not · {[is] peaceful; tranquil; calm} 不安)” has several different meanings, and it appears in well-known expressions such as “ānníng ({being peaceful}; {being tranquil} [→ [peace; tranquillity]] 安宁 安寧)”, “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)”, “ānquán (ān·quán {[being] safe} · {[being] whole} → [[being] safe; secure | safety; security] 安全)”, and “ānpái (ān·pái {placing in a suitable position} · {arranging; putting in order; sequencing; lining up} → [arranging | arrangement] 安排)”. It was also chosen to be included in the Mandarin version of the name “Anna”, “Ānnà (Anna 安娜)”, which is a past MEotW.

Neeta introduces herself to Jade (with Mandarin subtitle)
“Wǒ (I 我) jiào ({am called} 叫 叫/呌) Ānnà (Anna 安娜)”

Usage Example

Here is an example of “dòngdàng (dòng·dàng {[is] moving} · {[is] swinging; shaking; swaying} → [[is] suffering unrest/upheaval/turmoil; unstable; turbulent; chaotic] 动荡 動蕩/盪)‐bù’ān (bù’·ān not · {[is] peaceful; tranquil; calm} 不安)” in use, adapted from the above-mentioned article:

English:

2022 was a year of turmoil. During 2022, war, economic hardship, and environmental disasters have dominated the news.

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Dòngdàng (Dòng·dàng moved · swayed → [suffered turmoil] 动荡 動蕩/盪)‐bù’ān (bù’·ān not · peaceful 不安) de (’s 的) 2022 nián (year 年 年/秊), zhànzhēng (zhàn·zhēng war · contending → [war] 战争 戰爭), jīngjì (jīng·jì {(of) managing of} · {crossing of a river → [helping]} → [economic] 经济 經濟) wēijī (wēi·jī {(for) ridge of a roof → [(for) danger]} · occasions → [crises] 危机 危機), huánjìng (huán·jìng surrounding · {boundaries → [(bounded) place] → [situation]} → [environmental] 环境 環境) wèntí (wèn·tí asking · problems → [problems] 问题 問題) zhī (’ 之) lèi (kind 类 類) de (’s 的) bàodǎo (bào·dǎo reporting · instructing (things) → [news reports] 报导 報導) zhànjùle (zhàn·jù·le seized · occupied · [indicates a change] 占据了 占/佔據了) xīnwén (xīn·wén new · {(that which) is heard} → [news] 新闻 新聞) tóutiáo (tóu·tiáo head · {strips → [articles]} → [lead news stories] 头条 頭條).

Categories
Theocratic

dìqū

dìqū (dì·qū land · area; district; region [→ [territory]] 地区 地區) ← Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

Appendix A2 of the English New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition), entitled “Features of This Revision”, discusses vocabulary changes that have been made in the current revision, words that have been translated differently than before. As noted in various entries in the excellent resource Referenced Theo. Expressions (RTE), Appendix A2 of the current Mandarin version of the New World Translation Bible (nwtsty) correspondingly discusses words that have been translated differently in the current revision of the Mandarin NWT Bible, compared to how they had been translated before.

Since we base what we say in Jehovah’s service on his Word the Bible, the vocabulary used in it—and the way those vocabulary words are translated—should be reflected in how we speak in our ministry, at our meetings, etc. So, it is beneficial for us Mandarin field language learners to be familiar with the latest thinking from the organization on how Bible terms should be translated into Mandarin.

The Land of…

Past versions of the Mandarin NWT Bible added “Dì (Land (of) 地)” after the names of lands, as in “Āijí (Egypt 埃及) Dì (Land (of) 地)” (“the Land of Egypt”). However, that isn’t the usual way to render the names of lands in Mandarin Chinese, resulting in readers finding such renderings unnatural.

So, the current Mandarin version of the NWT Bible (nwtsty) now renders the names of lands differently. For example, “Āijí (Egypt 埃及) Dì (Land (of) 地)” is now rendered as “Āijí (Egypt 埃及) Dìqū (Dì·qū Land · Region (of) 地区 地區)”, as can be seen at Genesis 13:10:

Genesis 13:10 (WOL CHS+Pinyin Parallel Translations)

The Territory of…

Incidentally, “dìqū (dì·qū land · area; district; region [→ [territory]] 地区 地區)” has also long been the expression used in Mandarin groups and congregations to refer to the “territory” that a group or congregation carries out the preaching work in. As with the English expression “territory”, one could speak of a congregation’s “dìqū (dì·qū land · region → [territory] 地区 地區)” as a whole, or of a particular “dìqū (dì·qū land · region → [territory] 地区 地區)” within that whole that, say, a car group of publishers is working.

Categories
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)