Tag: Usage Examples

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Current Events

qiāng

qiāng (rifle; gun; firearm [→ [sth. shaped or functioning like a gun | mw for gunshots]] | {(short) spear}; dart 枪 槍/鎗) ← 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”.]

This week’s MEotW, “qiāng (rifle; gun; firearm [→ [sth. shaped or functioning like a gun | mw for gunshots]] | {(short) spear}; dart 枪 槍/鎗)”, now mainly used to mean “rifle; gun; firearm”, is relevant to both the Ukraine war and to yet another school shooting in America, which have sadly both been in the news recently.

An Older, Possibly Related Meaning

Interestingly, it seems that in the Mandarin New World Translation Bible, “qiāng (rifle; gun; firearm [→ [sth. shaped or functioning like a gun | mw for gunshots]] | {(short) spear}; dart 枪 槍/鎗)” is used to mean a “dart” or relatively short spear, while “máo ({(long) spear}; pike; lance 矛)”, meaning “lance; pike; spear”, is used to mean a relatively long spear. (2 Sa. 18:14 (English/Mandarin, see footnotes); Job 41:26 (English/Mandarin)) Also, “qiāngmáo (qiāng·máo {(short) spears}; darts · {(long) spears} → [spears] 枪矛 槍/鎗矛)” is used several times in the Mandarin NWT Bible, although this particular expression does not appear in the regular Chinese dictionaries I have loaded in Pleco. (It does appear in the Referenced Theo. Expressions dictionary.)

Scriptural Usage Examples That Give Hope

How reassuring and comforting it is for us to know that, as shown in scriptures such as the following, Jehovah will soon bring an end to wars and violence and the weapons associated with them:

Shīpiān (Shī·piān {Sacred Song} · {Piece of Writing} → [Psalm] 诗篇 詩篇) 46:9 (Mandarin WOL/Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus)

📖 📄 📘 Tā (he 他) zhōngzhǐ (zhōng·zhǐ {is ending} · {is halting} 终止 終止) zhànzhēng (zhàn·zhēng wars · contendings → [wars] 战争 戰爭), píngdìng (píng·dìng {is making to be flat, level, even → [is making to be peaceful]} · {is making to be settled → [is making to be calm]} 平定) tiānxià (tiān·xià heaven · under → [the whole world] 天下);
Tā (he 他) zhé (breaks 折 折/摺) gōng (bow 弓) duàn (snaps 断 斷) máo ({(long) spear} 矛), shāohuǐ (shāo·huǐ burns · {to be destroyed} 烧毁 燒毀/燬) zhànchē (zhàn·chē war · vehicles 战车 戰車).

Yǐsàiyàshū (Yǐsàiyà·shū Isaiah · Book 以赛亚书 以賽亞書) 2:4 (Mandarin WOL/Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus)

📖 📄 📘 Shàngdì (Shàng·dì Above’s · {Emperor → [God]} → [God] 上帝) huì (will 会 會) shěnpàn (shěn·pàn try · judge 审判 審判) gèguó (gè·guó various · nations 各国 各國) de (’ 的) rén (peoples 人),
Wèi (for 为 為/爲) gèzú (gè·zú various · {ethnic groups} 各族) de (’ 的) rén (peoples 人) jiějué (jiě·jué {untie → [solve]} · decide → [resolve] 解决 解決) zhēngduān (zhēng·duān disputed · points → [disputes] 争端 爭端).
Tāmen (Tā·men he/she · [pl] → [they] 他们 他們) yào (must → [will] 要) bǎ (hold 把) dāojiàn (dāo·jiàn {knives → [swords]} · swords → [swords] 刀剑 刀劍) dǎchéng (dǎ·chéng {to be beaten} · {to be turned into} 打成) lítou (lí·tou {plough (US plow)} · {heads → [suf]} → [ploughshares (US plowshares)] 犁头 犁頭),
Bǎ (hold 把) qiāngmáo (qiāng·máo {(short) spears} · {(long) spears} → [spears] 枪矛 槍/鎗矛) dǎchéng (dǎ·chéng {to be beaten} · {to be turned into} 打成) liándāo (lián·dāo sickle · knives → [sickles] 镰刀 鐮刀).
Guó (nation 国 國) yǔ (with 与 與/与) guó (nation 国 國) búzài (bú·zài not · anymore 不再) bájiàn (bá·jiàn {will draw} · sword 拔剑 拔劍) xiāng ({each other} 相) gōng ({to attack} 攻),
Tāmen (Tā·men he/she · [pl] → [they] 他们 他們) yě (also 也) búzài (bú·zài not · anymore 不再) xuéxí (xué·xí {will learn} · {will get practised in} 学习 學習) zuòzhàn (zuò·zhàn {doing of} · {fighting (war)} 作战 作戰).

Categories
Current Events Theocratic

yùgào

yùgào (yù·gào fore·told | {in advance} · {had told} 预/豫告 預/豫告) ← Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

On February 24, 2022, Russia sent significant military forces into Ukraine, resulting in the largest scale open warfare in Europe since World War II. Knowing certain Mandarin expressions will help us in the Mandarin field as we hear about and talk about Ukraine in the time ahead.

An article about this situation that has been featured on jw.org is “Russia Invades Ukraine”. In the Mandarin version of this article, “yùgào (yù·gào fore·told | {in advance} · {had told} 预/豫告 預/豫告)”, this week’s MEotW, is used to correspond with the English word “foretold”.

Note that the morpheme “yù (fore-; {in advance} 预/豫 預/豫)” that’s in “yùgào (yù·gào fore·told | {in advance} · {had told} 预/豫告 預/豫告)” is a bound form that also appears in past MEotW “yùyán (yù·yán {in advance} · say[ing] → [prophecy | prophesy] 预言 預言)”, “yùjiàn (yù·jiàn fore·seeing | {in advance} · seeing 预见 預/豫見)”, “yùliào (yù·liào {in advance} · {to expect; anticipate; foresee; infer} 预料 預料)”, etc.

Bound Forms

The ABC Chinese-English Dictionary, edited by John DeFrancis and Victor H. Mair, among others, tells us the following about the entries in it that are marked as bound forms:

B.F. (Bound Form, Niánzhuó Císù 粘着词素).

Morphemes which do not function as free words in a sentence and cannot be handled using one of the other bound category labels, such as prefix, suffix, measure word, or particle. A given character may represent a free word in one or more of its meanings but a bound morpheme in other meanings. E.g. qiǎng 抢 is a bound form meaning ‘take emergency measures’ in qiǎngshòu 抢收 but a free form as a verb meaning ‘pillage’.)

In addition to these meaningful bound forms, which we define and illustrate with one or more examples, there are many characters which have no meaning of their own but simply represent a syllabic sound. E.g. 8pú 葡 and 6táo 萄 in pútao 葡萄 ‘grapes’. For these entries we provide neither entry label nor definition but simply note words in which the character occurs.

“Foretold” Examples

Here are some examples of how “yùgào (yù·gào fore·told | {in advance} · {had told} 预/豫告 預/豫告)” is used in the above-mentioned article on jw.org:

English:

What significance do events like this have according to the Bible?

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Zhèyàng (Zhè·yàng this · kind 这样 這樣) de (’s 的) dàshì (dà·shì {big → [major]} · events 大事), gēn (with 跟) Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng (the) Holy · Scriptures → [the Bible] 圣经 聖經) yùgào (yù·gào fore·told 预/豫告 預/豫告) de (’s 的) shì (things 事) yǒuguān (yǒu·guān have · {closing → [connection]} 有关 有關) ma ([? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)?

English:

Jesus Christ foretold a time when “nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.” (Matthew 24:7) …the Bible shows that wars today fulfill Jesus’ prophecy.

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Yēsū (Jesus 耶稣 耶穌) yùgào (yù·gào fore·told 预/豫告 預/豫告): “Mínzú (Mín·zú {(of) people} · nationality → [nation] 民族) yào (must → [will] 要) gōngdǎ (gōng·dǎ attack · strike 攻打) mínzú (mín·zú {(of) people} · nationality → [nation] 民族), guójiā (guó·jiā nation · family → [nation] 国家 國家) yào (must → [will] 要) gōngdǎ (gōng·dǎ attack · strike 攻打) guójiā (guó·jiā nation · family → [nation] 国家 國家).” (Mǎtài (Matthew 马太 馬太) Fúyīn (Fú·yīn Blessings · News 福音) 24:7) Jīntiān (Jīn·tiān present · {sky → [day]} → [today] 今天) shìshang (shì·shang {generation → [world]} · upon 世上) fāshēng (fā·shēng {issuing forth} · {coming to life} → [happening] 发生 發生) de (’s 的) shì (things 事) gēn (with 跟) Yēsū (Jesus 耶稣 耶穌) yùgào (yù·gào fore·told 预/豫告 預/豫告) de ({’s (things)} 的) yízhì (yí·zhì {(are of) one} · sending → [are consistent] 一致).

Categories
Culture Theocratic

liánmǐn

liánmǐn ({sympathizing with}; pitying [→ [having compassion; mercy]] 怜悯/闵/愍 憐憫/閔/愍) ← 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.

A Different Mandarin “Merciful”

As Appendix A2 of the current Mandarin version of the New World Translation Bible (nwtsty) points out, this current version builds on the previous version’s efforts to avoid expressions that could easily be associated with false religious concepts.

The first example that it points to is that in scriptures such as Exodus 34:6 (English, Mandarin), “cíbēi (cí·bēi {[is] kind} · {[is] compassionate} → [[is] merciful | mercy; benevolence; pity] 慈悲)” has been changed to “liánmǐn ({sympathizing with}; pitying [→ [having compassion; mercy]] 怜悯/闵/愍 憐憫/閔/愍)”:

Exodus 34:6 (WOL CHS+Pinyin Parallel Translations)

Not What We Mean

So, what’s the deal with “cíbēi (cí·bēi {[is] kind} · {[is] compassionate} → [[is] merciful | mercy; benevolence; pity] 慈悲)”? The entries for “cíbēi (cí·bēi {[is] kind} · {[is] compassionate} → [[is] merciful | mercy; benevolence; pity] 慈悲)” in a couple of the dictionaries that are available to be installed in the Pleco app give us some clues. First, consider the entry for this expression in the Referenced Theo. Expressions (RTE) Chinese-English dictionary:

mercy (old translation); Insight article heading in Watchtower Library 2011 CHS. NWT-2019’s Appendix A2 notes 慈悲 changed to 怜悯 to avoid conveying false-religious concepts (in this case perhaps the Buddhist/Jain concept of “karuna” which can be written 慈悲, although that is not stated)

In partial confirmation, Pleco’s own CC-Canto dictionary says this about “cíbēi (cí·bēi {[is] kind} · {[is] compassionate} → [[is] merciful | mercy; benevolence; pity] 慈悲)”:

(noun) (of Buddhism) Karuṇā

For reference, Wikipedia provides these summaries regarding Karuṇā:

Karuṇā (Sanskrit: करुणा) is generally translated as compassion or mercy and sometimes as self-compassion or spiritual longing. It is a significant spiritual concept in the Indic religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism.

Karuṇā is important in all schools of Buddhism. For Theravada Buddhists, dwelling in karuṇā is a means for attaining a happy present life and heavenly rebirth. For Mahāyāna Buddhists, karuṇā is a co-requisite for becoming a Bodhisattva.

Karuṇā is associated with the Jain practice of compassion.

Indeed, we definitely would not want people to think we mean any of the above when we talk about the mercifulness of the true God Jehovah!