Tag: Usage Examples

Categories
Current Events

yìqíng

yìqíng (yì·qíng epidemic · situation (used, e.g., to refer to the COVID-19 situation) 疫情) ← 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, deep in the year 2021, 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 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, “yìqíng (yì·qíng epidemic · situation (used, e.g., to refer to the COVID-19 situation) 疫情)”, which literally means “epidemic situation”, is used to refer to the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic as a whole.

Examples

For example, to say something meaning “many are worried because of the pandemic” in Mandarin, we might say:

📖 📄 📘 “Hěn (very 很) duō (many 多) rén (people 人) dōu (even 都) yīnwei (yīn·wei {because of} · {on account of} 因为 因為) yìqíng (yì·qíng epidemic · situation (used, e.g., to refer to the COVID-19 situation) 疫情) ér (thus 而) dānxīn (dān·xīn {carry on a shoulder pole → [bear (a heavy)]} · heart → [worry] 担/耽心 擔/耽心).”

To ask in Mandarin, “Have you ever wondered how we can see a world with no more pandemics?”, we might say:

📖 📄 📘 “Nǐ (you 你) yǒu (have 有) méiyǒu (méi·yǒu not · have 没有 沒有) xiǎngguo (xiǎng·guo {thinking about} · passed → [thought about] 想过 想過), wǒmen (wǒ·men we · [pl] 我们 我們) zěnyàng (zěn·yàng what · {form → [way]} → [how] 怎样 怎樣) kěyǐ (kě·yǐ can · [suf] 可以) kàndào (kàn·dào see · {arriving at} 看到) yí (one 一) ge ([mw] 个 個/个) búzài (bú·zài not · anymore 不再) yǒu (having 有) yìqíng (yì·qíng epidemic · situations 疫情) de (’ 的) shìjiè (shì·jiè world · extent → [world] 世界)?”

Categories
Culture Theocratic

àixīn

àixīn (ài·xīn loving · heart → [love] 爱心 愛心) ← Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

The first part of the fruitage of the spirit listed is love.— Jiālātàishū (Jiālātài·shū Galatia · Book → [Galatians] 加拉太书 加拉太書) 5:22, 23.

Galatians 5:22, 23 (WOL nwtsty-CHS)

While the English word “love” is often translated into Mandarin using the single morpheme “ài (love 爱 愛)”, it is also often translated into Mandarin as it is in the above-cited current Mandarin New World Translation scripture about the fruitage of the spirit, using this week’s MEotW, “àixīn (ài·xīn loving · heart → [love] 爱心 愛心)”, which literally means “loving heart”. Why is this translation often used for “love” in Mandarin? Why is it especially fitting when discussing the fruitage of the spirit?

The Mandarin culture and language correctly recognize that the heart is deeply involved in spirituality. In fact, as mentioned in Appendix A2 of the current Mandarin version of the New World Translation Bible (nwtsty), one of the expressions that the current version of the Mandarin NWT Bible uses to translate the English word “spiritual” is “xīnlíng (xīn·líng heart · spirit [→ [spiritual]] 心灵 心靈)”, which is a planned future MEotW. This expression literally means “heart spirit”.

So, it is especially fitting that the Mandarin expression chosen to translate the English word “love” in reference to the fruitage of the spirit connects both to love and to the heart.

Categories
Culture Language Learning Theocratic

huǒbàn

huǒbàn (huǒ·bàn partner; mate; companion; colleague · companion; partner 伙伴 伙/夥/火伴) ← 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.

Current Fellow Workers

Sometimes, some words just gradually get used less and less, and people turn to using other words instead. Appendix A2 of the English New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition) gives these examples of English words that have fallen out of fashion so much that they may no longer be correctly or easily understood by modern readers, and the words that the English NWT Bible now uses instead of them:

The now obsolete meaning of “dumb” was replaced with “speechless.” (Matthew 9:32, 33) The term “harlot” was changed to “prostitute.” (Genesis 38:15) In this revision, “fornication” is usually rendered as “sexual immorality”; “loose conduct” as “brazen conduct”; and “revelries” as “wild parties.”

One example of a word used in the previous major revision of the Mandarin NWT Bible that may no longer be correctly or easily understood by modern readers is “tónggōng (tóng·gōng {together → [fellow; co-]} · worker 同工)”. Appendix A2 of the current Mandarin version of the New World Translation Bible (nwtsty) explains that while this expression is often used among Christians, those without a Christian background may find this expression to be unfamiliar. So, the current version of the Mandarin NWT Bible now uses “yìqǐ (yì·qǐ {being one} · {rising → [group]} → [together] 一起) gōngzuò (gōng·zuò work · doing 工作) de (’s 的) huǒbàn (huǒ·bàn colleagues · companions 伙伴 伙/夥/火伴)” instead.—Gēlínduō Qiánshū ((Gēlínduō Corinth 哥林多) (Qián·shū Earlier · Book 前书 前書) → [1 Corinthians]) 3:9.