Tag: Word Order

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jìnghuà

 

 

jìnghuà+ (jìng·huà {to be clean/pure} · transform → [cleanse; purify; purge] 净化 凈/淨化) 👈🏼 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.]

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.

Cleansing Cycles

This week’s MEotW, which appears in 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 → [Earth] 地球)” (“The Living Planet”), is “jìnghuà (jìng·huà {to be clean/pure} · transform → [cleanse; purify; purge] 净化 凈/淨化)”:

English:

Natural cycles that replenish and cleanse the planet’s air and water supply

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

📖 📄 ➕ Zìrán (Zì·rán naturally · so → [natural] 自然) xúnhuán+ (xún·huán following · {ring → [circle]} → [cycling] 循环 循環) xìtǒng (xì·tǒng {tied (things) → [systems]} · {gathered together (things) → [interconnected systems]} → [systems] 系统 系統)—jì (both 既) néng (able 能) bǔjǐ+ (bǔ·jǐ {to mend → [to restore]} · {to supply} → [to replenish] 补给 補給) yòu (also 又) néng (able 能) jìnghuà (jìng·huà {to be clean} · {to transform} → [to cleanse] 净化 凈/淨化) dìqiú (dì·qiú earth · globe → [earth] 地球) de (’s 的) kōngqì (kōng·qì {(that which) is empty → [air]} · air → [air] 空气 空氣) hé ({(together) with} → [and] 和 和/龢) shuǐyuán (shuǐ·yuán water · sources 水源)

As can be seen from the above quotes, the Mandarin Was Life Created? brochure uses “jìnghuà (jìng·huà {to be clean/pure} · transform → [cleanse; purify; purge] 净化 凈/淨化)” to correspond with “cleanse”. Looking into the morphemic construction of “jìnghuà (jìng·huà {to be clean/pure} · transform → [cleanse; purify; purge] 净化 凈/淨化)”, we see that the first morpheme “jìng ({[is] clean/pure} [→ [completely; to be finished; with nothing left | only; merely; nothing but | net (income/etc.)]] | {cleanse; make clean} 净 凈/淨)” in this context means “to be clean”. The second morpheme “huà (change; transform; convert [→ [melt; dissolve; thaw | abbr. for huàxué (chemistry)]] 化)” means “to transform”. After taking into consideration Yoda Mandarin word order, we get an expression that literally means “to transform to be clean”, and that effectively means “to cleanse”.

Here are some other expressions that use “huà (change; transform; convert [→ [melt; dissolve; thaw | abbr. for huàxué (chemistry)]] 化)”:

  • èhuà (è·huà {to be bad/evil/wicked} · transform → [worsen; deteriorate | grow corrupt] 恶化 惡化)
  • qiánghuà (qiáng·huà {to be strong} · transform → [strengthen] 强化 強化)
  • wénhuà (wén·huà {(with) writing} · transformed (system) → [culture] | {(with) writing} · transformed → [cultural] 文化)
  • huàxué (huà·xué {transforming → [chemistry]} · studying → [chemistry | chemical] 化学 化學)

Continuously Cleaned Water and Air

The Was Life Created? brochure points out that the earth’s water cycle and its carbon and oxygen cycles constantly supply clean water and air for the earth’s inhabitants:

English:

The water cycle distributes fresh, clean water around the planet.

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

📖 📄 ➕ Shuǐ ((the) water 水) xúnhuán (xún·huán {following of} · {ring → [circle]} → [cycle] 循环 循環) ràng (makes 让 讓) dìqiú (dì·qiú earth · globe’s → [the earth’s] 地球) gèchù (gè·chù every · {place → [part]} 各处 各處/䖏/処) dōu ({every one} 都) yǒu (have 有) jiéjìng (clean 洁净 潔凈/淨) de (’s 的) dànshuǐ+ (dàn·shuǐ {thin → [tasteless]} · water → [fresh water] 淡水) gōngyìng (gōng·yìng {being supplied} · {responding (to needs/requests)} → [being supplied] 供应 供應).

English:

All this production of vegetation and breathable air happens cleanly, efficiently, and quietly.

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

📖 📄 ➕ Zhèyàng (Zhè·yàng this · {form → [way]} 这样 這樣), zhíwù+ (zhí·wù planted · things → [plants] 植物) déyǐ (dé·yǐ get · {so as to} 得以) shēngzhǎng (shēng·zhǎng {be given life to → [grow]} · grow → [grow] 生长 生長), kōngqì (kōng·qì {(that which) is empty → [air]} · air → [the air] 空气 空氣) yě (also 也) déyǐ (dé·yǐ gets · {so as to} 得以) jìnghuà (jìng·huà {to be clean} · {be transformed} → [be cleansed] 净化 凈/淨化), ér (and 而) guòchéng (guò·chéng {to be passed through} · {journey → [procedure]} → [the process] 过程 過程) shì (is 是) nàme (nà·me that · [suf] → [so] 那么/末 那麼/末) qīngjié (clean 清洁 清潔), gāoxiào+ (gāo·xiào {of high} · {effect → [efficiency]} 高效), ānjìng (quiet 安静 安靜).

In stark contrast to these elegant, clean, and efficient natural cycles, many human systems pollute the air and water of our planet. This is powerful evidence that the earth’s natural cycles like the water cycle and the carbon and oxygen cycles are products, not of subhuman blind chance and evolution, but of a Creator who is far more intelligent, farsighted, and capable than us small-minded, imperfect humans.

For convenience:

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

Categories
Current Events

bàofā

bàofā+ (bào·fā exploding; bursting · {sending out}; issuing → [erupting; bursting/breaking out | explosion; eruption] 爆发 爆發) ← 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.

The Mandarin version of the article “Russia Invades Ukraine”, recently featured on the home page of jw.org, twice uses the expression “bàofā (bào·fā exploding; bursting · {sending out}; issuing → [erupting; bursting/breaking out | explosion; eruption] 爆发 爆發)”, this week’s MEotW. As can be seen from the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus information above, saying “zhànzhēng (zhàn·zhēng war · contending → [war] 战争 戰爭) bàofā (bào·fā exploding · issuing → [erupting; breaking out] 爆发 爆發)” in Mandarin is like saying “war erupting/breaking out” in English.

A Verb That Can Be a Noun

While the morphemes making up “bàofā (bào·fā exploding; bursting · {sending out}; issuing → [erupting; bursting/breaking out | explosion; eruption] 爆发 爆發)” are literally verbs, “bàofā (bào·fā exploding; bursting · {sending out}; issuing → [erupting; bursting/breaking out | explosion; eruption] 爆发 爆發)” can also at times be used as a noun. For example, saying “zhànzhēng (zhàn·zhēng war · contending → [war] 战争 戰爭) de (’s 的) bàofā (bào·fā exploding · issuing → [erupting/eruption; breaking out] 爆发 爆發)” in Mandarin is like saying “the eruption of war” in English.

Such verbal/gerundial nouns were discussed in the MEotW post on “jiàodǎo (jiào·dǎo teaching · {guiding [→ [instructing]]} 教导 教導)”:

One interesting thing to note about “jiàodǎo+ (jiào·dǎo teaching · {guiding [→ [instructing]]} 教导 教導)” (and about “jiàoxun+ (teaching → [reprimanding | knowledge gained from an error] 教训 教訓)”, for that matter) is that their component morphemes seem to basically be verbs. In certain contexts, however, they are used as nouns. An example of this being done in English is that “teach” and “teaching” are verbs (e.g. “Jesus was teaching the crowd.”), but in certain contexts, “teaching” is used as a noun (e.g. “The crowd was amazed at the teaching Jesus shared with them.”). When a word is used this way, it’s called a verbal noun, or a gerundial noun. Verbal nouns are quite common in Mandarin.

Backwards and Forward

Another interesting thing to note is that in the article mentioned above, the first occurrence of “bàofā (bào·fā exploding; bursting · {sending out}; issuing → [erupting; bursting/breaking out | explosion; eruption] 爆发 爆發)” has it coming after the word “zhànzhēng (zhàn·zhēng war · contending → [war; warfare] 战争 戰爭)” (“zǔzhǐ (zǔ·zhǐ {to prevent} · {to stop} 阻止) zhànzhēng (zhàn·zhēng war · contending → [war] 战争 戰爭) bàofā (bào·fā exploding · issuing → [erupting] 爆发 爆發)”), but in the second occurrence, “bàofā (bào·fā exploding; bursting · {sending out}; issuing → [erupting; bursting/breaking out | explosion; eruption] 爆发 爆發)” comes before “zhànzhēng (zhàn·zhēng war · contending → [war; warfare] 战争 戰爭)” (“rúguǒ (rú·guǒ if · {fruit → [if indeed]} 如果) bàofā (bào·fā explodes · issues → [erupts] 爆发 爆發) zhànzhēng (zhàn·zhēng war · contending → [war] 战争 戰爭)”). The first occurrence, with some context, is like saying “to prevent war (from) erupting” in English, while the second, with some context, is like saying “if erupts war” in English.

This reminds us that while word order is sometimes reversed in Mandarin compared to English, there is also a certain elasticity, or flexibility, in how words can be ordered in Mandarin, as indeed there also is in English. (While “if erupts war” isn’t quite idiomatic (natural to a native speaker) in English, I don’t think it’s actually wrong, word order-wise—I’m pretty sure constructs with similar word order can be found in English poetry or song lyrics, for example.)