Tag: World War II

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Current Events History Science Technology Theocratic

néngyuán

néngyuán (néng·yuán energy · {source (of a river)} → [energy [source]] 能源) 👈🏼 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 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 is featuring the article “Meeting Mankind’s Energy Needs—What the Bible Says”. This week’s MEotW, “néngyuán (néng·yuán energy · {source (of a river)} → [energy [source]] 能源), occurs often in the Mandarin version of this article, including in the title:

English:

Meeting Mankind’s Energy Needs—What the Bible Says

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Néngyuán (néng·yuán Energy · {Sources (of Rivers)} → [Energy [Sources]] 能源) Kùnjú (Kùn·jú {Surrounded → [Hard-Pressed]} · Situation 困局) Yǒu ({Will Have} 有) Jiějué (Jiě·jué {Being Untied → [Being Solved]} · {Being Decided} → [Being Resolved] 解决 解決) de (’s 的) Yì (One 一) Tiān (Sky → [Day] 天) ma ([? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)? Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng (the) Holy · Scriptures → [the Bible] 圣经 聖經) de (’s 的) Guāndiǎn (Guān·diǎn {Looking at → [View]} · Point → [Viewpoint] 观点 觀點) Shì (Is 是) Shénme (Shén·me What · [suf] 什么 什/甚麼)?

The Importance of Energy

That the current fighting in the Middle East around the Strait of Hormuz is driving up gas prices in many places is undoubtedly a big reason why the above-mentioned article is being featured on jw.org at this time. Yes, energy is more than just an abstract scientific concept.

In physics, energy is defined as “the capacity for doing work”, which in turn involves applying force to move something a certain distance. So, practically speaking, energy provides the ability to move physical things, like our cars. And since heat is connected to temperature, which “reflects the average kinetic energy of the particles in a system”, energy also provides the ability to heat things, like our homes. (By the way, in physics, “power is defined as the rate of producing or consuming energy.”)

Looking back in history, oil—along with other fossil fuels still the dominant source of energy down to this day, in spite of increasing use of clean energy—was a big factor in why Japan attacked Pearl Harbour in 1941, and in why Nazi Germany ultimately lost to the Allies in World War II.

Coming back to the present day, besides gas prices being driven up by the ongoing fighting in the Middle East, another reason why energy is now of concern to many is that oodles and gobs of energy are needed to train and operate artificial intelligence (AI) models, which are increasingly being hyped and used by many.

Another Usage Example

Regarding “néngyuán (néng·yuán energy · {source (of a river)} → [energy [source]] 能源)”, note that its morphemes literally mean “energy · source (of a river)”. However, the expression as a whole is at times used to effectively mean just “energy”.

To help Mandarin field language learners get more of a feel for how to use this expression, here is another usage example, taken from the above-mentioned jw.org article:

English:

Challenge: international conflict. Some regions are rich in energy resources, but they suffer from wars, conflicts, and disputes over territory. And when conflicts disrupt supply chains for oil or gas, many people face shortages and higher prices.

The Bible says: “Jehovah…is bringing an end to wars throughout the earth.”—Psalm 46:8, 9.

Jehovah God will eliminate conflict and wars.

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Zǔ’ài (Zǔ’·ài obstructing · hindering (thing) → [obstacle] 阻碍 阻礙): guójì (guó·jì nations · {boundaries → [among]} → [international] 国际 國際) jiān (among 间 間/閑) de (’s 的) chōngtū (chōng·tū {dashings → [clashings]} · {chimneys → [chargings]} → [conflicts] 冲突 衝突). Yǒuxiē (Yǒu·xiē {(there) are having → [(there) are]} · some 有些) dìqū (dì·qū lands · regions 地区 地區) yōngyǒu (yōng·yǒu {holding in their arms} · having → [having] 拥有 擁有) chōngzú (chōng·zú filled · ample 充足) de (’s 的) shíyóu (shí·yóu rock · oil → [oil] 石油) hé ({(together) with} → [and] 和 和/龢) tiānrán (tiān·rán {(of) heaven → [natural]} · so → [natural] 天然)‐qì (gas 气 氣/气), dànshì (dàn·shì but · {(it) is (the case that)} 但是) yīnwei (yīn·wei {because of} · {on account of} 因为 因為) zhànzhēng (zhàn·zhēng wars · contendings → [wars] 战争 戰爭), chōngtū (chōng·tū {dashings → [clashings]} · {chimneys → [chargings]} → [conflicts] 冲突 衝突), lǐngtǔ (lǐng·tǔ {neck → [collar] → [have jurisdiction over]} · {soil → [land]} → [territory] 领土 領土) jiūfēn (jiū·fēn (things) {being entangled in} · {being tangled} → [disputes] 纠纷 糾紛), dǎozhì (dǎo·zhì {(these) lead} · {to extend to} 导致 導致) néngyuán (néng·yuán energy · {source (of a river)} → [energy [source]] 能源) gōngyìng (gōng·yìng supplying · {responding (to the needs/requests)} → [supply] 供应 供應) liàn (chains 链 鏈) shòudào (shòu·dào {being subjected to} · {arriving at} 受到) yǐngxiǎng (yǐng·xiǎng relfection · sound → [being affected] 影响 影響). Jiéguǒ (Jié·guǒ {tied (into a knot) → [formed]} · fruit → [as a result] 结果 結果), hěn (very 很) duō (many 多) rén (people 人) miànlín (miàn·lín face · {are near to} 面临 面臨) néngyuán (néng·yuán energy · {source (of a river)} → [energy [source]] 能源) duǎnquē (duǎn·quē {being short → [being lacking]} · {being lacking} → [shortages] 短缺) huòzhě (huò·zhě or · [suf] 或者) néngyuán (néng·yuán energy · {source (of a river)} → [energy [source]] 能源) jiàgé (jià·gé price · {grid → [pattern]} → [prices] 价格 價格) shàngzhǎng (shàng·zhǎng upward · {rising (of water/prices/etc.)} 上涨 上漲) de (’s 的) wèntí (wèn·tí asking · problems → [problems] 问题 問題).

📖 📄 📘 Shèngjīng (Shèng·jīng (the) Holy · Scriptures → [the Bible] 圣经 聖經) shuō (says 说 說/説): “Yēhéhuá (Jehovah 耶和华 耶和華)…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)” (Shīpiān (Shī·piān {Sacred Song} · {Piece of Writing} → [Psalm] 诗篇 詩篇) 46:8, 9)

📖 📄 📘 Yēhéhuá (Jehovah 耶和华 耶和華) huì (will 会 會) xiāochú (xiāo·chú eliminate · {get rid of} 消除) zhànzhēng (zhàn·zhēng wars · contendings → [wars] 战争 戰爭) hé ({(together) with} → [and] 和 和/龢) chōngtū (chōng·tū {dashings → [clashings]} · {chimneys → [chargings]} → [conflicts] 冲突 衝突).

Jehovah’s Energy

Yes, Jehovah can and will resolve the issues the world is facing involving energy. Regarding the sheer amount of energy that Jehovah has at his disposal, a past MEotW post said:

As an example of just how powerful Jehovah’s holy spirit is even compared to humans’ nuclear bombs, according to my research and calculations, every day, the sun, produced with power from the holy spirit, puts out the energy of almost 8 quadrillion (1015) 1-megaton nuclear bombs. (A single 1-megaton nuclear bomb would release about 67 times the amount of energy released by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.) And according to NASA, “it turns out that our Sun is an average-sized star. There are bigger stars, and there are smaller stars. We have found stars that are 100 times bigger in diameter than our sun.”

And of course, as we who have gotten to know Jehovah have learned, Jehovah God is far from being all muscle and no brains or heart or conscience. In addition to having unlimited power, we can rest assured that he also has the wisdom, the justice, and most importantly, the love required to best beneficially use all that power and energy—he is truly the ultimate Néngyuán (Néng·yuán Energy · {Source (of a River)} → [Energy Source] 能源)!

Categories
Culture Current Events History Names Theocratic

Dì‐Èr Cì Shìjiè Dàzhàn

Dì‐Èr Cì Shìjiè Dàzhàn ({(Dì [pref to form ordinal numerals] 第)‐(Èr Two 二) → [Second]} (Cì Time 次) (Shì·jiè {Generation → [World]} · Extent → [World] 世界) (Dà·zhàn {Big → [Great]} · War 大战 大戰) → [World War II]) 👈🏼 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 None 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, “Dì‐Èr Cì Shìjiè Dàzhàn ({(Dì [pref to form ordinal numerals] 第)‐(Èr Two 二) → [Second]} (Cì Time 次) (Shì·jiè {Generation → [World]} · Extent → [World] 世界) (Dà·zhàn {Big → [Great]} · War 大战 大戰) → [World War II])”, appears in lesson 13, point 5 of this book:

English:

What position did many churches take during World War II?

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

📖 📄 📘 Dì‐Èr Cì Shìjiè Dàzhàn ({(Dì [pref to form ordinal numerals] 第)‐(Èr Two 二) → [Second]} (Cì Time 次) (Shì·jiè {Generation → [World]} · Extent → [World] 世界) (Dà·zhàn {Big → [Great]} · War 大战 大戰) → [World War II]) shí ({(particular) time} 时 時), xǔduō (xǔ·duō numbers · many 许多 許多) jiàohuì (jiào·huì teaching · associations → [churches] 教会 教會) zuòle (zuò·le did · {to completion} 做了) shénme (shén·me what · [suf] 什么 什/甚麼) shì (things 事)?

“Èrzhàn (Èr·zhàn Two · War → [World War II (abbr. of Dì‐Èr Cì Shìjiè Dàzhàn)] 二战 二戰)” is a widely used abbreviated form of this week’s MEotW. For example, it is used in the Watchtower article that, as of this writing, is featured on jw.org as part of a special campaign:

English:

“The world is facing the highest number of violent conflicts since the Second World War and 2 billion people—a quarter of humanity—live in places affected by such conflict.”

United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed, January 26, 2023.

Mandarin:

📖 📄 📘 Mùqián (Mù·qián eyes · before → [at present] 目前) wǔzhuāng (wǔ·zhuāng military · {dressing up → [attire]} → [military] 武装 武裝) chōngtū (chōng·tū {dashings → [clashings]} · {chimneys → [chargings]} → [conflicts] 冲突 衝突) de (’ 的) cìshù (cì·shù occurrences · number → [number of occurrences] 次数 次數) shì (is 是) Èrzhàn (Èr·zhàn Two · War → [World War II (abbr. of Dì‐Èr Cì Shìjiè Dàzhàn)] 二战 二戰) yǐlái (yǐ·lái {from that point} · coming → [since then] 以来 以來) zuìduō (zuì·duō most · numerous → [the most] 最多) de ({’s (number)} 的), quánqiú (quán·qiú entire · globe → [worldwide] 全球) yǒu ({(there) is having} → [(there) is] 有) sì (four 四) fēn (dividings → [parts] 分) zhī (’ → [among them] 之) yī (one 一) de (’s 的) rénkǒu (rén·kǒu people · {mouths of} → [population] 人口), yě (also 也) jiùshì (jiù·shì exactly · is 就是) dàyuē (dà·yuē largely · approximately 大约 大約) 20 yì ({hundred million} 亿 億) rén (people 人), shòudàole (shòu·dào·le {subjected to} · {arriving at} · {to completion} 受到了) yǐngxiǎng (yǐng·xiǎng relfection · sound → [being affected] 影响 影響).

—Liánhé Guó ((Lián·hé United · {Closed → [Joined]} 联合 聯合) (Guó Nations 国 國) → [United Nations]) Chángwù (Cháng·wù Common · Affairs → [General Duty] 常务 常務) Fù (Deputy 副) Mìshū‐Zhǎng ((Mì·shū Secret · Documents (Person) → [Secretary] 秘书 秘書)‐(Zhǎng {Grown (One) → [Chief]} 长 長) → [Secretary-General]) Āmíngnà (Amina 阿明娜) Mùhǎnmòdé (Mohammed 穆罕默德), 2023 Nián (Year 年 年/秊) 1 Yuè (Moon → [Month] 月) 26 Rì (Sun → [Day] 日)

Ordinal Numerals/Numbers

The “Dì ([pref to form ordinal numerals] 第)” in “Dì‐Èr Cì Shìjiè Dàzhàn ({(Dì [pref to form ordinal numerals] 第)‐(Èr Two 二) → [Second]} (Cì Time 次) (Shì·jiè {Generation → [World]} · Extent → [World] 世界) (Dà·zhàn {Big → [Great]} · War 大战 大戰) → [World War II])” has an old meaning referring to the different grades in which successful candidates in the imperial examinations were placed. Nowadays, “dì ([pref to form ordinal numerals] 第)” is used in Mandarin as a prefix to form ordinal numerals. In the example contained in this week’s MEotW, “Dì‐Èr ((Dì [pref to form ordinal numerals] 第)‐(Èr Two 二) → [Second])” corresponds to “Second”. In contrast, “èr (two 二)” and its English equivalent “two” are cardinal numerals.

(By the way, I learned while researching this post that there seems to be a distinction between “numeral” and “number”. It seems that Wiktionary sums up the situation well by defining “ordinal numeral” as “a word used to represent an ordinal number”, and by defining “cardinal numeral” as “a word used to represent a cardinal number”. But then again, according to Wiktionary, when it comes to grammar (as opposed to mathematics), an “ordinal number” can be defined as “a word that expresses the relative position of an item in a sequence” (which is the definition of an ordinal numeral), and “cardinal number” can be defined as “a word that expresses a countable quantity; a cardinal numeral”.)

The Hyphenation of Ordinal Numerals

The recommended standard GB/T 16159-2012 of the People’s Republic of China recommends that an ordinal numeral be written with a hyphen between “dì ([pref to form ordinal numerals] 第)” and the associated cardinal numeral. As can be seen from the example of “Dì‐Èr ((Dì [pref to form ordinal numerals] 第)‐(Èr Two 二) → [Second])” in this week’s MEotW, Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus material follows this official recommendation, since the hyphen helps to indicate that the multi-morpheme expression that it’s in, e.g., “Dì‐Èr ((Dì [pref to form ordinal numerals] 第)‐(Èr Two 二) → [Second])”, represents a single concept, like the single word “Second” indicates in English.

Historical Lessons

Worldly historians and others who study physical warfare consider World War II to be a highly significant chapter in the history of warfare, from which many important lessons can be learned. Lesson 13 of the Enjoy Life Forever! book shows that those of us who are concerned with spiritual warfare can also learn important lessons from World War II. This is especially so when we contrast what false religions did with how true Christians defended Bible truth and spiritually fought to stay politically neutral and faithful to the true God during that time. With the ongoing war in Ukraine being the largest scale armed conflict in Europe since World War II, and with all the other wars and violent conflicts that have been breaking out around the world and that may yet break out, it is becoming more and more important to remember and apply the lessons of World War II.

For convenience:

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