{"id":1831,"date":"2021-12-27T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-27T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/?p=1831"},"modified":"2026-04-04T13:42:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T20:42:46","slug":"feichang","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2021\/12\/27\/feichang\/","title":{"rendered":"f\u0113ich\u00e1ng"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\n\t\t\tf\u0113ich\u00e1ng<\/span>\n(f\u0113i\u00b7ch\u00e1ng\nun\u00b7usual\/common\/ordinary | un\u00b7usually\/commonly [\u2192 [very [much]; extremely; highly]]<\/span>\n\u975e\u5e38)<\/span>\n\n \u2190 Tap\/click to show\/hide the \u201cflashcard\u201d<\/span><\/h3>\n\n

[Notes:<\/strong> Tap\/click on a P\u012bny\u012bn<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t(P\u012bn\u00b7y\u012bn\n\t\t\t{Piecing Together of} \u00b7 Sounds \u2192<\/span> [Pinyin]<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u62fc\u97f3)<\/span> expression to reveal its <\/span>\u201cflashcard\u201d<\/span>; tap\/click on a <\/span>\u201cflashcard\u201d<\/span> or its P\u012bny\u012bn<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t(P\u012bn\u00b7y\u012bn\n\t\t\t{Piecing Together of} \u00b7 Sounds \u2192<\/span> [Pinyin]<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u62fc\u97f3)<\/span> expression to hide the<\/span> \u201cflashcard\u201d<\/span>. \ud83d\udcd6<\/span> \ud83d\udcc4<\/span> \ud83d\udcd8 icons mean \ud83d\udcd6<\/span> Reveal All<\/strong>, \ud83d\udcc4<\/span> Reveal Advanced<\/strong>, and \ud83d\udcd8 Reveal None<\/strong> re all the \u201cflashcards\u201d<\/span> in the heading, paragraph, etc. that they are placed at the beginning of.]<\/p>\n

\u201cF\u0113ich\u00e1ng<\/i><\/span>\n(F\u0113i\u00b7ch\u00e1ng\nun\u00b7usual\/common\/ordinary | un\u00b7usually\/commonly [\u2192 [very [much]; extremely; highly]]<\/span>\n\u975e\u5e38)<\/span>\u201d was probably one of the first words you learned as a Mandarin field language learner. In fact, one of the first things your Mandarin instructor may have said to you in Mandarin may have been \u201cf\u0113ich\u00e1ng<\/i><\/span>\n(f\u0113i\u00b7ch\u00e1ng\nun\u00b7usually \u2192<\/span> [very]<\/span>\n\u975e\u5e38)<\/span>\n\nh\u01ceo<\/i><\/span>\n(good<\/span>\n\u597d)<\/span>!<\/i>\u201d, if you had just said something well in Mandarin. So, having learned that \u201cf\u0113ich\u00e1ng<\/i><\/span>\n(f\u0113i\u00b7ch\u00e1ng\nun\u00b7usual\/common\/ordinary | un\u00b7usually\/commonly [\u2192 [very [much]; extremely; highly]]<\/span>\n\u975e\u5e38)<\/span>\u201d means \u201cvery\u201d, you may have been confused when seeing how \u201cf\u0113ich\u00e1ng<\/i><\/span>\n(f\u0113i\u00b7ch\u00e1ng\nun\u00b7usual\/common\/ordinary | un\u00b7usually\/commonly [\u2192 [very [much]; extremely; highly]]<\/span>\n\u975e\u5e38)<\/span>\u201d is used in the Mandarin New World Translation<\/i> Bible at 2 Timothy 3:1<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\"2<\/p>\n

\u201cF\u0113ich\u00e1ng sh\u00edq\u012b<\/i><\/span>\n((F\u0113i\u00b7ch\u00e1ng\nun\u00b7ordinary<\/span>\n\u975e\u5e38)\n(sh\u00ed\u00b7q\u012b\n{(particular) times} \u00b7 periods<\/span>\n\u65f6\u671f\n\u6642\u671f<\/span>)\n\u2192<\/span> [times of emergency]<\/span>)<\/span>\u201d? The corresponding term that the English NWT<\/i> Bible uses in this scripture is \u201ccritical times\u201d, but this Mandarin translation seems to mean \u201cvery times\u201d, which doesn\u2019t make sense. What\u2019s going on here?<\/p>\n

Breaking It Down<\/h4>\n

While especially as our Mandarin learning journeys begin we may want to keep things simple and mentally just have the view that this Mandarin word means that English word, eventually we encounter the more complex reality that Mandarin and English are two very different languages that come from different cultures, and that have different techniques and histories relating to how speech sounds are put together to convey meanings.<\/p>\n

To help us get a grip on this sometimes messy reality, let us remember that while phrases and sentences can be broken down into words, words can in turn be broken down into morphemes<\/i><\/a>. This excerpt from the introduction<\/a> of a P\u012bny\u012bn<\/i><\/span>\n(P\u012bn\u00b7y\u012bn\n{Piecing Together of} \u00b7 Sounds \u2192<\/span> [Pinyin]<\/span>\n\u62fc\u97f3)<\/span> Plus resource briefly discusses Mandarin morphemes and how they are handled in P\u012bny\u012bn<\/i><\/span>\n(P\u012bn\u00b7y\u012bn\n{Piecing Together of} \u00b7 Sounds \u2192<\/span> [Pinyin]<\/span>\n\u62fc\u97f3)<\/span> Plus material:<\/p>\n

\nAs far as is practical, the meaning of each individual Mandarin morpheme (smallest unit of language sound with meaning) is translated literally<\/em> according to how it is used in the context in which it appears. (In Mandarin, morphemes usually correspond with syllables, but some syllables are sound-only (without meaning) and thus not morphemes, and some morphemes have more than one syllable.)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The morphemes in \u201cf\u0113ich\u00e1ng<\/i><\/span>\n(f\u0113i\u00b7ch\u00e1ng\nun\u00b7usual\/common\/ordinary | un\u00b7usually\/commonly [\u2192 [very [much]; extremely; highly]]<\/span>\n\u975e\u5e38)<\/span> \u201d are:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • \u201cf\u0113i<\/i><\/span>\n(not; no; non[-]; un[-]; in[-]<\/span>\n\u975e)<\/span>\u201d<\/li>\n
  • \u201cch\u00e1ng<\/i><\/span>\n(ordinary; common; normal | constant; invariable | often; usually; frequently<\/span>\n\u5e38)<\/span>\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Putting It Together<\/h4>\n

    So, while \u201cf\u0113ich\u00e1ng<\/i><\/span>\n(f\u0113i\u00b7ch\u00e1ng\nun\u00b7usual\/common\/ordinary | un\u00b7usually\/commonly [\u2192 [very [much]; extremely; highly]]<\/span>\n\u975e\u5e38)<\/span>\u201d as a whole word is often used to effectively mean \u201cvery\u201d, a look at the literal meanings of the morphemes that make it up helps us to understand that it actually literally means \u201cunusually\u201d or \u201cuncommonly\u201d when it is used to effectively mean \u201cvery\u201d. In the context of 1 Timothy 3:1, \u201cf\u0113ich\u00e1ng<\/i><\/span>\n(f\u0113i\u00b7ch\u00e1ng\nun\u00b7ordinary<\/span>\n\u975e\u5e38)<\/span>\u201d is used as an adjective meaning \u201cunordinary\u201d or \u201cuncommon\u201d, and it is put together with \u201csh\u00edq\u012b<\/i><\/span>\n(sh\u00ed\u00b7q\u012b\n{(particular) times} \u00b7 periods<\/span>\n\u65f6\u671f\n\u6642\u671f<\/span>)<\/span>\u201d to make up \u201cf\u0113ich\u00e1ng sh\u00edq\u012b<\/i><\/span>\n((f\u0113i\u00b7ch\u00e1ng\nun\u00b7ordinary<\/span>\n\u975e\u5e38)\n(sh\u00ed\u00b7q\u012b\n{(particular) times} \u00b7 periods<\/span>\n\u65f6\u671f\n\u6642\u671f<\/span>)\n\u2192<\/span> [times of emergency]<\/span>)<\/span>\u201d, an expression that is used to effectively mean \u201ctimes of emergency\u201d.<\/p>\n

    Plus<\/h4>\n

    The curious case of \u201cf\u0113ich\u00e1ng<\/i><\/span>\n(f\u0113i\u00b7ch\u00e1ng\nun\u00b7usual\/common\/ordinary | un\u00b7usually\/commonly [\u2192 [very [much]; extremely; highly]]<\/span>\n\u975e\u5e38)<\/span>\u201d in 1 Timothy 3:1 illustrates some of the advantages of P\u012bny\u012bn<\/i><\/span>\n(P\u012bn\u00b7y\u012bn\n{Piecing Together of} \u00b7 Sounds \u2192<\/span> [Pinyin]<\/span>\n\u62fc\u97f3)<\/span> Plus<\/a> material (which you may have noticed is used in this blog) compared to older generations of Mandarin language-learning material, such as 3-line material.<\/p>\n

    In 3-line material, which was originally designed for paper printouts, all the English information was always visible, and it had to be practical to print out and use on paper. So, there was no room to show luxuriously long amounts of information like literal meanings in addition to effective meanings. In contrast, P\u012bny\u012bn<\/i><\/span>\n(P\u012bn\u00b7y\u012bn\n{Piecing Together of} \u00b7 Sounds \u2192<\/span> [Pinyin]<\/span>\n\u62fc\u97f3)<\/span> Plus material takes advantage of the dynamic displays of modern smartphones, tablets, etc. to put the English information (and other information too) in \u201cflashcards\u201d that can be hidden from view when they\u2019re not needed. (Tap\/click on a P\u012bny\u012bn<\/i><\/span>\n(P\u012bn\u00b7y\u012bn\n{Piecing Together of} \u00b7 Sounds \u2192<\/span> [Pinyin]<\/span>\n\u62fc\u97f3)<\/span> word\/expression to reveal its \u201cflashcard\u201d<\/span>, tap\/click on a \u201cflashcard\u201d or its P\u012bny\u012bn<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t(P\u012bn\u00b7y\u012bn\n\t\t\t{Piecing Together of} \u00b7 Sounds \u2192<\/span> [Pinyin]<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u62fc\u97f3)<\/span> expression to hide the \u201cflashcard\u201d<\/span>.) Thus, there is room for more and richer information\u2014as Doctor Who fans would say, \u201cI thought it\u2019d be cleaner<\/s> it\u2019s bigger on the inside\/smaller on the outside\u201d!<\/em><\/p>\n