{"id":4343,"date":"2024-01-07T23:59:20","date_gmt":"2024-01-08T07:59:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/?p=4343"},"modified":"2025-03-18T08:39:21","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T15:39:21","slug":"xianyan-bao","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2024\/01\/07\/xianyan-bao\/","title":{"rendered":"xi\u01ceny\u01cen b\u0101o"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3>\n\t\t\t<span onclick=\"plus(this)\">xi\u01ceny\u01cen b\u0101o<\/span><span class=\"plusinfo a\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n\t\t\t((xi\u01cen\u00b7y\u01cen\n\t\t\t<span class=\"lit\">{appears; shows; displays; manifests; {[is] obvious; evident; clear; apparent; noticeable} (to)} \u00b7 eye \u2192 [conspicuous; showy; eye-catching; glamorous]<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u663e\u773c\n\t\t\t<span class=\"trad\">\u986f\/\u9855\u773c<\/span>)\n\t\t\t(b\u0101o\n\t\t\t<span class=\"lit\">wrapping \u2192 [bun (food)]<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u5305)\n\t\t\t<span class=\"lit\">\u2192<\/span> <span class=\"mt\">[attention-seeker; goofball; one who stands out from the crowd to get attention]<\/span>)<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t<span style=\"color: hsl(100, 85%, 40%);\"> \u2190 Tap\/click to show\/hide the \u201cflashcard\u201d<\/span>\n<\/h3>\n\n<p>With 2023 having just recently receded into history, it\u2019s a good time to check out collections of some of the top Mandarin slang expressions used during 2023. A couple of articles that I found that discuss some of these expressions are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theworldofchinese.com\/2023\/12\/mentally-stable-top-memes-and-slang-of-2023\/\" title=\"The Memes and Slang that Defined China in 2023 | The World of Chinese\">Mentally Stable: Top Memes and Slang of 2023<\/a> <i>(The World of Chinese)<\/i><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sixthtone.com\/news\/1014370\" title=\"The Language of Now: China\u2019s Best Internet Slang in 2023\">The Language of Now: China\u2019s Best Internet Slang in 2023<\/a> <i>(Sixth Tone)<\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The only expression that appears on both of these lists is <span onclick=\"plus(this)\"><i>\u201cxi\u01ceny\u01cen b\u0101o<\/i><\/span><span class=\"plusinfo\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n\t\t\t((xi\u01cen\u00b7y\u01cen\n\t\t\t<span class=\"lit\">{appears; shows; displays; manifests; {[is] obvious; evident; clear; apparent; noticeable} (to)} \u00b7 eye \u2192 [conspicuous; showy; eye-catching; glamorous]<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u663e\u773c\n\t\t\t<span class=\"trad\">\u986f\/\u9855\u773c<\/span>)\n\t\t\t(b\u0101o\n\t\t\t<span class=\"lit\">wrapping \u2192 [bun (food)]<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u5305)\n\t\t\t<span class=\"lit\">\u2192<\/span> <span class=\"mt\">[attention-seeker; goofball; one who stands out from the crowd to get attention]<\/span>)<\/span><i>\u201d,<\/i> this week\u2019s MEotW.<\/p>\n<h4>Its Constituent Morphemes<\/h4>\n<p>The first <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Morpheme\" title=\"Morpheme - Wikipedia\">morpheme<\/a> in this expression is <span onclick=\"plus(this)\"><i>\u201cxi\u01cen<\/i><\/span><span class=\"plusinfo\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n\t\t\t(<span class=\"mt\">appear; show; display; manifest; {[is] obvious; evident; clear; apparent; noticeable [\u2192 [[is] illustrious; powerful; influential]}<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u663e\n\t\t\t<span class=\"trad\">\u986f\/\u9855<\/span>)<\/span><i>\u201d,<\/i> which here means \u201cappears; shows; displays; manifests; [is] obvious\/evident\/clear\/apparent\/noticeable (to)\u201d. Some other expressions that include this morpheme are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n\n\t\t\t<span onclick=\"plus(this)\"><i>m\u00edngxi\u01cen<\/i><\/span><span class=\"plusinfo a\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n\t\t\t(m\u00edng\u00b7xi\u01cen\n\t\t\t<span class=\"lit\">{[is] clear; distinct} \u00b7 {[is] obvious; evident; clear; apparent; noticeable} \u2192<\/span> <span class=\"mt\">[[is] clear; obvious; evident; distinct; manifest]<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u660e\u663e\n\t\t\t<span class=\"trad\">\u660e\u986f<\/span>)<\/span>\n\n\n<\/li>\n<li>\n\n\t\t\t<span onclick=\"plus(this)\"><i>xi\u01cenr\u00e1n<\/i><\/span><span class=\"plusinfo a\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n\t\t\t(xi\u01cen\u00b7r\u00e1n\n\t\t\t<span class=\"mt\">{[is] evident; obvious; clear}\u00b7ly<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u663e\u7136\n\t\t\t<span class=\"trad\">\u986f\u7136<\/span>)<\/span>\n\n\n<\/li>\n<li>\n\n\t\t\t<span onclick=\"plus(this)\"><i>xi\u01censh\u00ec<\/i><\/span><span class=\"plusinfo a\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n\t\t\t(xi\u01cen\u00b7sh\u00ec\n\t\t\t<span class=\"mt\">{to be evident\/obvious} \u00b7 show<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u663e\u793a\n\t\t\t<span class=\"trad\">\u986f\u793a<\/span>)<\/span>\n\n\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When <span onclick=\"plus(this)\"><i>\u201cxi\u01cen<\/i><\/span><span class=\"plusinfo\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n\t\t\t(<span class=\"mt\">appear; show; display; manifest; {[is] obvious; evident; clear; apparent; noticeable [\u2192 [[is] illustrious; powerful; influential]}<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u663e\n\t\t\t<span class=\"trad\">\u986f\/\u9855<\/span>)<\/span><i>\u201d<\/i> is put together with <span onclick=\"plus(this)\"><i>\u201cy\u01cen<\/i><\/span><span class=\"plusinfo\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n\t\t\t(<span class=\"mt\">eye<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u773c)<\/span><i>\u201d,<\/i> which means \u201ceye\u201d, the resulting expression <span onclick=\"plus(this)\"><i>\u201cxi\u01ceny\u01cen<\/i><\/span><span class=\"plusinfo a\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n\t\t\t(xi\u01cen\u00b7y\u01cen\n\t\t\t<span class=\"lit\">{appears; shows; displays; manifests; {[is] obvious; evident; clear; apparent; noticeable} (to)} \u00b7 eye \u2192<\/span> <span class=\"mt\">[conspicuous; showy; eye-catching; glamorous]<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u663e\u773c\n\t\t\t<span class=\"trad\">\u986f\/\u9855\u773c<\/span>)<\/span><i>\u201d<\/i> effectively means \u201cconspicuous; showy; eye-catching; glamorous\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The last morpheme of this expression, <span onclick=\"plus(this)\"><i>\u201cb\u0101o<\/i><\/span><span class=\"plusinfo\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n\t\t\t(<span class=\"mt\">wrapping [\u2192 [including; containing | assuring; guaranteeing | bundle; package; pack; packet; parcel | bag; sack | bun (food)]]<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u5305)<\/span><i>\u201d,<\/i> literally means \u201cto wrap\u201d, but one of its effective meanings is \u201cbun\u201d, that is, a bun that\u2019s food, as opposed to, say, a hair bun. Some other expressions that include this morpheme are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n\n\t\t\t<span onclick=\"plus(this)\"><i>b\u0101oku\u00f2<\/i><\/span><span class=\"plusinfo a\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n\t\t\t(b\u0101o\u00b7ku\u00f2\n\t\t\t<span class=\"lit\">wrap \u00b7 {draw together} \u2192<\/span> <span class=\"mt\">[include; consist of; comprise; incorporate]<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u5305\u62ec)<\/span>\n\n\n<\/li>\n<li>\n\n\t\t\t<span onclick=\"plus(this)\"><i>mi\u00e0nb\u0101o<\/i><\/span><span class=\"plusinfo a\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n\t\t\t(mi\u00e0n\u00b7b\u0101o\n\t\t\t<span class=\"lit\">{[wheat] flour} \u00b7 {wrapping [\u2192 [bun]]} \u2192<\/span> <span class=\"mt\">[bread]<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u9762\u5305\n\t\t\t<span class=\"trad\">\u9eb5\u5305<\/span>)<\/span>\n\n\n<\/li>\n<li>\n\n\t\t\t<span onclick=\"plus(this)\"><i>b\u0101ozi<\/i><\/span><span class=\"plusinfo a\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n\t\t\t(b\u0101o\u00b7zi\n\t\t\t<span class=\"lit\">{wrapping \u2192 [bun]} \u00b7 <i>[suf for nouns]<\/i> \u2192<\/span> <span class=\"mt\">[steamed stuffed bun]<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u5305\u5b50)<\/span>\n\n\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It\u2019s evident that <span onclick=\"plus(this)\"><i>\u201cb\u0101o<\/i><\/span><span class=\"plusinfo\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n\t\t\t(<span class=\"mt\">wrapping [\u2192 [including; containing | assuring; guaranteeing | bundle; package; pack; packet; parcel | bag; sack | bun (food)]]<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u5305)<\/span><i>\u201d,<\/i> with its meaning of \u201cbun\u201d, is used as a <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Term_of_endearment\" title=\"Term of endearment - Wikipedia\">term of endearment<\/a> in <span onclick=\"plus(this)\"><i>\u201cxi\u01ceny\u01cen b\u0101o<\/i><\/span><span class=\"plusinfo\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n\t\t\t((xi\u01cen\u00b7y\u01cen\n\t\t\t<span class=\"lit\">{appears; shows; displays; manifests; {[is] obvious; evident; clear; apparent; noticeable} (to)} \u00b7 eye \u2192 [conspicuous; showy; eye-catching; glamorous]<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u663e\u773c\n\t\t\t<span class=\"trad\">\u986f\/\u9855\u773c<\/span>)\n\t\t\t(b\u0101o\n\t\t\t<span class=\"lit\">wrapping \u2192 [bun (food)]<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u5305)\n\t\t\t<span class=\"lit\">\u2192<\/span> <span class=\"mt\">[attention-seeker; goofball; one who stands out from the crowd to get attention]<\/span>)<\/span><i>\u201d<\/i>.<\/p>\n<h4>As a Whole<\/h4>\n<p>What are the constituent morphemes of <span onclick=\"plus(this)\"><i>\u201cxi\u01ceny\u01cen b\u0101o<\/i><\/span><span class=\"plusinfo\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n\t\t\t((xi\u01cen\u00b7y\u01cen\n\t\t\t<span class=\"lit\">{appears; shows; displays; manifests; {[is] obvious; evident; clear; apparent; noticeable} (to)} \u00b7 eye \u2192 [conspicuous; showy; eye-catching; glamorous]<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u663e\u773c\n\t\t\t<span class=\"trad\">\u986f\/\u9855\u773c<\/span>)\n\t\t\t(b\u0101o\n\t\t\t<span class=\"lit\">wrapping \u2192 [bun (food)]<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u5305)\n\t\t\t<span class=\"lit\">\u2192<\/span> <span class=\"mt\">[attention-seeker; goofball; one who stands out from the crowd to get attention]<\/span>)<\/span><i>\u201d<\/i> being used to mean when they\u2019re put together in this expression? The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theworldofchinese.com\/2023\/12\/mentally-stable-top-memes-and-slang-of-2023\/\" title=\"The Memes and Slang that Defined China in 2023 | The World of Chinese\">article in <i>The World of Chinese<\/i><\/a> that\u2019s mentioned above says:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\nOne type of <i>dazi<\/i> [shallow friend] many prefer these days is the \u663e\u773c\u5305 (xi\u01ceny\u01cenb\u0101o), or goofball. The term refers to people who stand out from the crowd and constantly seek attention. Although once considered a neutral term, it has gained a positive connotation recently, as many appreciate their vibrant energy in an often ultra-competitive society.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>As for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sixthtone.com\/news\/1014370\" title=\"The Language of Now: China\u2019s Best Internet Slang in 2023\">article in <i>Sixth Tone<\/i><\/a> that\u2019s mentioned above, it says this regarding this expression as a whole:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\n\u663e\u773c\u5305<\/p>\n<p><strong>Class Clown<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Literally meaning \u201ceye-catching,\u201d \u663e\u773c\u5305 (xi\u01cen y\u01cen b\u0101o) and its variations appear in a number of Chinese dialects. The term became widespread online after Guo Beibei \u2014 a phenomenally popular internet celebrity who later lost her account for violating short video platform Kuaishou\u2019s rules on \u201cvulgar\u201d content \u2014 began using it to describe herself. Now, it\u2019s become a byword for attention-seekers, goofballs, and anyone who is willing to get weird for a like.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>[Regarding the person mentioned in the above quote, I found <a href=\"https:\/\/thechinaproject.com\/2023\/05\/17\/unconventional-internet-celebrity-loved-by-queer-chinese\/\" title=\"The rise and fall of an unconventional internet celebrity loved by queer Chinese \u2013 The China Project\">an article about her<\/a> on the website of <i>The China Project.<\/i> The article says that she has many fans who are homosexuals, although it does not mention whether she herself is homosexual. For what it\u2019s worth, I remember that a sister who grew up in San Francisco (which famously has a significant homosexual population) once commented that she has observed that many homosexuals are quite self-centred. Perhaps that contributes to such ones liking standing out and getting attention.]<\/p>\n<h4>Good and Bad Ways to Stand Out<\/h4>\n<p>The world\u2014which we know is ruled behind the scenes by Satan the Devil\u2014has its <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Celebrity_culture\" title=\"Celebrity culture - Wikipedia\">celebrity culture<\/a>, and it has an <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Attention_economy\" title=\"Attention economy - Wikipedia\">attention economy<\/a>. (<a href=\"https:\/\/wol.jw.org\/en\/wol\/b\/r1\/lp-e\/nwtsty\/62\/5#study=discover&#038;v=62:5:19\" title=\"1 John 5 \u2014 Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY\">1 John 5:19<\/a>) In contrast, in <a href=\"https:\/\/wol.jw.org\/en\/wol\/b\/r1\/lp-e\/nwtsty\/52\/4#study=discover&#038;v=52:4:11\" title=\"1 Thessalonians 4 \u2014 Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY\">1 Thessalonians 4:11<\/a>, the apostle Paul gave Christians this advice:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\nMake it your aim to live quietly and to mind your own business\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>So, generally, Christians should not seek to stand out or get attention for themselves. Sometimes, though, true Christians naturally stand out because of being no part of Satan\u2019s world, e.g., when avoiding celebrating holidays with pagan roots, or when refusing to participate in politics or war. More positively, in a world permeated by Satan\u2019s spirit, Christians may also naturally stand out because of reflecting God\u2019s spirit, applying God\u2019s principles, and sticking to God\u2019s standards. As Jesus, said, his true disciples should \u2018let their light shine\u2019.\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/wol.jw.org\/en\/wol\/b\/r1\/lp-e\/nwtsty\/40\/5#study=discover&#038;v=40:5:16\" title=\"Matthew 5 \u2014 Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY\">Matthew 5:16<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Standing out because of not following <em>human<\/em> conventions and traditions is not necessarily a bad thing. Indeed, it\u2019s sometimes necessary, and exactly the right thing to do, with Jesus himself setting the perfect example by his not following the traditions of the scribes and Pharisees of his day, which went beyond God\u2019s requirements. However, actually going beyond <em>God\u2019s<\/em> standards and requirements, as Satan, the demons, Adam and Eve, the Pharisees, and others who show a similar spirit have done, is indeed bad. So, it\u2019s vitally important for us to cultivate the wisdom to be able to tell the difference.<\/p>\n<h4>Standing Out in the Mandarin Field<\/h4>\n<p>Comparing the two articles linked to above, I noticed that the <i>The World of Chinese<\/i> article renders <span onclick=\"plus(this)\"><i>P\u012bny\u012bn<\/i><\/span><span class=\"plusinfo\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n\t\t\t(P\u012bn\u00b7y\u012bn\n\t\t\t<span class=\"lit\">{Piecing Together of} \u00b7 Sounds \u2192<\/span> <span class=\"mt\">[Pinyin]<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u62fc\u97f3)<\/span> in a much better way than the <i>Sixth Tone<\/i> article does\u2014the <i>The World of Chinese<\/i> article properly treats <span onclick=\"plus(this)\"><i>P\u012bny\u012bn<\/i><\/span><span class=\"plusinfo\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n\t\t\t(P\u012bn\u00b7y\u012bn\n\t\t\t<span class=\"lit\">{Piecing Together of} \u00b7 Sounds \u2192<\/span> <span class=\"mt\">[Pinyin]<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u62fc\u97f3)<\/span> as a separate, alternate <a href=\"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/articles\/Pinyin_is_a_Good_Workable_Writing_System_On_Its_Own%E2%80%94Article.html\" title=\"P\u012bny\u012bn Is a Good, Workable Writing System on Its Own\">full writing system<\/a> with spaces between whole words rather than between every syllable, while the <i>Sixth Tone<\/i> article just treats <span onclick=\"plus(this)\"><i>P\u012bny\u012bn<\/i><\/span><span class=\"plusinfo\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n\t\t\t(P\u012bn\u00b7y\u012bn\n\t\t\t<span class=\"lit\">{Piecing Together of} \u00b7 Sounds \u2192<\/span> <span class=\"mt\">[Pinyin]<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u62fc\u97f3)<\/span> like a mere pronunciation aid for the characters. Still, in <a href=\"https:\/\/languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu\/nll\/?p=61931\" title=\"Language Log \u00bb The living language of the Chinese people\">a Language Log blog post of his own<\/a>, Prof. <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Victor_H._Mair\" title=\"Victor H. Mair - Wikipedia\">Victor H. Mair<\/a> made the following interesting comment regarding the expressions presented in the <i>Sixth Tone<\/i> article:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\nThree of the ten items either feature roman letters or consist entirely of English. Remember what Mark Hansell said years ago about roman letters becoming a part of the Chinese writing system:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Mark Hansell, &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/sino-platonic.org\/complete\/spp045_chinese_alphabet.pdf\">The Sino-Alphabet: The Assimilation of Roman Letters into the Chinese Writing System<\/a>,&#8221; Sino-Platonic Papers, 45 (May, 1994), 1-28 (pdf)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Roman letters certainly stand out among Chinese characters.<\/p>\n<p>As for characters themselves, one of the possible meanings of <span onclick=\"plus(this)\"><i>\u201cxi\u01ceny\u01cen<\/i><\/span><span class=\"plusinfo\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n\t\t\t(xi\u01cen\u00b7y\u01cen\n\t\t\t<span class=\"lit\">{appears; shows; displays; manifests; {[is] obvious; evident; clear; apparent; noticeable} (to)} \u00b7 eye \u2192<\/span> <span class=\"mt\">[conspicuous; showy; eye-catching; glamorous]<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u663e\u773c\n\t\t\t<span class=\"trad\">\u986f\/\u9855\u773c<\/span>)<\/span><i>\u201d<\/i> is \u201cglamorous\u201d, and Chinese characters are considered glamorous by some. With their eye-catching visual designs, they are by nature\u2014and probably by design\u2014<span onclick=\"plus(this)\"><i>xi\u01ceny\u01cen<\/i><\/span><span class=\"plusinfo a\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n\t\t\t(xi\u01cen\u00b7y\u01cen\n\t\t\t<span class=\"lit\">{noticeable (to)} \u00b7 eye \u2192<\/span> <span class=\"mt\">[glamorous]<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u663e\u773c\n\t\t\t<span class=\"trad\">\u986f\/\u9855\u773c<\/span>)<\/span>, as are idols and images used in idolatrous worship.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">In many workplaces, there are the Big Cheeses who focus on getting the glory, and there are the ones who are actually good at doing the work.<\/p>\n<p>In the work of writing Mandarin, characters are like those Big Cheeses, &amp; _P\u012bny\u012bn_ is like those who are actually good at doing the work. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/98m5B7lEou\">pic.twitter.com\/98m5B7lEou<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Troubadour WW (@troubadourww) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/troubadourww\/status\/1720184295355191410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 2, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/p>\n<p>In the Mandarin field, is it going too far to use <span onclick=\"plus(this)\"><i>P\u012bny\u012bn<\/i><\/span><span class=\"plusinfo\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n\t\t\t(P\u012bn\u00b7y\u012bn\n\t\t\t<span class=\"lit\">{Piecing Together of} \u00b7 Sounds \u2192<\/span> <span class=\"mt\">[Pinyin]<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u62fc\u97f3)<\/span> at times instead of always using characters? Is that being too <span onclick=\"plus(this)\"><i>xi\u01ceny\u01cen<\/i><\/span><span class=\"plusinfo a\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n\t\t\t(xi\u01cen\u00b7y\u01cen\n\t\t\t<span class=\"lit\">{noticeable (to)} \u00b7 eye \u2192<\/span> <span class=\"mt\">[conspicuous]<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u663e\u773c\n\t\t\t<span class=\"trad\">\u986f\/\u9855\u773c<\/span>)<\/span> in a world where so many people use and promote characters? Should we just go along to get along? Well, as has been discussed <a href=\"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2020\/11\/23\/hanzi\/\" title=\"H\u00e0nz\u00ec - Mandarin Expression of the Week\">on this blog<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/articles\/Pinyin_Was_Plan_A%E2%80%94Article.html\" title=\"P\u012bny\u012bn Was Plan A\">elsewhere<\/a>, Chinese characters are from <em>humans<\/em>, not from God, and thus the traditions surrounding characters are no more binding on God\u2019s true servants today than the traditions of the Pharisees were on Jesus, and I hope none of us would have told Jesus to \u201cgo along to get along\u201d! (As I recall, the apostle Peter tried to tell Jesus <a href=\"https:\/\/wol.jw.org\/en\/wol\/b\/r1\/lp-e\/nwtsty\/40\/16#study=discover&#038;v=40:16:22-40:16:23\" title=\"Matthew 16 \u2014 Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY\">something similar<\/a> once, and Jesus, um, didn\u2019t respond positively.) So, it is fine to take advantage of the practical benefits of <span onclick=\"plus(this)\"><i>P\u012bny\u012bn<\/i><\/span><span class=\"plusinfo\" onclick=\"minus(this)\">\n\t\t\t(P\u012bn\u00b7y\u012bn\n\t\t\t<span class=\"lit\">{Piecing Together of} \u00b7 Sounds \u2192<\/span> <span class=\"mt\">[Pinyin]<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u62fc\u97f3)<\/span> when you can to help you serve God more effectively, and to just use characters when you have to.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With 2023 having just recently receded into history, it\u2019s a good time to check out collections of some of the top Mandarin slang expressions used during 2023. A couple of articles that I found that discuss some of these expressions are: Mentally Stable: Top Memes and Slang of 2023 (The World of Chinese) The Language [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,61,19],"tags":[386,385,25,37,390,165,222,340,71,29,229,199,143,65,383,384,387,109,296,30,74,126],"class_list":["post-4343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-culture","category-current-events","category-language-learning","tag-attention-economy","tag-celebrity-culture","tag-chinese-characters","tag-chinese-culture","tag-glamourization-of-characters","tag-language-log","tag-latin-alphabet","tag-linguistic-idolatry","tag-pharisees","tag-pinyin","tag-pinyin-is-a-good-workable-writing-system-on-its-own","tag-pinyin-was-plan-a","tag-related-expressions","tag-sixth-tone","tag-slang","tag-terms-of-endearment","tag-the-china-project","tag-the-world-of-chinese","tag-tradition","tag-victor-h-mair","tag-word-separation","tag-writing-systems"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>xi\u01ceny\u01cen b\u0101o - Mandarin Expression of the Week<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2024\/01\/07\/xianyan-bao\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"xi\u01ceny\u01cen b\u0101o - Mandarin Expression of the Week\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With 2023 having just recently receded into history, it\u2019s a good time to check out collections of some of the top Mandarin slang expressions used during 2023. A couple of articles that I found that discuss some of these expressions are: Mentally Stable: Top Memes and Slang of 2023 (The World of Chinese) The Language [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2024\/01\/07\/xianyan-bao\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mandarin Expression of the Week\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-01-08T07:59:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-18T15:39:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"tiandi\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@TiandiLinksNews\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@TiandiLinksNews\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"tiandi\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/07\\\/xianyan-bao\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/07\\\/xianyan-bao\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"tiandi\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/86583c7b099e090dfeb296aa818abb57\"},\"headline\":\"xi\u01ceny\u01cen b\u0101o\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-08T07:59:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-18T15:39:21+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/07\\\/xianyan-bao\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1634,\"commentCount\":0,\"keywords\":[\"Attention Economy\",\"Celebrity Culture\",\"Chinese Characters\",\"Chinese Culture\",\"Glamourization of Characters\",\"Language Log\",\"Latin Alphabet\",\"Linguistic Idolatry\",\"Pharisees\",\"P\u012bny\u012bn\",\"P\u012bny\u012bn Is a Good, Workable Writing System on Its Own\",\"P\u012bnyin Was Plan A\",\"Related Expressions\",\"Sixth Tone\",\"Slang\",\"Terms of Endearment\",\"The China Project\",\"The World of Chinese\",\"Tradition\",\"Victor H. Mair\",\"Word Separation\",\"Writing Systems\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Culture\",\"Current Events\",\"Language Learning\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/07\\\/xianyan-bao\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/07\\\/xianyan-bao\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/07\\\/xianyan-bao\\\/\",\"name\":\"xi\u01ceny\u01cen b\u0101o - Mandarin Expression of the Week\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-08T07:59:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-18T15:39:21+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/86583c7b099e090dfeb296aa818abb57\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/07\\\/xianyan-bao\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/07\\\/xianyan-bao\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/07\\\/xianyan-bao\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"xi\u01ceny\u01cen b\u0101o\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/\",\"name\":\"Mandarin Expression of the Week\",\"description\":\"Discussions for Mandarin field language learners about Mandarin expressions and related topics\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/86583c7b099e090dfeb296aa818abb57\",\"name\":\"tiandi\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/41e5dbf8837b5e9fcf710d3fed3bc0f3816a1b9803f861c9e97d0c0f52190c29?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/41e5dbf8837b5e9fcf710d3fed3bc0f3816a1b9803f861c9e97d0c0f52190c29?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/41e5dbf8837b5e9fcf710d3fed3bc0f3816a1b9803f861c9e97d0c0f52190c29?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"tiandi\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/troubadourworks.com\\\/tiandi\\\/meotw\\\/author\\\/tiandi\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"xi\u01ceny\u01cen b\u0101o - Mandarin Expression of the Week","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2024\/01\/07\/xianyan-bao\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"xi\u01ceny\u01cen b\u0101o - Mandarin Expression of the Week","og_description":"With 2023 having just recently receded into history, it\u2019s a good time to check out collections of some of the top Mandarin slang expressions used during 2023. A couple of articles that I found that discuss some of these expressions are: Mentally Stable: Top Memes and Slang of 2023 (The World of Chinese) The Language [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2024\/01\/07\/xianyan-bao\/","og_site_name":"Mandarin Expression of the Week","article_published_time":"2024-01-08T07:59:20+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-03-18T15:39:21+00:00","author":"tiandi","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@TiandiLinksNews","twitter_site":"@TiandiLinksNews","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"tiandi","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2024\/01\/07\/xianyan-bao\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2024\/01\/07\/xianyan-bao\/"},"author":{"name":"tiandi","@id":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/#\/schema\/person\/86583c7b099e090dfeb296aa818abb57"},"headline":"xi\u01ceny\u01cen b\u0101o","datePublished":"2024-01-08T07:59:20+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-18T15:39:21+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2024\/01\/07\/xianyan-bao\/"},"wordCount":1634,"commentCount":0,"keywords":["Attention Economy","Celebrity Culture","Chinese Characters","Chinese Culture","Glamourization of Characters","Language Log","Latin Alphabet","Linguistic Idolatry","Pharisees","P\u012bny\u012bn","P\u012bny\u012bn Is a Good, Workable Writing System on Its Own","P\u012bnyin Was Plan A","Related Expressions","Sixth Tone","Slang","Terms of Endearment","The China Project","The World of Chinese","Tradition","Victor H. Mair","Word Separation","Writing Systems"],"articleSection":["Culture","Current Events","Language Learning"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2024\/01\/07\/xianyan-bao\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2024\/01\/07\/xianyan-bao\/","url":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2024\/01\/07\/xianyan-bao\/","name":"xi\u01ceny\u01cen b\u0101o - Mandarin Expression of the Week","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-01-08T07:59:20+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-18T15:39:21+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/#\/schema\/person\/86583c7b099e090dfeb296aa818abb57"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2024\/01\/07\/xianyan-bao\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2024\/01\/07\/xianyan-bao\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2024\/01\/07\/xianyan-bao\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"xi\u01ceny\u01cen b\u0101o"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/#website","url":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/","name":"Mandarin Expression of the Week","description":"Discussions for Mandarin field language learners about Mandarin expressions and related topics","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/#\/schema\/person\/86583c7b099e090dfeb296aa818abb57","name":"tiandi","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/41e5dbf8837b5e9fcf710d3fed3bc0f3816a1b9803f861c9e97d0c0f52190c29?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/41e5dbf8837b5e9fcf710d3fed3bc0f3816a1b9803f861c9e97d0c0f52190c29?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/41e5dbf8837b5e9fcf710d3fed3bc0f3816a1b9803f861c9e97d0c0f52190c29?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"tiandi"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw"],"url":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/author\/tiandi\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4343","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4343"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4343\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6254,"href":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4343\/revisions\/6254"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4343"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4343"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4343"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}