{"id":5997,"date":"2025-02-18T20:58:03","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T04:58:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/?p=5997"},"modified":"2025-09-19T10:01:36","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T17:01:36","slug":"ziman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2025\/02\/18\/ziman\/","title":{"rendered":"z\u00ecm\u01cen"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\n\t\t\tz\u00ecm\u01cen<\/span>\n\t\t\t(z\u00ec\u00b7m\u01cen\n\t\t\tself \u00b7 {full \u2192 [satisfied]} \u2192<\/span> [complacent; self-satisfied; smug]<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u81ea\u6ee1\n\t\t\t\u81ea\u6eff<\/span>)<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t \ud83d\udc48\ud83c\udffc Tap\/click to show\/hide the \u201cflashcard\u201d<\/span>\n<\/h3>\n\n

As a Chinese person who grew up in a Western country, and who came to serve in Chinese language fields, I sometimes pondered a question that I eventually learned is called the Needham Question<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n“Needham’s Grand Question”, also known as “The Needham Question”, is this: why had China been overtaken by the West in science and technology, despite their earlier successes? In Needham’s words,<\/p>\n

“Why did modern science, the mathematization of hypotheses about Nature, with all its implications for advanced technology, take its meteoric rise only in the West at the time of Galileo?”, and why it “had not developed in Chinese civilization” which, in the previous many centuries “was much more efficient than occidental in applying” natural knowledge to practical needs.[source]<\/a><\/sup>[source]<\/a><\/sup>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Indeed, China long ago gave us the Four Great Inventions<\/a> (the compass, gunpowder, papermaking, and printing), so why did it stop inventing such great things, and leave it to the West to invent digital computers, go to the moon first, etc.?<\/p>\n

The Wikipedia page linked to above, and also this page<\/a> that I found on the web, mention many possible factors that scholars have proposed relating to the Needham Question. It may be said that since this question focuses on scientific and technological progress in the context of human political and cultural systems, it is not quite the number one question that we Mandarin field language learners need to be concerned with. However, gaining some understanding of factors relating to this question can help us develop a balanced view of how and how much we should allow traditional Chinese political and cultural views to influence how we apply science and technology to our God-honouring and life-saving work in the Mandarin field. At the very least, the very fact that many have pondered the Needham Question over the years demonstrates that no, worldly Chinese culture is not so perfect and accomplished that we should just unquestioningly adopt worldly Chinese ways of doing things in the Mandarin field.<\/p>\n

While the web pages linked to above discuss many sociological, cultural, technical, etc. factors that may have played a role in how China developed, or failed to develop, scientifically and technologically compared to the West, going over this information brought to mind some principles mentioned in the Bible. <\/p>\n

\u201cBy Their Fruits\u201d<\/h4>\n

Regarding what really matters in our lives and in our work, Jesus said this at Matthew 7:16\u201318<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\nBy their fruits you will recognize them. Never do people gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles, do they? Likewise, every good tree produces fine fruit, but every rotten tree produces worthless fruit. A good tree cannot bear worthless fruit, nor can a rotten tree produce fine fruit.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I remember in years past seeing ads for job openings that required candidates to be \u201cresults-oriented\u201d. When I saw such ads, I would wonder, \u201cWhy bother saying that? Isn\u2019t every worker of course supposed to be results-oriented?\u201d It turns out that actually, many people are more focused on appearing<\/em> to be working, on procedures for their own sake, on climbing the corporate ladder, on office politics, etc., than on actually doing the work and getting results.<\/p>\n

What Jesus said in the above-quoted scripture emphasizes to us that in our lives and in our work as his disciples, we should be focused on producing \u201cfine fruit\u201d, getting good results<\/em> for Jehovah, not just on unthinkingly following whatever traditions or procedures we inherited from the worldly human culture we grew up with. Also, we should not be focused on appearing<\/em> to others who also grew up with such traditions, procedures, and ways of doing things that we are following them, so as to get \u201cglory from men\u201d.\u2014John 5:39\u201344<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cNever, never, never in this office say, \u2018But we\u2019ve always done it that way.\u2019\u201d
\u2014Admiral Grace Hopper, computer programming pioneer<\/p>\n

Re writing Mandarin with Chinese characters, many say, \u201cBut we\u2019ve always done it that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, as _L\u01d4 X\u00f9n_ asked, does that make it right? pic.twitter.com\/eFCN6fPYtY<\/a><\/p>\n

— Troubadour WW (@troubadourww) September 10, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n