{"id":6686,"date":"2025-08-15T23:41:42","date_gmt":"2025-08-16T06:41:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/?p=6686"},"modified":"2025-08-24T00:17:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-24T07:17:14","slug":"yinwei","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/troubadourworks.com\/tiandi\/meotw\/2025\/08\/15\/yinwei\/","title":{"rendered":"y\u012bnwei"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\n\t\t\ty\u012bnwei<\/span> \n\t\t\t(y\u012bn\u00b7wei \n\t\t\tbecause \u00b7 for | {because of} \u00b7 for\/{on account of} | {is because} \u00b7 {is for}<\/span> \n\t\t\t\u56e0\u4e3a \n\t\t\t\u56e0\u70ba<\/span>)<\/span> \n\n\t\t\t \ud83d\udc48\ud83c\udffc Tap\/click to show\/hide the \u201cflashcard\u201d<\/span>\n<\/h3>\n\n

This week\u2019s MEotW, \u201cy\u012bnwei<\/i><\/span> \n\t\t\t(y\u012bn\u00b7wei \n\t\t\tbecause \u00b7 for | {because of} \u00b7 for\/{on account of} | {is because} \u00b7 {is for}<\/span> \n\t\t\t\u56e0\u4e3a \n\t\t\t\u56e0\u70ba<\/span>)<\/span>\u201d,<\/i> was discussed in a podcast episode that I listened to recently. Here\u2019s a clip from it, with the part in which this expression was discussed:<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a transcript of this video clip:<\/p>\n

\nDavid:<\/strong> You\u2019re a good sport. Thank you for doing this. So you are a native speaker. This question is very important because if you pronounce a character with the wrong tone, you can be fined as much as 50 ku\u00e0i<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t(pieces \u2192<\/span> [mw for Renminbi]<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\u5757\n\t\t\t\u584a<\/span>)<\/span> at CCTV if you\u2019re an announcer. So what I want you to do is just very slowly pronounce for us the word that in Chinese would be the equivalent of \u201cbecause\u201d.<\/p>\n

Yajun:<\/strong> \u201cY\u012bnw\u00e9i<\/i><\/span> \n\t\t\t(Y\u012bn\u00b7w\u00e9i \n\t\t\tbecause \u00b7 for | {because of} \u00b7 for\/{on account of} | {is because} \u00b7 {is for}<\/span> \n\t\t\t\u56e0\u4e3a \n\t\t\t\u56e0\u70ba<\/span>)<\/span>\u201d.<\/i><\/p>\n

David:<\/strong> Say again?<\/p>\n

Yajun:<\/strong> \u201cY\u012bnw\u00e9i<\/i><\/span> \n\t\t\t(Y\u012bn\u00b7w\u00e9i \n\t\t\tbecause \u00b7 for | {because of} \u00b7 for\/{on account of} | {is because} \u00b7 {is for}<\/span> \n\t\t\t\u56e0\u4e3a \n\t\t\t\u56e0\u70ba<\/span>)<\/span>\u201d.<\/i><\/p>\n

David:<\/strong> So I hear that the \u201cw\u00e9i<\/i><\/span> \n\t\t\t(\u2026<\/span> \n\t\t\t\u4e3a \n\t\t\t\u70ba\/\u7232<\/span>)<\/span>\u201d<\/i> is second tone. Is that right? <\/p>\n

Yajun:<\/strong> Yeah\u2026<\/p>\n

David:<\/strong> That\u2019s Northern Mandarin. That\u2019s also B\u011bij\u012bng<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t(B\u011bi\u00b7j\u012bng\n\t\t\tNorth \u00b7 {Country Capital} \u2192<\/span> [Beijing]<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u5317\u4eac)<\/span>\u2010hu\u00e0<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t(speech<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u8bdd\n\t\t\t\u8a71<\/span>)<\/span>.<\/i> [With] the actual p\u01d4t\u014dng\u2010hu\u00e0<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t((p\u01d4\u00b7t\u014dng\n\t\t\tcommon \u00b7 {through(out) \u2192 [common]}<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u666e\u901a)\u2010(hu\u00e0\n\t\t\tspeech<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u8bdd\n\t\t\t\u8a71<\/span>)\n\t\t\t\u2192<\/span> [(Modern Standard) Mandarin (term commonly used in China)]<\/span>)<\/span> citation version of that word, in 90% of the dictionaries that you will see, the second character is pronounced with fourth tone, as \u201cy\u012bnw\u00e8i<\/i><\/span> \n\t\t\t(y\u012bn\u00b7w\u00e8i \n\t\t\tbecause \u00b7 for | {because of} \u00b7 for\/{on account of} | {is because} \u00b7 {is for}<\/span> \n\t\t\t\u56e0\u4e3a \n\t\t\t\u56e0\u70ba<\/span>)<\/span>\u201d.<\/i><\/p>\n

Yajun:<\/strong> Sure\u2026?<\/p>\n

David:<\/strong> Yeah, well if you ask most Chinese, they\u2019re very unsure about it, just like you.<\/p>\n

Yajun:<\/strong> I was quite sure it\u2019s \u201cy\u012bnw\u00e9i<\/i><\/span> \n\t\t\t(y\u012bn\u00b7w\u00e9i \n\t\t\tbecause \u00b7 for | {because of} \u00b7 for\/{on account of} | {is because} \u00b7 {is for}<\/span> \n\t\t\t\u56e0\u4e3a \n\t\t\t\u56e0\u70ba<\/span>)<\/span>\u201d,<\/i> something like that. Now I\u2019m not so sure\u2026and I don\u2019t want to lose 50 ku\u00e0i<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t(pieces \u2192<\/span> [mw for Renminbi]<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\u5757\n\t\t\t\u584a<\/span>)<\/span>.<\/i><\/p>\n

David:<\/strong> Don\u2019t worry, there are many examples like that and you are not actually wrong. This is an artificial standard that has been imposed and actually, few people, or, not everyone, actually follows it.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

By the way, the David Moser speaking in the above clip is indeed the same one who wrote the relatively well-known essay \u201cWhy Chinese Is So D- Hard\u201d, which has given many people a lot to think about regarding how Chinese characters make learning Mandarin much harder than it otherwise would be. (I\u2019m not providing a link to this essay because the full title and an example used in the text are a bit less than family-friendly. However, for anyone who\u2019s interested, here is a link<\/a> to a family-friendly version of this essay that\u2019s been translated into Mandarin and written in 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>.)<\/i><\/p>\n

Getting back to \u201cy\u012bnwei<\/i><\/span> \n\t\t\t(y\u012bn\u00b7wei \n\t\t\tbecause \u00b7 for | {because of} \u00b7 for\/{on account of} | {is because} \u00b7 {is for}<\/span> \n\t\t\t\u56e0\u4e3a \n\t\t\t\u56e0\u70ba<\/span>)<\/span>\u201d,<\/i> there\u2019s also a relatively detailed entry<\/a> on this expression in the excellent Referenced Theo. Expressions<\/i> resource.<\/p>\n

Dealing With Different Right Pronunciations<\/h4>\n

The different pronunciations of \u201cy\u012bnwei<\/i><\/span> \n\t\t\t(y\u012bn\u00b7wei \n\t\t\tbecause \u00b7 for | {because of} \u00b7 for\/{on account of} | {is because} \u00b7 {is for}<\/span> \n\t\t\t\u56e0\u4e3a \n\t\t\t\u56e0\u70ba<\/span>)<\/span>\u201d<\/i> are an example showing us that, while they have a lot of overlap, p\u01d4t\u014dng\u2010hu\u00e0<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t((p\u01d4\u00b7t\u014dng\n\t\t\tcommon \u00b7 {through(out) \u2192 [common]}<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u666e\u901a)\u2010(hu\u00e0\n\t\t\tspeech<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u8bdd\n\t\t\t\u8a71<\/span>)\n\t\t\t\u2192<\/span> [(Modern Standard) Mandarin (term commonly used in China)]<\/span>)<\/span>,<\/i> Northern Mandarin and Beijing Mandarin, and, for that matter, the Gu\u00f3y\u01d4<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t(Gu\u00f3\u00b7y\u01d4\n\t\t\tNational \u00b7 Language \u2192<\/span> [(Modern Standard) Mandarin (term commonly used in Taiwan)]<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u56fd\u8bed\n\t\t\t\u570b\u8a9e<\/span>)<\/span> spoken in Taiwan are not exactly the same. (More information on how p\u01d4t\u014dng\u2010hu\u00e0<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t((p\u01d4\u00b7t\u014dng\n\t\t\tcommon \u00b7 {through(out) \u2192 [common]}<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u666e\u901a)\u2010(hu\u00e0\n\t\t\tspeech<\/span>\n\t\t\t\u8bdd\n\t\t\t\u8a71<\/span>)\n\t\t\t\u2192<\/span> [(Modern Standard) Mandarin (term commonly used in China)]<\/span>)<\/span> has been artificially constructed from various parts and promoted to be a national standard can be found in David Moser\u2019s book \u201cA Billion Voices: China\u2019s Search for a Common Language<\/a>\u201d.)<\/p>\n

\tSo, when we get to a word like \u201cy\u012bnwei<\/i><\/span> \n\t\t\t(y\u012bn\u00b7wei \n\t\t\tbecause \u00b7 for | {because of} \u00b7 for\/{on account of} | {is because} \u00b7 {is for}<\/span> \n\t\t\t\u56e0\u4e3a \n\t\t\t\u56e0\u70ba<\/span>)<\/span>\u201d,<\/i> which pronunciation should we say it with? Well, considering that the basic principle regarding why language groups and congregations even exist is that Bible truth best reaches a person\u2019s heart in that person\u2019s mother tongue, the logical conclusion is that we should try, as much as we are reasonably able to, to use whichever pronunciation is used by whomever we are talking to. The apostle Paul said \u201cto the Jews I became as a Jew in order to gain Jews\u201d, so we should similarly seek to become as the Mandarin-speaking people we meet in the ministry. (1 Corinthians 9:20<\/a>) And since tones are an essential part of Mandarin pronunciation, that would include trying to use whichever tone is used by whomever we are talking to.<\/p>\n

That may be relatively straightforward\u2014although it may not be easy<\/em>\u2014when speaking to an individual, but when speaking to a large, mixed audience, perhaps at a meeting or even a convention, we will have to use good judgement to try to speak so as to be understood without distraction by the majority of the audience. It helps, then, to know the audience.<\/p>\n

The Accents of Network News Announcers<\/h4>\n

Speaking of the audience, the clip above mentions that CCTV announcers are required to speak in a particular standard way, and that they are actually fined when they deviate from this standard. CCTV (China Central Television<\/a>) is the national television broadcaster of China (which, naturally in China, is ultimately controlled by the Chinese Communist Party), and as such, has an audience that includes all of mainland China, with all its various languages, dialects, and accents. As we can see, those calling the shots at CCTV, and indeed, in China in general, have decided to approach this situation by seeking to impose and promote a standard way of speaking, from the top down.<\/p>\n

American network news announcers face a sort-of similar challenge\u2014while English is understood throughout the USA, people in different parts of the USA have come to speak with different regional accents.<\/p>\n

\n

Sometimes that Boston accent slips out when you least expect it pic.twitter.com\/urXO2xrQ6E<\/a><\/p>\n

— Ellen Fleming (@EllenFlem) January 12, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n