Referenced Theo. Expressions Updated to 2010-12-24 Version, Mandarin Web Lookup Added

The Referenced Theo. Expressions files, available for download from the Referenced Theo. Expressions (Chinese + Pinyin + English) Downloads (note the slightly altered name) and Referenced Theo. Expressions (Chinese + Cantonese Romanisation + English) pages, have been updated. These files are meant to be relatively extensive lists of theo. expressions as they have been found to be rendered in the Chinese publications. Versions sorted by English and versions sorted by romanisation are both available.

The current version is now dated 2010-12-24. It contains 9156 expressions, compared to the 8744 expressions that were in the previous version. A Mandarin Pleco version, a Mandarin Wenlin version, and a Mandarin ChinaScribe data file are available in addition to the PDF files.

Here are some comments from the one who assembled this update to the RTE:

Among other things, I’ve added lots more public talk titles. I’m hoping that will be useful in congregations like mine where the talk co-ordinator’s Chinese is limited; talks often get announced in English only, and it would be useful to look up the official Chinese translation of the title when that happens...

I've updated the [RTE] again, this time with an improvement to the script that generates the ChinaScribe data. This format now contains a greater number of alternative English word orders, to assist with searching by English in ChinaScribe.

As a reminder, note that the Referenced Theo. Expressions (Chinese + Pinyin + English) Web Lookup page is now available as well. Rather than containing download links to the RTE data files, it contains a web form that can be used to look up Referenced Theo. Expressions (Chinese + Pinyin + English) information by English or by Simplified or Traditional Chinese characters.

Bookmarks have been added to the PDF files, and PDF annotation has been enabled on them, so “LN-A” (“Link Navigation-Annotation”) is included in their filenames. See the PDF Link Navigation page and the PDF Annotation (Notes & Highlighting) page for more information.

Note that the current version of Pleco for iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad now supports flashcards and user-created dictionaries. So, the RTE Pleco Instructions file now contains instructions for installing the RTE Pleco files in Pleco running on these devices. Also, these instructions have been rewritten for greater clarity, with more step-by-step details.

Thanks go out to the ones who helped to produce this group of resources.

RTE (Mand.) Web Lookup Link Added to Links Sidebar and to tiandi.info

RTE (Mand.) Web Lookup has been added to the Links sidebar on the right of this page. A similar link has been added to the Links page at tiandi.info.

See this post for more information about the Referenced Theo. Expressions (Chinese + Pinyin + English) Web Lookup page.

“My Follower” Bk. 3-Line XLP-iPhone-A5 Size LN-A Files For Ch. 16 Posted

3-line pinyin and Sidney Lau XLP-iPhone-A5 size files with LN-A (LinkNav and annotation (notes & highlighting)) for Chapter 16 of the “My Follower” book are now available for download from the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page.

Based on my recent experience with using these files on an iPad, the following sentence has been added to the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page:

When zoomed so that one page fills an entire screen, the material in these files also renders at a good size on the iPad and other devices with similarly sized screens.

The relevant folders at the 3lines.org site contain an HTML file with a link to the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page.

Related links:

• 3-Line Material on the iPhone and the iPod touch


• Printing Extra Large Print 3-Line Material


• PDF Link Navigation


• PDF Annotation (Notes & Highlighting)

Computer Literacy

...is the title of a recent post at tiandi.info. Here’s the description from the news feed:

[Computer literacy]…is like learning to ride the “bicycle for our minds”.

That quote is from Steve Jobs, the famous founder and leader of Apple Inc., and the post features video footage of his younger self uttering it. Of course, since it’s at tiandi.info, the post will discuss how learning to ride this “bicycle for our minds” can help us in the Chinese field.

To obtain the login information for tiandi.info, request e-mail notification of news regarding available resources, or if you have any questions or comments, you may e-mail me at waynerj@shaw.ca, providing information such as what group or congregation you’re with, who referred you to this site, etc.

“My Follower” Bk. A4/Letter Size 3-Line Material Up To the End of Ch. 17 Posted

A4/letter size 3-line material up to the end of Chapter 17 of the “My Follower” book is now available for download from the 3lines.org site. Simplified and Traditional Chinese Mandarin pinyin and Traditional Chinese Cantonese Jyutping, Sidney Lau, and Yale material is available.

Additionally, the Simplified (CHS) Mandarin pinyin files are also available in “black” versions, which only use black to render the material rather than using blue and red for some of it like the regular files.

At the 3lines.org home page, just answer the Witness-testing questions (no commas), click on the bs (Book Study) graphic, and click through to your desired type of file.

PDF Annotation (Notes & Highlighting) Page Updated

The PDF Annotation (Notes & Highlighting) page has been updated to include information about Adobe Reader X, the new version of Adobe Reader that brings a significant new feature re annotation compared to previous versions.

Also, some screenshots have been added of GoodReader for iPad, showing annotations applied to a Watchtower PDF downloaded from jw.org.

Much of the rest of the text has been revised as well.

PDF Link Navigation Page Revised

The PDF Link Navigation page has been revised.

“My Follower” Bk. 3-Line XLP-iPhone-A5 Size LN-A Files For Ch. 15 Posted

3-line pinyin and Sidney Lau XLP-iPhone-A5 size files with LN-A (LinkNav and annotation (notes & highlighting)) for Chapter 15 of the “My Follower” book are now available for download from the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page.

Based on my recent experience with using these files on an iPad, the following sentence has been added to the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page:

When zoomed so that one page fills an entire screen, the material in these files also renders at a good size on the iPad and other devices with similarly sized screens.

The relevant folders at the 3lines.org site contain an HTML file with a link to the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page.

Related links:

• 3-Line Material on the iPhone and the iPod touch


• Printing Extra Large Print 3-Line Material


• PDF Link Navigation


• PDF Annotation (Notes & Highlighting)

“My Follower” Bk. A4/Letter Size 3-Line Material Up To the End of Ch. 15 Posted

A4/letter size 3-line material up to the end of Chapter 15 of the “My Follower” book is now available for download from the 3lines.org site. Simplified and Traditional Chinese Mandarin pinyin and Traditional Chinese Cantonese Jyutping, Sidney Lau, and Yale material is available.

Additionally, the Simplified (CHS) Mandarin pinyin files are now also available in “black” versions, which only use black to render the material rather than using blue and red for some of it like the regular files.

At the 3lines.org home page, just answer the Witness-testing questions (no commas), click on the bs (Book Study) graphic, and click through to your desired type of file.

Referenced Theo. Expressions Updated to 2010-11-17 Version, Mandarin Web Lookup Added

The Referenced Theo. Expressions files, available for download from the Referenced Theo. Expressions (Chinese + Pinyin + English) Downloads (note the slightly altered name) and Referenced Theo. Expressions (Chinese + Cantonese Romanisation + English) pages, have been updated. These files are meant to be relatively extensive lists of theo. expressions as they have been found to be rendered in the Chinese publications. Versions sorted by English and versions sorted by romanisation are both available.

The current version is now dated 2010-11-17. It contains 8744 expressions, compared to the 8614 expressions that were in the previous version. A Mandarin Pleco version, a Mandarin Wenlin version, and a Mandarin ChinaScribe data file are available in addition to the PDF files.

Newly available this time around is the Referenced Theo. Expressions (Chinese + Pinyin + English) Web Lookup page. Rather than containing download links to the RTE data files, it contains a web form that can be used to look up Referenced Theo. Expressions (Chinese + Pinyin + English) information by English or by Simplified or Traditional Chinese characters.

Bookmarks have been added to the PDF files, and PDF annotation has been enabled on them, so “LN-A” (“Link Navigation-Annotation”) is included in their filenames. See the PDF Link Navigation page and the PDF Annotation (Notes & Highlighting) page for more information.

Note that the current version of Pleco for iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad now supports flashcards and user-created dictionaries. So, the RTE Pleco Instructions file now contains instructions for installing the RTE Pleco files in Pleco running on these devices. Also, these instructions have been rewritten for greater clarity, with more step-by-step details.

Thanks go out to the ones who helped to produce this group of resources.

3-Line—A Rosetta Stone for Chinese

...is the title of a recent post at tiandi.info. Here’s the description from the news feed:

Cracking the code of the pictographs is much easier with the help of one’s own mother tongue.

To obtain the login information for tiandi.info, request e-mail notification of news regarding available resources, or if you have any questions or comments, you may e-mail me at waynerj@shaw.ca, providing information such as what group or congregation you’re with, who referred you to this site, etc.

“My Follower” Bk. 3-Line XLP-iPhone-A5 Size LN-A Files For Ch. 14 Posted

3-line pinyin and Sidney Lau XLP-iPhone-A5 size files with LN-A (LinkNav and annotation (notes & highlighting)) for Chapter 14 of the “My Follower” book are now available for download from the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page.

Based on my recent experience with using these files on an iPad, the following sentence has been added to the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page:

When zoomed so that one page fills an entire screen, the material in these files also renders at a good size on the iPad and other devices with similarly sized screens.

The relevant folders at the 3lines.org site contain an HTML file with a link to the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page.

Related links:

• 3-Line Material on the iPhone and the iPod touch


• Printing Extra Large Print 3-Line Material


• PDF Link Navigation


• PDF Annotation (Notes & Highlighting)

Was Life Created? Br. Chinese-Pinyin-Eng. XLP-iPhone-A5 Size LN-A Material Up to P. 6 Subhd. Posted

3-line Chinese-Pinyin-English XLP-iPhone-A5 size files with LN-A (LinkNav and annotation (notes & highlighting)) and containing material covering from the front cover to the subheading on p. 6 of the Was Life Created? brochure are now available for download from the new Was Life Created? Brochure (Chinese-Pinyin-English, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page. The files are available in both Simplified and Traditional Chinese versions.

While the iPad-Letter-A4 size files use letter size as the paper size, these files named with “XLP-iPhone-A5” use A5 as the paper size, and are especially suited for use on devices such as the iPhone, the iPod touch, and other devices with similarly sized screens. (See the 3-Line Material on the iPhone and the iPod touch page for instructions on how to use these files on an iPhone or an iPod touch.) When zoomed so that one page fills the entire screen, the material in these files also renders at a good, usable size on the iPad and other devices with similarly sized screens. (Corresponding iPad-Letter-A4 size material is available on the Was Life Created? Brochure (Chinese-Pinyin-English, iPad-Letter-A4, LN-A) page.)

These files may also be printed out on letter size paper, resulting in Extra Large Print material. (See the Printing Extra Large Print 3-Line Material page for instructions.)

The relevant folders at the 3lines.org site contain an HTML file with a link to the Was Life Created? Brochure (Chinese-Pinyin-English, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page.

Related links:

• 3-Line Material on the iPhone and the iPod touch


• Printing Extra Large Print 3-Line Material


• PDF Link Navigation


• PDF Annotation (Notes & Highlighting)

Referenced Theo. Expressions Updated to 2010-10-26 Version

The Referenced Theo. Expressions files, available for download from the Referenced Theo. Expressions (Chinese + Pinyin + English) and Referenced Theo. Expressions (Chinese + Cantonese Romanisation + English) pages, have been updated. These files are meant to be relatively extensive lists of theo. expressions as they have been found to be rendered in the Chinese publications. Versions sorted by English and versions sorted by romanisation are both available.

The current version is now dated 2010-10-26. It contains 8614 expressions, compared to the 8409 expressions that were in the previous version. A Mandarin Pleco version, a Mandarin Wenlin version, and a Mandarin ChinaScribe data file are available in addition to the PDF files.

Bookmarks have been added to the PDF files, and PDF annotation has been enabled on them, so “LN-A” (“Link Navigation-Annotation”) is included in their filenames. See the PDF Link Navigation page and the PDF Annotation (Notes & Highlighting) page for more information.

Note that the current version of Pleco for iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad now supports flashcards and user-created dictionaries. So, the RTE Pleco Instructions file now contains instructions for installing the RTE Pleco files in Pleco running on these devices. Also, these instructions have been rewritten for greater clarity, with more step-by-step details.

Thanks go out to the one who helped to produce these files. Here are some comments from that person regarding this update:

“Mostly minor corrections/additions, but I’ve made some improvements to the code that makes the
by-English index, especially in Wenlin and Pleco formats. I’m hoping it will now be easier to look up common phrases while doing zero-notice translations of public talks (which I’m sometimes asked to do....)”

Was Life Created? Br. Chinese-Pinyin-Eng. iPad-Letter-A4 Size LN-A Material Up to P. 6 Subhd. Posted

3-line Chinese-Pinyin-English iPad-Letter-A4 size files with LN-A (LinkNav and annotation (notes & highlighting)) and containing material covering from the front cover to the subheading on p. 6 of the Was Life Created? brochure are now available for download from the new Was Life Created? Brochure (Chinese-Pinyin-English, iPad-Letter-A4, LN-A) page. The files are available in both Simplified and Traditional Chinese versions.

When zoomed so that one page fills the entire screen, the material in these files renders at a good, usable size on the iPad and other devices with similarly sized screens. Corresponding XLP-iPhone-A5 size material will be available shortly as well.

The relevant folders at the 3lines.org site contain an HTML file with a link to the Was Life Created? Brochure (Chinese-Pinyin-English, iPad-Letter-A4, LN-A) page.

Related links:

• PDF Link Navigation


• PDF Annotation (Notes & Highlighting)

“My Follower” Bk. 3-Line XLP-iPhone-A5 Size LN-A Files For Ch. 13 Posted

3-line pinyin and Sidney Lau XLP-iPhone-A5 size files with LN-A (LinkNav and annotation (notes & highlighting)) for Chapter 13 of the “My Follower” book are now available for download from the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page.

Based on my recent experience with using these files on an iPad, the following sentence has been added to the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page:

When zoomed so that one page fills an entire screen, the material in these files also renders at a good size on the iPad and other devices with similarly sized screens.

The relevant folders at the 3lines.org site contain an HTML file with a link to the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page.

Related links:

• 3-Line Material on the iPhone and the iPod touch


• Printing Extra Large Print 3-Line Material


• PDF Link Navigation


• PDF Annotation (Notes & Highlighting)

“My Follower” Bk. A4/Letter Size 3-Line Material Up To the End of Ch. 14 Posted

A4/letter size 3-line material up to the end of Chapter 14 of the “My Follower” book is now available for download from the 3lines.org site. Simplified and Traditional Chinese Mandarin pinyin and Traditional Chinese Cantonese Jyutping, Sidney Lau, and Yale material is available.

Additionally, the Simplified (CHS) Mandarin pinyin files are now also available in “black” versions, which only use black to render the material rather than using blue and red for some of it like the regular files.

At the 3lines.org home page, just answer the Witness-testing questions (no commas), click on the bs (Book Study) graphic, and click through to your desired type of file.

GoodReader Now Supports PDF Annotation, PDF Annotation (Notes & Highlighting) Page Updated

GoodReader, an early favourite iOS (iPhone/iPod touch/iPad) PDF viewing application of many, now supports PDF annotations in its 3.0 and above versions. The PDF Annotation (Notes & Highlighting) page has been updated accordingly.

Referenced Theo. Expressions Updated to 2010-09-27 Version

The Referenced Theo. Expressions files, available for download from the Referenced Theo. Expressions (Chinese + Pinyin + English) and Referenced Theo. Expressions (Chinese + Cantonese Romanisation + English) pages, have been updated. These files are meant to be relatively extensive lists of theo. expressions as they have been found to be rendered in the Chinese publications. Versions sorted by English and versions sorted by romanisation are both available.

The current version is now dated 2010-09-27. It contains 8409 expressions, compared to the 7778 expressions that were in the previous version, and it corrects duplicate entries that appeared in one of the Pleco files of the previous version. A Mandarin Pleco version, a Mandarin Wenlin version, and a Mandarin ChinaScribe data file are available in addition to the PDF files.

Bookmarks have been added to the PDF files, and PDF annotation has been enabled on them, so “LN-A” (“Link Navigation-Annotation”) has been added to their filenames. See the PDF Link Navigation page and the PDF Annotation (Notes & Highlighting) page for more information.

Note that the current version of Pleco for iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad now supports flashcards and user-created dictionaries. So, the RTE Pleco Instructions file now contains instructions for installing the RTE Pleco files in Pleco running on these devices. Also, these instructions have just been rewritten for greater clarity, with more step-by-step details.

Thanks go out to the one who helped to produce these files. Here are some comments from that person regarding this update:

“There are also quite a few additions and corrections in this version, and the Cantonese renditions have been updated with a new version of the eSpeak Cantonese transliteration data.”

“My Follower” Bk. 3-Line XLP-iPhone-A5 Size LN-A Files For Ch. 12 Posted

3-line pinyin and Sidney Lau XLP-iPhone-A5 size files with LN-A (LinkNav and annotation (notes & highlighting)) for Chapter 12 of the “My Follower” book are now available for download from the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page.

Based on my recent experience with using these files on an iPad, the following sentence has been added to the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page:

When zoomed so that one page fills an entire screen, the material in these files also renders at a good size on the iPad and other devices with similarly sized screens.

The relevant folders at the 3lines.org site contain an HTML file with a link to the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page.

Related links:

• 3-Line Material on the iPhone and the iPod touch


• Printing Extra Large Print 3-Line Material


• PDF Link Navigation


• PDF Annotation (Notes & Highlighting)

Input Requested for a Proposed 3-Line Material on Android Phones Page

The Apple iPhone and iPod touch revolutionized mobile devices when they came out in 2007. I myself am the proud owner of an iPod touch, and I am very happy with it. While previous mobile devices had small screens on which it would have been difficult to use the 3-line and pinyin PDF files, these new devices came with much bigger 3"x2" screens. So, I got to work on what eventually became the XLP-iPhone-A5 PDF files, designed especially for mobile devices with screens of this size. Also, I produced the 3-Line Material on the iPhone and the iPod touch information page, which has proven quite popular.

In response to Apple’s handheld devices which run what Apple now calls the iOS operating system, Google has made available the Android operating system, which has been widely adopted by smartphone makers wanting to compete with Apple. Not surprisingly, then, lately I have been coming across evidence that along with the many among our fellow workers in the Chinese field who use Apple iOS devices, there are now also many who use Android phones.

Happily, the PDF file format is widely supported by various computer platforms, including Android, so the XLP-iPhone-A5 PDF files should work just fine on Android phones, which have screens that are at least roughly similar in size and shape to those of iPhones. However, not having an Android phone of my own, I do not have firsthand experience with Android apps for viewing PDFs. If you have such experience, I and your fellow Android users in the Chinese field would appreciate it if you could share some of your findings with us regarding:

• What are some good apps with which it is reasonably easy to transfer PDF files onto Android phones and view them?
• Among such apps, how is the support for:
  • zooming?
  • link navigation using bookmarks and links?
  • annotation (notes & highlighting)?

Please email me regarding any firsthand knowledge you have regarding the above points. If I can gather enough such information, I will produce a 3-Line Material on Android Phones information page for the benefit of our fellow workers who use Android phones.

tiandi.info Map Files Now Available for iOS Devices

The Map page on tiandi.info has just been updated, and along with some new information about the Chinese protogroups, groups, and congregations around the world, I have also added instructions and download files for allowing the map data to be viewed on Google Earth for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

To obtain the login information for tiandi.info, request e-mail notification of news regarding available resources, or if you have any questions or comments, you may e-mail me at waynerj@shaw.ca, providing information such as what group or congregation you’re with, who referred you to this site, etc.

Startups and Bureaucracies

...is the title of a new post at tiandi.info. Here’s the description from the news feed:

Keep “the love you had at first”. As Jehovah’s fellow workers, keep on promoting healthy growth and fruitfulness. Don’t stop and stagnate just because you’ve had some form of success.

To obtain the login information for tiandi.info, request e-mail notification of news regarding available resources, or if you have any questions or comments, you may e-mail me at waynerj@shaw.ca, providing information such as what group or congregation you’re with, who referred you to this site, etc.

Origin of Life Br. 3-Line Material Posted, Was Life Created? Br. 3-Line Material Coming Soon

Letter/A4 size 3-line material for the Origin of Life brochure (the orange one) is now available for download from the 3lines.org site. At this time, only Simplified-Pinyin material is available.

At the 3lines.org home page, just answer the Witness-testing questions (no commas), click on the misc (Book Study) graphic, and follow the path Simplified (chs)/Mandarin - PinYin/Brochures.

3-line material for the Was Life Created? brochure (the blue one) will soon be available as well. It will be carefully proofread, and available in both Simplified and Traditional Chinese. The PDF files will have the LN-A features (Link Navigation and Annotation), and both iPad-Letter/A4 paper size and XLP-iPhone-A5 paper size files will be available, each on its own download page.

Related links:

• 3-Line Material on the iPhone and the iPod touch


• Printing Extra Large Print 3-Line Material


• PDF Link Navigation


• PDF Annotation (Notes & Highlighting)

“My Follower” Bk. 3-Line XLP-iPhone-A5 Size LN-A Files For Ch. 11 Posted

3-line pinyin and Sidney Lau XLP-iPhone-A5 size files with LN-A (LinkNav and annotation (notes & highlighting)) for Chapter 11 of the “My Follower” book are now available for download from the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page.

Based on my recent experience with using these files on an iPad, the following sentence has been added to the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page:

When zoomed so that one page fills an entire screen, the material in these files also renders at a good size on the iPad and other devices with similarly sized screens.

The relevant folders at the 3lines.org site contain an HTML file with a link to the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page.

Related links:

• 3-Line Material on the iPhone and the iPod touch


• Printing Extra Large Print 3-Line Material


• PDF Link Navigation


• PDF Annotation (Notes & Highlighting)

PDF Annotation Page Renamed and Revised

The PDF Annotation (Commenting) page has been renamed as the PDF Annotation (Notes & Highlighting) page, to better communicate that highlighting, which is a major part of what many do in the course of their personal study, is included in PDF annotation.

Also, much of the page has been rewritten, and much information has been added. For example, a couple of new paragraphs summarize how because of the popularity of mobile devices like the iPad and because of features like annotation, link navigation, searchability, and downloadability, PDFs and other possible future digital publication files could have a big effect on us, both as individuals and as a worldwide organization. Also, information has been added concerning how to annotate PDF files that have not had commenting enabled on them. Such files include non-LN-A 3-line PDF files and the official pinyin PDF files from jw.org. Some new tools mentioned, in addition to those already mentioned, include PDF-XChange Viewer and Foxit Reader, as well as the upcoming new version of GoodReader for iPad. So, it would probably be well worth your while to take a few minutes to check out the new PDF Annotation (Notes & Highlighting) page.

Related links:

• 3-Line Material on the iPhone and the iPod touch


• Printing Extra Large Print 3-Line Material


• PDF Link Navigation

Referenced Theo. Expressions Updated to 2010-08-19 Version

The Referenced Theo. Expressions files, available for download from the Referenced Theo. Expressions (Chinese + Pinyin + English) and Referenced Theo. Expressions (Chinese + Cantonese Romanisation + English) pages, have been updated. These files are meant to be relatively extensive lists of theo. expressions as they have been found to be rendered in the Chinese publications. Versions sorted by English and versions sorted by romanisation are both available.

The current version is now dated 2010-08-19. It contains 7778 expressions, compared to the 7423 expressions that were in the previous version. A Mandarin Pleco version, a Mandarin Wenlin version, and a Mandarin ChinaScribe data file are available in addition to the PDF files.

Bookmarks have been added to the PDF files, and PDF annotation has been enabled on them, so “LN-A” (“Link Navigation-Annotation”) has been added to their filenames. See the PDF Link Navigation page and the PDF Annotation (Commenting) page for more information.

Note that the current version of Pleco for iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad now supports flashcards and user-created dictionaries. So, the RTE Pleco Instructions file now contains instructions for installing the RTE Pleco files in Pleco running on these devices.

Thanks go out to the ones who helped to produce these files.

Can You Help Others to Translate or Proofread Chinese Meeting Parts?

I occasionally get emails asking for help in preparing Chinese talks or other meeting parts. For example, a brother in a Chinese group in the USA recently asked:

“If we write up an English talk can someone help us convert [it] to Mandarin for us?”

The group he is in is likely a small one, and the closest Chinese congregation to his group that I know of is over four hours’ drive away, according to Google Earth, although perhaps that depends on who’s driving :-). I suppose that many others are in a similar situation, that sometimes they need a translator or proofreader to help them to prepare a meeting part, but it may be difficult for them to find one.

I suppose also that everyone’s busy in the Chinese field in general, and since you’re reading this blog, you’re probably still learning Chinese yourself. But consider:

1. Especially if you’ve been at it a little while, there are almost certainly a large number of people in the worldwide Chinese field who are even less far along than you are, who could benefit from your help.
2. As you may have noticed from preparing your own parts, such translation or proofreading can give your Chinese language abilities a good workout, that helps them to grow and be strengthened in the process. I have certainly found that to be so with my own meeting parts, as well as with the 3-line production work I do. So, while helping others in need, you can help yourself as well.

If you feel you may be able to make yourself available occasionally to help someone else translate or proofread a meeting part, please email me to let me know, and I will pass on the contact information you agree to supply to ones like the above-mentioned brother who need such help. (Please be prepared to provide a reference on request who can vouch for your translating or proofreading ability. Technical details about what information formats to send each other while doing the translating or proofreading work will be up to you and whomever you end up helping.)

“My Follower” Bk. 3-Line XLP-iPhone-A5 Size LN-A Files For Ch. 10 Posted

3-line pinyin and Sidney Lau XLP-iPhone-A5 size files with LN-A (LinkNav and annotation (commenting)) for Chapter 10 of the “My Follower” book are now available for download from the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page.

Based on my recent experience with using these files on an iPad, the following sentence has been added to the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page:

When zoomed so that one page fills an entire screen, the material in these files also renders at a good size on the iPad and other devices with similarly sized screens.

The relevant folders at the 3lines.org site contain an HTML file with a link to the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page.

Related links:

• 3-Line Material on the iPhone and the iPod touch


• Printing Extra Large Print 3-Line Material


• PDF Link Navigation


• PDF Annotation (Commenting)

“Blue/green” or “Orange” Poll Clarified

The poll mentioned in this post, and that is currently on the top right of this blog’s home page, was originally purposely worded so that only those who attended this year’s convention would understand it, without giving anything away regarding the convention releases.

However, it appears that perhaps I have been a little too cryptic, so I have reworded the question to be “Of the two similar convention releases, which one is the better fit for most of your Chinese calls?” Hopefully, this will be clear enough for everyone without giving too much away. :-)

Again, please direct others to this post as well, perhaps using the new Share Buttons below. If enough people answer the poll, then it will provide some meaningful input for those who prepare 3-line and pinyin material.

If you have an idea for another question related to learning Chinese for the Chinese field, and you think that it would be good to have a poll for it, please email me about it.

Thanks in advance for your input!

Referenced Theo. Expressions Updated to 2010-07-21 Version

The Referenced Theo. Expressions files, available for download from the Referenced Theo. Expressions (Chinese + Pinyin + English) and Referenced Theo. Expressions (Chinese + Cantonese Romanisation + English) pages, have been updated. These files are meant to be relatively extensive lists of theo. expressions as they have been found to be rendered in the Chinese publications. Versions sorted by English and versions sorted by romanisation are both available.

The current version is now dated 2010-07-21. It contains 7423 expressions, compared to the 7358 expressions that were in the previous version. A Mandarin Pleco version and a Mandarin Wenlin version are available in addition to the PDF files. Also, new with this version, a Mandarin ChinaScribe data file is available as well.

Bookmarks have been added to the PDF files, and PDF annotation has been enabled on them, so “LN-A” (“Link Navigation-Annotation”) has been added to their filenames. See the PDF Link Navigation page and the PDF Annotation (Commenting) page for more information.

Note that the current version of Pleco for iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad now supports flashcards and user-created dictionaries. So, the RTE Pleco Instructions file now contains instructions for installing the RTE Pleco files in Pleco running on these devices.

Thanks go out to the ones who helped to produce these files.

“Blue/green” or “Orange” Poll

On the top right of this blog’s home page, there is currently a poll widget asking the question, “Which one is the better fit for most of your Chinese calls?” Please only answer the poll if you know exactly what it is referring to. If you think you know what it is referring to but want to make sure, email me, and I will let you know if you are on the right track. Also, please direct others to this post as well, perhaps using the new Share Buttons below. If enough people answer the poll, then it will provide some meaningful input for those who prepare 3-line and pinyin material.

If you have an idea for another question related to learning Chinese for the Chinese field that you think it would be good to have a poll for, please email me about it.

Thanks in advance for your input!

Cantonese Romanisation Poll Closed

Since it has been a long time since anyone submitted a vote for it, and since I want to post a new poll, I am closing the poll for the question, “Which Cantonese romanisation system do you prefer?”

Below are the final results for this poll:

Yes, this one was not even close—the Sidney Lau system was the clear favourite by far. So, those who produce material with Cantonese romanisation may want to take note if they are considering how they should focus their efforts.

More iOS Apps That Support PDF Annotation

Mobile devices running Apple’s iOS operating system have been selling very well lately. After the iPad became available, over 3 million of them were sold in under three months, so that device is going mainstream unusually quickly. Also, over 3 million units of the iPhone 4 were sold in the first 3 weeks following its recent introduction, making it Apple’s fastest selling product ever.

So, it comes as no surprise that the number of apps available in the App Store for iOS devices such as these continues to grow steadily, and among the new apps that have recently become available are several that support PDF annotation. Because of this, the PDF Annotation (Commenting) page has been updated to list several of these that I was able to find out about, up from the one app supporting PDF annotation that was previously listed. I expect this trend to continue, and I especially look forward to the time when GoodReader (available for iPhone/iPod touch and for iPad) will be enhanced with this feature.

Related links:

• 3-Line Material on the iPhone and the iPod touch


• Printing Extra Large Print 3-Line Material


• PDF Link Navigation

“My Follower” Bk. 3-Line XLP-iPhone-A5 Size LN-A Files For Ch. 9 Posted

3-line pinyin and Sidney Lau XLP-iPhone-A5 size files with LN-A (LinkNav and annotation (commenting)) for Chapter 9 of the “My Follower” book are now available for download from the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page.

Based on my recent experience with using these files on an iPad, the following sentence has been added to the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page:

When zoomed so that one page fills an entire screen, the material in these files also renders at a good size on the iPad and other devices with similarly sized screens.

The relevant folders at the 3lines.org site contain an HTML file with a link to the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page.

Related links:

• 3-Line Material on the iPhone and the iPod touch


• Printing Extra Large Print 3-Line Material


• PDF Link Navigation


• PDF Annotation (Commenting)

Referenced Theo. Expressions Updated to 2010-07-07 Version

The Referenced Theo. Expressions files, available for download from the Referenced Theo. Expressions (Chinese + Pinyin + English) and Referenced Theo. Expressions (Chinese + Cantonese Romanisation + English) pages, have been updated. These files are meant to be relatively extensive lists of theo. expressions as they have been found to be rendered in the Chinese publications. Versions sorted by English and versions sorted by romanisation are both available.

The current version is now dated 2010-07-07. It contains 7358 expressions, compared to the 7250 expressions that were in the previous version. A Mandarin Pleco version and a Mandarin Wenlin version are available in addition to the PDF files. Also, a password is not needed to access this resource.

Bookmarks have been added to the PDF files, and PDF annotation has been enabled on them, so “LN-A” (“Link Navigation-Annotation”) has been added to their filenames. See the PDF Link Navigation page and the PDF Annotation (Commenting) page for more information.

Note that the current version of Pleco for iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad now supports flashcards and user-created dictionaries. So, the RTE Pleco Instructions file now contains instructions for installing the RTE Pleco files in Pleco running on these devices.

Thanks go out to the one who helped to produce these files.

Referenced Theo. Expressions Updated to 2010-06-24 Version

The Referenced Theo. Expressions files, available for download from the Referenced Theo. Expressions (Chinese + Pinyin + English) and Referenced Theo. Expressions (Chinese + Cantonese Romanisation + English) pages, have been updated. These files are meant to be relatively extensive lists of theo. expressions as they have been found to be rendered in the Chinese publications. Versions sorted by English and versions sorted by romanisation are both available.

The current version is now dated 2010-06-24. It contains 7250 expressions, compared to the 7036 expressions that were in the previous version. A Mandarin Pleco version and a Mandarin Wenlin version are available in addition to the PDF files. Also, a password is no longer needed to access this resource.

Bookmarks have been added to the PDF files, and PDF annotation has been enabled on them, so “LN-A” (“Link Navigation-Annotation”) has been added to their filenames. See the PDF Link Navigation page and the PDF Annotation (Commenting) page for more information.

Note that the current version of Pleco for iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad now supports flashcards and user-created dictionaries. So, the RTE Pleco Instructions file now contains instructions for installing the RTE Pleco files in Pleco running on these devices.

Thanks go out to the one who helped to produce these files.

“God’s Love” Bk. 3-Line Material XLP-iPhone-A5 Size LN-A Files Upgraded

More and more, the 3-line, etc. PDF files will be used on computers, including mobile devices such as the iPhone, the iPod touch, and the iPad, rather than printed out on paper. So, as mentioned here, bookmarks, page reference links, link-enhanced footnotes, and annotation were recently added to the XLP-iPhone-A5 size “God’s Love” Bk. 3-line material PDF files, available for download from the “God’s Love” Book (Chinese + Pinyin + English) page.

Now, the bookmarks of these LN-A (Link Navigation-Annotation) files have been upgraded with the use of full chapter titles to make it easier to jump quickly to the part of the book that covers a certain topic.

Related links:

• 3-Line Material on the iPhone and the iPod touch


• Printing Extra Large Print 3-Line Material


• PDF Link Navigation


• PDF Annotation (Commenting)

The Mandarin Public Talks Audio & Video Page Will Soon Go Offline

I am deeply disappointed to have to inform you that the elder bodies of the Mandarin congregations in my area have withdrawn even the minimal amount of cooperation needed on their part for me to be able to continue to provide Mandarin public talk audio and video recordings on the Mandarin Public Talks Audio & Video web page.

As a result of this development, I have decided to take the Mandarin Public Talks Audio & Video web page offlline at about midnight of this Saturday night/Sunday morning (June 19/20, 2010). It has been my pleasure and my privilege for several years to help make it possible for Mandarin public talks to be presented at times and in places where it would not have been possible to do so otherwise.

Remember, Jehovah God is always available to hear the petitions of his faithful servants, including those working away in places where the need is great. (Luke 11:5-12; 18:1-8) May he continue to bless your efforts and provide whatever is needed for the development of the Chinese field in your area.

“My Follower” Bk. 3-Line XLP-iPhone-A5 Size LN-A Files For Ch. 8 Posted

3-line pinyin and Sidney Lau XLP-iPhone-A5 size files with LN-A (LinkNav and annotation (commenting)) for Chapter 8 of the “My Follower” book are now available for download from the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page.

Based on my recent experience with using these files on an iPad, the following sentence has been added to the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page:

When zoomed so that one page fills an entire screen, the material in these files also renders at a good size on the iPad and other devices with similarly sized screens.

The relevant folders at the 3lines.org site contain an HTML file with a link to the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page.

Related links:

• 3-Line Material on the iPhone and the iPod touch


• Printing Extra Large Print 3-Line Material


• PDF Link Navigation


• PDF Annotation (Commenting)

“My Follower” Bk. A4/Letter Size 3-Line Material Up To the End of Ch. 10 Posted

A4/letter size 3-line material up to the end of Chapter 10 of the “My Follower” book is now available for download from the 3lines.org site. Simplified and Traditional Chinese Mandarin pinyin and Traditional Chinese Cantonese Jyutping, Sidney Lau, and Yale material is available.

Additionally, the Simplified (CHS) Mandarin pinyin files are now also available in “black” versions, which only use black to render the material rather than using blue and red for some of it like the regular files.

At the 3lines.org home page, just answer the Witness-testing questions (no commas), click on the bs (Book Study) graphic, and click through to your desired type of file.

Talk 152 Recordings

Audio and video recordings of Mandarin public talk 152 are now available from the Mandarin Public Talks Audio & Video page. The recordings are available in MP3, iPod video, CD, and DVD formats. Chairmen’s information is also available in Simp.+Pinyin+English 3-line PDF format.

For information on how to access this page, email me, providing information such as what group or congregation you’re with, who referred you to this site, etc.

For thoughts on how the April 2010 km Question Box relates or does not relate to the Mandarin Public Talks Audio & Video page and its contents, please check out the contents of this file. (The password is the same as for the files available for download from the Mandarin Public Talks Audio & Video page.)

Referenced Theo. Expressions Updated to 2010-06-01 Version

The Referenced Theo. Expressions files, available for download from the Referenced Theo. Expressions (Chinese + Pinyin + English) and Referenced Theo. Expressions (Chinese + Cant. Rom. + English) pages, have been updated. These files are meant to be relatively extensive lists of theo. expressions as they have been found to be rendered in the Chinese publications. Versions sorted by English and versions sorted by romanisation are both available.

The current version is now dated 2010-06-01. It contains 7036 expressions, compared to the 6698 expressions that were in the previous version. A Mandarin Pleco version and a Mandarin Wenlin version are available in addition to the PDF files. Also, a password is no longer needed to access this resource.

Bookmarks have been added to the PDF files, and PDF annotation has been enabled on them, so “LN-A” (“Link Navigation-Annotation”) has been added to their filenames. See the PDF Link Navigation page and the PDF Annotation (Commenting) page for more information.

Note that the current version of Pleco for iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad now supports flashcards and user-created dictionaries. So, the RTE Pleco Instructions file now contains instructions for installing the RTE Pleco files in Pleco running on these devices.

Thanks go out to the one who helped to produce these files.

“My Follower” Bk. 3-Line XLP-iPhone-A5 Size LN-A Files For Ch. 7 Posted

3-line pinyin and Sidney Lau XLP-iPhone-A5 size files with LN-A (LinkNav and annotation (commenting)) for Chapter 7 of the “My Follower” book are now available for download from the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page.

The relevant folders at the 3lines.org site contain an HTML file with a link to the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page.

Related links:

• 3-Line Material on the iPhone and the iPod touch


• Printing Extra Large Print 3-Line Material


• PDF Link Navigation


• PDF Annotation (Commenting)

XLP-iPhone-A5 Size “God’s Love” Bk. 3-Line Material Files Upgraded With LN-A

More and more, the 3-line, etc. PDF files will be used on computers, including mobile devices such as the iPhone, the iPod touch, and the iPad, rather than printed out on paper. So, as mentioned here, bookmarks and some links were recently added to the XLP-iPhone-A5 size “God’s Love” Bk. 3-line material PDF files.

Now, these files are available from the “God’s Love” Book (Chinese + Pinyin + English) page in LN-A (Link Navigation-Annotation) versions, with annotation and link-enhanced footnotes in addition to the bookmarks and page reference links that the previous LinkNav files had.

Related links:

• 3-Line Material on the iPhone and the iPod touch


• Printing Extra Large Print 3-Line Material


• PDF Link Navigation


• PDF Annotation (Commenting)

Lernliste häufigste chinesische Worte

A brother has produced a PDF file with German versions of the Frequently Used Words lists, sorted by number (rank), pinyin, and German. His lists contain the 300 most frequently used words in some recent Chinese publications.

The file can be downloaded from this web page:

Lernliste häufigste chinesische Worte

Here is a quote from that page:

Eine Vokabelliste mit den 300 häufigsten chinesischen Worten.

Die Liste orientiert sich an dem Vorbild in englisch: Frequent Words. Danke an alle Helfer in den Staaten.

Cantonese Romanisation Poll

On the top right of this blog’s home page, there is currently a poll widget asking the question, “Which Cantonese romanisation system do you prefer?” If you are learning Cantonese for the Chinese field and appreciate having 3-line, etc. material with Cantonese romanisation, please take a moment to provide your answer to this question. (You may select more than one system.) Also, please direct other such ones to the poll as well. If enough people answer, then the poll will provide some meaningful input for those who prepare such material.

If you choose the Other option, please email me to tell me what other Cantonese romanisation system you prefer.

If you have an idea for another question related to learning Chinese for the Chinese field that you think it would be good to have a poll for, please email me about it.

Thanks in advance for your input!

Referenced Theo. Expressions Updated to 2010-05-12 Version

The Referenced Theo. Expressions files, available for download from the Referenced Theo. Expressions (Chinese + Pinyin + English) and Referenced Theo. Expressions (Chinese + Cant. Rom. + English) pages, have been updated. These files are meant to be relatively extensive lists of theo. expressions as they have been found to be rendered in the Chinese publications. Versions sorted by English and versions sorted by romanisation are both available.

The current version is now dated 2010-05-12. A Mandarin Pleco version and a Mandarin Wenlin version are available in addition to the PDF files. Also, a password is no longer needed to access this resource.

Bookmarks have been added to the PDF files, and PDF annotation has been enabled on them, so “LN-A” (“Link Navigation-Annotation”) has been added to their filenames. See the PDF Link Navigation page and the PDF Annotation (Commenting) page for more information.

Note that the current version of Pleco for iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad now supports flashcards and user-created dictionaries. So, the RTE Pleco Instructions file now contains instructions for installing the RTE Pleco files in Pleco running on these devices.

Thanks go out to the one who helped to produce these files.

Pinyin Tones Tool for Windows

A brother recently contacted me regarding a little program he wrote for typing pinyin (along with those pesky vowels with the funny tone symbols) on Windows computers. It is free for personal (non-commercial) use, like that of ours in the Chinese field.

Here is his web page for this program:

Pinyin Tones Tool

I plan to include the above link in the next update of the Theo. Chinese Links file.

An Early iPad User in the Chinese Field Shares His Experience So Far

...in this new post at tiandi.info. I expect the iPad to have a major impact on how computer-based resources for the Chinese field are used in the days ahead, and this post provides some specific information regarding the current state of iPad usage in the Chinese field.

To obtain the login information for tiandi.info, request e-mail notification of news regarding available resources, or if you have any questions or comments, you may e-mail me at waynerj@shaw.ca, providing information such as what group or congregation you’re with, who referred you to this site, etc.

Talk 20 Recordings

Audio and video recordings of Mandarin public talk 20 are now available from the Mandarin Public Talks Audio & Video page. The recordings are available in MP3, iPod video, CD, and DVD formats. Chairmen’s information is also available in Simp.+Pinyin+English 3-line PDF format.

For information on how to access this page, email me, providing information such as what group or congregation you’re with, who referred you to this site, etc.

Password Protection Removed From, LN-A Added to the Frequently Used Words Page Files

A password is no longer required to access the files from the Frequently Used Words page. This change will gradually be made to other resources as well on a case-by-case basis.

Also, PDF Link Navigation and PDF Annotation (Commenting) has been added to the files, so they have had “LN-A” added to their filenames.

Related links:

• 3-Line Material on the iPhone and the iPod touch


• PDF Link Navigation


• PDF Annotation (Commenting)

Talk 59 Recordings

Audio and video recordings of Mandarin public talk 59 are now available from the Mandarin Public Talks Audio & Video page. The recordings are available in MP3, iPod video, CD, and DVD formats. Chairmen’s information is also available in Simp.+Pinyin+English 3-line PDF format.

For information on how to access this page, email me, providing information such as what group or congregation you’re with, who referred you to this site, etc.

For thoughts on how the April 2010 km Question Box relates or does not relate to the Mandarin Public Talks Audio & Video page and its contents, please check out the contents of this file. (The password is the same as for the files available for download from the Mandarin Public Talks Audio & Video page.)

3-Line XLP-iPhone-A5 Size LN-A Files For Ch. 6 of the “My Follower” Bk. Posted

3-line pinyin and Sidney Lau XLP-iPhone-A5 size files with LinkNav and annotation (commenting) for Chapter 6 of the “My Follower” book are now available for download from the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page.

A password is not needed to access these files.

The relevant folders at the 3lines.org site contain an HTML file with a link to the “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page.

Related links:

• 3-Line Material on the iPhone and the iPod touch


• Printing Extra Large Print 3-Line Material


• PDF Link Navigation


• PDF Annotation (Commenting)

PDF Annotation (Commenting) Introduced to 3-Line Files

It appears that more and more, the 3-line and pinyin PDF files will be used on computers, including mobile devices such as the iPhone, the iPod touch, and the iPad, rather than printed out on paper. So, bookmarks and links have been added to some of these PDF files in order to take advantage of the computing power available and reduce the amount of scrolling around needed while using them, especially on mobile devices. (See the PDF Link Navigation page for more information, including a video screen recording of the PDF bookmarks and links in action.) Now, annotation, or the ability to add notes or comments, has now begun to be added to some PDF files as well. Annotation is analogous to margin notes, etc. on paper printouts.

The newly created PDF Annotation (Commenting) page provides more information on PDF annotation, and includes screenshots showing how PDFs can be annotated in Adobe Reader and in Mac OS X’s Preview program.

The PDF files named with “LN-A” (“Link Navigation-Annotation”) are the ones that have been enriched and fortified with PDF bookmarks, links, and annotation.

All the PDF files available for download on the slightly renamed “My Follower” Book (3-Line, XLP-iPhone-A5, LN-A) page have been upgraded from the LinkNav to the LN-A feature set, and they are the first LN-A PDF files available.

The iPad is So Easy to Use...

...that a cat can use it, as shown by this new post at tiandi.info. It’s just one more reason I expect it to have a major impact on how computer-based resources for the Chinese field are used in the days ahead.

To obtain the login information for tiandi.info, request e-mail notification of news regarding available resources, or if you have any questions or comments, you may e-mail me at waynerj@shaw.ca, providing information such as what group or congregation you’re with, who referred you to this site, etc.

A4/Letter Size “My Follower” Bk. 3-Line Material Up To the End of Ch. 7 Posted

A4/letter size 3-line material up to the end of Chapter 7 of the “My Follower” book is now available for download from the 3lines.org site. Mandarin pinyin and Cantonese Jyutping, Sidney Lau, and Yale material are available.

Additionally, the Simplified (CHS) Mandarin pinyin files are now also available in “black” versions, which only use black to render the material rather than using blue and red for some of it like the regular files.

At the 3lines.org home page, just answer the Witness-testing questions (no commas), click on the bs (Book Study) graphic, and click through to your desired type of file.