Monday, May 06, 2024

Ludicrous Levels of Denial About Characters

To provide a bit of background, “common things should be easy…” is often considered a good guiding principle in the world of computer software development. For example, pioneering computer scientist Alan Kay said:

“Simple things should be simple, complex things should be possible.”

This basic idea has also been declared to be a guiding principle for widely used software projects such as the Perl programming language and Apple’s SwiftUI framework.


Since writing systems like Chinese characters and Pīnyīn are really technologies, it is fair and reasonable to want common things like reading and writing Mandarin expressions (especially common ones!) to be easy, just as we want other common technological things to be easy.


Chinese Characters Are Not User-Friendly, Discouraging Their Use

Saturday, May 04, 2024

MEotW: gāogē

The Mandarin Expression of the Week is:

What can help us to sing like the angels at Mandarin meetings, conventions, etc.?


2024 convention song “‘Hǎo Xiāoxi’!” (music+_Pīnyīn_), on iPhone (landscape orientation)

The 2024 convention song “‘Hǎo Xiāoxi’!” (music+Pīnyīn), on an iPhone (landscape orientation)


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Friday, May 03, 2024

The Complexity of Chinese Characters Is Nothing to Sneeze At!

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Learn From the Bible Bk. Proofread Pīnyīn Web Material or Better for Lesson 62 Added

[NOTE: For spiritual food (which is for you yourself to learn spiritual things from, and which ideally should be in your own mother tongue), please go to jw.org.


The supplementary language-learning material mentioned in this post is for helping you to learn about how the Mandarin language is used in an official publication, so that you will be better able to help others in the Mandarin language field.]


Proofread Pīnyīn web material (more correct than computer-generated Pīnyīn like that displayed by apps like Equipd, and more mobile-friendly than PDFs) or better for Lesson 62 of the Learn From the Bible book has been added to the following resource:

  • _Learn From the Bible_ Bk. _Pīnyīn_ Plus web icon
  • Learn From the Bible Bk.
    (Pīnyīn Plus, Web)

    (rich information about Mandarin speech
    for discussing Bible lessons and accounts,
    as represented by the text of the
    Mandarin Learn From the Bible book,
    2021-09 Printing, proofread, mobile-friendly,
    PWA Logo can be used offline in supporting browsers,
    PWA Logo icon can be added to the home screen
    with supporting browsers,

    “flashcards” integrated with the text,
    (tap/click on a Pīnyīn expression
    to reveal its
    “flashcard”,
    tap/click on a “flashcard” or its Pīnyīn expression
    to hide the
    “flashcard”),
    Pīnyīn (Pinyin) used as the default writing system,
    carefully done human-translated
    context-appropriate English translations
    with literal & effective meanings,
    Simplified & Traditional characters,
    📖 Reveal All, 📄 Reveal Advanced,
    and 📘 Reveal None controls for
    all the “flashcards” in a lesson, paragraph, etc.,
    links for getting around,
    picture thumbnails & links, audio links,
    Night Theme that can be turned on or off
    using the ☀️/🌙 button at the top right,
    adjustable text size)
    (Info re offline viewing and printing)
  • Short Links:
    Links > Publications > Books >
    Learn From the Bible Book Links (tiandi.info/lfb)

In the above resource, the following web material is now available for the Mandarin Learn From the Bible book:

Proofread Pīnyīn Plus material:

  • Beginning to Lesson 4

Partially proofread Pīnyīn and Pīnyīn Plus material:

  • Lesson 5 to Lesson 59
  • Material with a grey background has been partially proofread. Pīnyīn material with a golden-hued background has been proofread, but not all of its “flashcards” have been added and proofread.

Proofread Pīnyīn and partially proofread Pīnyīn Plus material:

  • Lesson 60 to Lesson 62
  • Pīnyīn material with a golden-hued background has been proofread, but not all of its “flashcards” have been added and proofread.

Note that like most of the other Pīnyīn Plus web material resources, the above resource can be used offline in supporting browsers. Also, an icon can be added to the home screen with supporting browsers.


[NOTE: While the organization expresses valid general concerns here about posting copies of official publications to the Internet, there are good legal and spiritual reasons for concluding that those concerns do not apply to this particular material, since such material should NOT be considered to be infringing on copyright, and since such material is specifically designed to be, NOT SPIRITUAL FOOD, but rather, material FOR LANGUAGE LEARNING. See this disclaimer for more information.]


Wednesday, April 24, 2024

Status vs. the Truth

Friday, April 19, 2024

MEotW: Yuèyǔ

The Mandarin Expression of the Week is:

Is Cantonese just a dialect of “Chinese”? Is Cantonese just a spoken language?


Chinese varieties on jw.org as of 2024-04-14

Publications are now available on jw.org that are written in these Chinese varieties.


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Friday, April 12, 2024

MEotW: zhēngyì

The Mandarin Expression of the Week is:

Do we just “go along to get along” to avoid controversy when it comes to products of worldly culture such as evolution and Chinese characters?


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Friday, April 05, 2024

MEotW: gāo’ào

The Mandarin Expression of the Week is:

How did the Pharaoh that Moses and Aaron dealt with prove himself to be a bozo? How have many Chinese scholars acted similarly?


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Friday, March 29, 2024

MEotW: yì‐nián‐yí‐dù

The Mandarin Expression of the Week is:

Are Chinese characters the ultimate clarifiers of meaning in Mandarin?


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Thursday, March 21, 2024

MEotW: fùhuó

The Mandarin Expression of the Week is:

How is the Mandarin word for “resurrection” constructed?


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Friday, March 15, 2024

MEotW: zhōngzhǐ

The Mandarin Expression of the Week is:

How can we say in Mandarin that Jesus will end war?


John Lennon and Yoko Ono with a sign saying “WAR IS OVER! IF YOU WANT IT Happy Christmas from John & Yoko”

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License logo Wasfi Akab


Yes, war will be over, although perhaps not exactly in the way they had imagined. [source]


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Thursday, March 07, 2024

MEotW: shěshēn

The Mandarin Expression of the Week is:

Are Chinese characters worthy and good just because they’re hard?


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Screenshot of “_shěshēn_” in 1 Co. 13:3 (nwtsty, CHS+_Pīnyīn_ WOL)


The Great Wall of China


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Saturday, March 02, 2024

MEotW: jīngmíng

The Mandarin Expression of the Week is:

How can we be shrewd with regard to evolution and creation, and with regard to learning Mandarin?



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Friday, March 01, 2024

The Enjoy Life Forever! Bk. Pīnyīn Plus Web Resource Now Matches the 2024-01 Official Mandarin Version on the WOL

[NOTE: For spiritual food (which is for you yourself to learn spiritual things from, and which ideally should be in your own mother tongue), please go to jw.org.


The supplementary language-learning material mentioned in this post is for helping you to learn about how the Mandarin language is used in an official publication, so that you will be better able to help others in the Mandarin language field.]


The Enjoy Life Forever! (lff) book is now officially recommended for use on Bible studies, and it is now part of the Teaching Toolbox in the JW Library app. To help us Mandarin field language learners to be prepared language-wise to make good use of this new book without being unnecessarily hindered by the Great Wall of Chinese characters that’s mandated by mere human tradition and cultural pride, the following unofficial Pīnyīn Plus web material resource is being made available, which matches the 2024-01 Printing now on the Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY:


  • _Enjoy Life Forever!_ Bk. _Pīnyīn_ Plus web icon
  • Enjoy Life Forever! Bk.
    (Pīnyīn Plus, Web)

    (rich information about Mandarin speech
    for discussing basic Bible teachings,
    as represented by the text of the
    Mandarin Enjoy Life Forever! book,
    2024-01 Printing, proofread, mobile-friendly,
    PWA Logo can be used offline in supporting browsers,
    PWA Logo icon can be added to the home screen
    with supporting browsers,

    “flashcards” integrated with the text,
    (tap/click on a Pīnyīn expression to reveal its “flashcard”,
    tap/click on a “flashcard” or its Pīnyīn expression
    to hide the
    “flashcard”),
    Pīnyīn (Pinyin) used as the default writing system,
    carefully done human-translated
    context-appropriate English translations
    with literal & effective meanings,
    Simplified & Traditional characters,
    📖 Reveal All, 📄 Reveal Advanced,
    and 📘 Reveal None controls for
    all the “flashcards” in a lesson, paragraph, etc.,
    links for getting around,
    picture thumbnails & links, audio links,
    video thumbnails, links, & transcripts,
    Night Theme that can be turned on or off
    using the ☀️/🌙 button at the top right,
    adjustable text size)
    (Info re offline viewing and printing)
  • Short Links:
    Links > Publications > Books >
    Enjoy Life Forever! Book Links (tiandi.info/lff)

Videos are used extensively in the Enjoy Life Forever! book, and a noteworthy feature of the above resource is Pīnyīn Plus video transcripts. These should help us Mandarin field language learners to analyze and understand the Mandarin speech used in the many videos referenced in the Mandarin Enjoy Life Forever! book. This in turn should help us make more effective use of these videos while participating in Mandarin Bible discussions using this book.


Also, using the Pīnyīn Plus video transcripts while watching and listening to the corresponding Mandarin videos gives us good practice at listening to Mandarin speech, with help when needed so that we can actually follow along and understand it, and learn to use it ourselves in the future.


lff Lesson 01 - Video Transcripts - Enjoy Life Forever! Bk. (Pīnyīn Plus, Web)


(Tapping/clicking on the above image will take you to the web page represented.)


In the above resource, material matching both the current 2024-01 Printing of the Mandarin Enjoy Life Forever! book and the current 2023 Study Edition (nwtsty) of the Mandarin NWT Bible is now available that covers the following:

Fully Proofread Pīnyīn Plus Material:

  • Front Cover to the end of Lesson 02

Partially Proofread Pīnyīn/Pīnyīn Plus Material or Better:

  • Lesson 03 to Lesson 14, Point 3
  • Lesson 25, up to Point 2;
  • Lesson 39, Point 4;
  • Endnote 1;
  • Get Started Reading the Bible;
  • Track Your Bible Reading

(Even in the latter category above, headings and relatively short paragraphs are typically rendered with fully proofread Pīnyīn Plus material.)


Material with a grey background has been partially proofread. Pīnyīn material with a golden-hued background has been proofread, but not all of its “flashcards” have been added and proofread.


More Pīnyīn and Pīnyīn Plus web material based on the Mandarin Enjoy Life Forever! book will be made available in the above resource as time allows.


(NOTE: While the organization expresses valid general concerns here about posting copies of official publications to the Internet, there are good legal and spiritual reasons for concluding that those concerns do not apply to this particular material, since such material should NOT be considered to be infringing on copyright, and since such material is specifically designed to be, NOT SPIRITUAL FOOD, but rather, material FOR LANGUAGE LEARNING. See this disclaimer for more information.)


Friday, February 23, 2024

MEotW: Bālèsītǎnrén

The Mandarin Expression of the Week is:

What are some Mandarin expressions that could we use to discuss the ongoing Gaza-Israel conflict, and how could we use them?


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Friday, February 16, 2024

MEotW: fēnzǐ jùhé tǐ

The Mandarin Expression of the Week is:

What convinced one Taiwanese microbiologist that life must have been created?


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Friday, February 09, 2024

MEotW: xīndé

The Mandarin Expression of the Week is:

In the Chinese fields, is it enough to just fill our minds with knowledge about Chinese characters?


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Tuesday, February 06, 2024

Christians or Chinese Pharisees?

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

MEotW: chuán

The Mandarin Expression of the Week is:

Why might it be that current versions of the Insight book no longer have a section about the Chinese character “船 (ship)”?


P. 328 of Vol. 1 of the first printing of the _Insight_ book (1988), with a section about “船”


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Wednesday, January 24, 2024

MEotW: suíjī

The Mandarin Expression of the Week is:

How does the Mandarin word for “random” show us that evolution, as portrayed by evolutionists, is a mere opportunist?


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Friday, January 19, 2024

MEotW: xuè

The Mandarin Expression of the Week is:

What are some Mandarin expressions related to blood that are good for Mandarin field language learners to know?


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Friday, January 12, 2024

MEotW: xiǎnyǎn bāo

The Mandarin Expression of the Week is:

In the Mandarin field, should we be afraid of standing out because of using Pīnyīn?



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Tuesday, January 02, 2024

MEotW: rénxīn‐huánghuáng

The Mandarin Expression of the Week is:

When talking to Mandarin-speaking people, how might we bring up the topic of the anxiety-inducing year that we just lived through?


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