וּלְאָדָ֣ם אָמַ֗ר כִּֽי־שָׁמַעְתָּ֮ לְקֹ֣ול אִשְׁתֶּךָ֒ וַתֹּ֨אכַל֙ מִן־הָעֵ֔ץ אֲשֶׁ֤ר צִוִּיתִ֨יךָ֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לֹ֥א תֹאכַ֖ל מִמֶּ֑נּוּ אֲרוּרָ֤ה הָֽאֲדָמָה֙ בַּֽעֲבוּרֶ֔ךָ בְּעִצָּבֹון֙ תֹּֽאכֲלֶ֔נָּה כֹּ֖ל יְמֵ֥י חַיֶּֽיךָ׃
上帝對亞當說：「因為你聽從了你妻子的話，吃了我吩咐你不可吃的樹上的果子，地因你受了咒詛；你必憂愁勞苦，終身才能從地裡得吃的。」
上帝对亚当说：「因为你听从了你妻子的话，吃了我吩咐你不可吃的树上的果子，地因你受了咒诅；你必忧愁劳苦，终身才能从地里得吃的。」
Shàngdì duì Yàdāng shuō: “Yīnwèi nǐ tīng cóng le nǐ qī zi de huà, chī le wǒ fēn fù nǐ bù kě chī de shù shàng de guǒ zi, dì yīn nǐ shòu le zhòu zǔ; nǐ bì yōu chóu láo kǔ, zhōng shēn cái néng cóng dì lǐ dé chī de.”
God said to Adam, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it,’ the ground is cursed because of you; you will eat of it in toil all the days of your life.”
1. Vocabulary Breakdown
| Chinese Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Grammar Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 上帝 | Shàngdì | God | Proper noun |
| 對 / 对 | duì | To, towards | Preposition |
| 亞當 / 亚当 | Yàdāng | Adam | Proper noun |
| 說 / 说 | shuō | To say | Verb |
| 因為 / 因为 | yīn wèi | Because | Conjunction |
| 聽從 / 听从 | tīng cóng | To listen to, obey | Verb |
| 妻子 | qī zi | Wife | Noun |
| 話 / 话 | huà | Words, speech | Noun |
| 吩咐 | fēn fù | To command | Verb |
| 不可 | bù kě | Not allowed to | Verb phrase |
| 樹 / 树 | shù | Tree | Noun |
| 地 | dì | Ground, earth | Noun |
| 咒詛 / 咒诅 | zhòu zǔ | Curse | Noun |
| 憂愁 / 忧愁 | yōu chóu | Grief, sorrow | Noun |
| 勞苦 / 劳苦 | láo kǔ | Hard labor | Noun |
| 終身 / 终身 | zhōng shēn | Lifelong | Adverbial phrase |
| 得 | dé | To obtain | Verb |
2. Grammar Explanation
Sentence Structure:
- 上帝對亞當說：「因為你聽從了你妻子的話 (Shàngdì duì Yàdāng shuō: ‘Yīnwèi nǐ tīng cóng le nǐ qī zi de huà’): God explains the reason for Adam’s punishment, emphasizing his disobedience.
- 吃了我吩咐你不可吃的樹上的果子 (chī le wǒ fēn fù nǐ bù kě chī de shù shàng de guǒ zi): Specifies the act of eating the forbidden fruit.
- 地因你受了咒詛；你必憂愁勞苦 (dì yīn nǐ shòu le zhòu zǔ; nǐ bì yōu chóu láo kǔ): Describes the curse on the ground and Adam’s resulting labor.
- 終身才能從地裡得吃的 (zhōng shēn cái néng cóng dì lǐ dé chī de): Indicates lifelong struggle to obtain food from the ground.
Key Grammar Points:
- 因為 / 因为 (yīn wèi): A conjunction indicating cause or reason, meaning “because.”
- 聽從 / 听从 (tīng cóng): A verb phrase meaning “to listen to” or “to obey.”
- 地因你受了咒詛 (dì yīn nǐ shòu le zhòu zǔ): The structure indicates causation, “the ground is cursed because of you.”
3. Pronunciation Practice
Pinyin: Shàngdì duì Yàdāng shuō: “Yīnwèi nǐ tīng cóng le nǐ qī zi de huà, chī le wǒ fēn fù nǐ bù kě chī de shù shàng de guǒ zi, dì yīn nǐ shòu le zhòu zǔ; nǐ bì yōu chóu láo kǔ, zhōng shēn cái néng cóng dì lǐ dé chī de.”
Tone Practice:
- 上帝 (Shàngdì): 4th tone (falling) + 4th tone (falling)
- 對 / 对 (duì): 4th tone (falling)
- 亞當 / 亚当 (Yàdāng): 4th tone (falling) + 1st tone (flat)
- 說 / 说 (shuō): 1st tone (flat)
- 因為 / 因为 (yīn wèi): 1st tone (flat) + 4th tone (falling)
- 聽從 / 听从 (tīng cóng): 1st tone (flat) + 2nd tone (rising)
- 妻子 (qī zi): 1st tone (flat) + neutral tone
- 話 / 话 (huà): 4th tone (falling)
- 吩咐 (fēn fù): 1st tone (flat) + 4th tone (falling)
- 不可 (bù kě): 4th tone (falling) + 3rd tone (falling-rising)
- 樹 / 树 (shù): 4th tone (falling)
- 地 (dì): 4th tone (falling)
- 咒詛 / 咒诅 (zhòu zǔ): 4th tone (falling) + 3rd tone (falling-rising)
- 憂愁 / 忧愁 (yōu chóu): 1st tone (flat) + 2nd tone (rising)
- 勞苦 / 劳苦 (láo kǔ): 2nd tone (rising) + 3rd tone (falling-rising)
- 終身 / 终身 (zhōng shēn): 1st tone (flat) + 1st tone (flat)
- 得 (dé): 2nd tone (rising)
4. Character Learning
Key Characters:
- 聽從 / 听从 (tīng cóng): Means “to listen to” or “to obey,” emphasizing submission to authority or advice.
- 吩咐 (fēn fù): Means “to command,” often used in formal or authoritative contexts.
- 咒詛 / 咒诅 (zhòu zǔ): Refers to a “curse,” symbolizing divine or moral judgment.
- 勞苦 / 劳苦 (láo kǔ): Means “hard labor,” describing strenuous effort or toil.
5. Cultural Insights
- Responsibility and Consequences: Adam’s punishment emphasizes personal responsibility for actions, resonating with Confucian ideals of individual accountability within a moral framework.
- The Cursed Ground: The connection between human actions and environmental consequences aligns with Taoist views of harmony and disruption in nature.
- Labor and Virtue: The emphasis on toil as a consequence reflects Chinese cultural values that associate hard work with character development and moral growth.
6. Mnemonics for Retention
- 聽從 / 听从 (tīng cóng): Imagine a person carefully listening and nodding, indicating obedience.
- 咒詛 / 咒诅 (zhòu zǔ): Visualize a scroll with ominous writing symbolizing a divine curse.
- 勞苦 / 劳苦 (láo kǔ): Picture someone sweating while plowing a field to emphasize toil.
7. Comparative Studies
- Comparison with Hebrew:
- כִּֽי־שָׁמַעְתָּ֮ לְקֹ֣ול אִשְׁתֶּךָ֒ (Ki Shamata LeKol Ishtekha): → 因為你聽從了你妻子的話 (Yīnwèi nǐ tīng cóng le nǐ qī zi de huà): Both describe Adam’s act of listening to his wife’s voice.
- אֲרוּרָ֤ה הָֽאֲדָמָה֙ בַּֽעֲבוּרֶ֔ךָ (Arurah HaAdamah BaAvurekha): → 地因你受了咒詛 (Dì yīn nǐ shòu le zhòu zǔ): Both indicate that the ground is cursed because of Adam’s actions.
- בְּעִצָּבֹון֙ תֹּֽאכֲלֶ֔נָּה כֹּ֖ל יְמֵ֥י חַיֶּֽיךָ (BeItzavon Tochalena Kol Yemei Hayekha): → 你必憂愁勞苦，終身才能從地裡得吃的 (Nǐ bì yōu chóu láo kǔ, zhōng shēn cái néng cóng dì lǐ dé chī de): Both emphasize lifelong toil for sustenance.
- Comparison with English:
- “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife” matches 因為你聽從了你妻子的話 (Yīnwèi nǐ tīng cóng le nǐ qī zi de huà): Both attribute Adam’s punishment to his disobedience.
- “Cursed is the ground because of you” aligns with 地因你受了咒詛 (Dì yīn nǐ shòu le zhòu zǔ): Both emphasize the consequences of Adam’s actions.
- “In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life” corresponds to 你必憂愁勞苦，終身才能從地裡得吃的 (Nǐ bì yōu chóu láo kǔ, zhōng shēn cái néng cóng dì lǐ dé chī de): Both highlight the hardship of labor for sustenance.
- Comparison with Chinese Cultural Concepts:
- Responsibility and Punishment: The idea that Adam’s actions bring a curse on the ground aligns with Chinese moral philosophy that actions have broader consequences.
- Labor as Virtue: The emphasis on labor reflects Confucian and Taoist values that associate hard work with moral and spiritual growth.
