וְהָאָ֗רֶץ הָיְתָ֥ה תֹ֨הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ וְחֹ֖שֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י תְהֹ֑ום וְר֣וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֔ים מְרַחֶ֖פֶת עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הַמָּֽיִם׃
地是空虛混沌，淵面黑暗；神的靈運行在水面上。
地是空虚混沌，渊面黑暗；神的灵运行在水面上。
Dì shì kōngxū hùndùn, yuān miàn hēi’àn; shén de líng yùnxíng zài shuǐ miàn shàng.
The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
1. Vocabulary Breakdown
| Chinese Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Grammar Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 地 | dì | Earth | Subject noun |
| 是 | shì | Was, is | Verb |
| 空虛 / 空虚 | kōngxū | Formless, empty | Adjective |
| 混沌 | hùndùn | Chaos, void | Noun |
| 淵 / 渊 | yuān | Abyss, deep | Noun |
| 面 | miàn | Surface | Noun |
| 黑暗 | hēi’àn | Darkness | Noun |
| 神 | shén | God | Subject noun |
| 靈 / 灵 | líng | Spirit | Noun |
| 運行 / 运行 | yùnxíng | Hovering, moving | Verb |
| 在 | zài | On, at, over | Preposition |
| 水 | shuǐ | Water | Noun |
| 上 | shàng | Above, over | Adverb |
2. Grammar Explanation
Sentence Structure:
- 地是空虛混沌 (dì shì kōngxū hùndùn): Subject-predicate structure. 地 (dì) is the subject, and 是 (shì) links it to its descriptive state, 空虛混沌 (kōngxū hùndùn).
- 淵面黑暗 (yuān miàn hēi’àn): Describes the state of the abyss.
- 神的靈運行在水面上 (shén de líng yùnxíng zài shuǐ miàn shàng): SVO structure describing the action of God’s Spirit hovering over the water.
Conjunctions and Prepositions:
- ；(semicolon): Separates clauses in Chinese translations.
- 在 (zài): Indicates location (“on,” “at,” or “over”).
Tense Indication: Tense is implied contextually in Chinese rather than marked grammatically.
3. Pronunciation Practice
Pinyin: Dì shì kōngxū hùndùn, yuān miàn hēi’àn; shén de líng yùnxíng zài shuǐ miàn shàng.
Tone Practice:
- 地 (dì): 4th tone (falling)
- 是 (shì): 4th tone (falling)
- 空虛 (kōngxū): 1st tone (high) + 1st tone (high)
- 黑暗 (hēi’àn): 1st tone (high) + 4th tone (falling)
4. Character Learning
Key Characters:
- 空虛 / 空虚 (kōngxū): Represents “formless” or “empty.”
- 混沌 (hùndùn): Symbolizes “chaos” or “void.”
- 淵 / 渊 (yuān): Refers to the abyss or depths.
- 靈 / 灵 (líng): Means “spirit” or “soul,” often associated with divine activity.
Radicals and Meanings:
- 空 (kōng): Contains the radical 穴 (cave), indicating emptiness.
- 黑 (hēi): Represents “black” or “darkness.”
- 水 (shuǐ): A pictograph of flowing water.
5. Cultural Insights
- 空虛混沌 (kōngxū hùndùn): Reflects a shared ancient worldview of the earth starting as formless and chaotic, similar to early Chinese cosmological thought.
- 靈 (líng): The word 靈 / 灵 often connotes divine or spiritual activity in Chinese, aligning with the Hebrew רוּחַ (ruach) as “Spirit of God.”
6. Mnemonics for Retention
- 空虛 (kōngxū): Imagine a hollow cave (空) that feels empty and void.
- 靈 (líng): Visualize the Spirit (雨 radical) hovering over water.
- 黑暗 (hēi’àn): Picture total darkness, as if inside a pitch-black abyss.
7. Comparative Studies
- Comparison with Hebrew:
- וְהָאָ֗רֶץ הָיְתָ֥ה (Veha’aretz hayetah): → 地是 (dì shì): Both describe the state of the earth, where Hebrew uses the verb “was” (הָיְתָ֥ה) and Chinese uses the linking verb “是” (shì).
- תֹ֨הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ (tohu vavohu): → 空虛混沌 (kōngxū hùndùn): Both phrases represent “formless and void,” capturing chaos and emptiness.
- וְחֹ֖שֶׁךְ (vechoshekh): → 黑暗 (hēi’àn): Both refer to darkness covering the surface.
- רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים (Ruach Elohim): → 神的靈 (shén de líng): Both signify “the Spirit of God” hovering or moving actively.
- עַל־פְּנֵ֣י הַמָּֽיִם (al-penei hamayim): → 在水面上 (zài shuǐ miàn shàng): Both describe the Spirit hovering “over the surface of the waters.”
- Comparison with English:
- Both English and Chinese maintain a similar structure for describing the state of the earth and actions of the Spirit.
- Chinese avoids auxiliary verbs like “was” in the description of “formless and void” but conveys the same meaning contextually through 是 (shì).
- The semicolon (；) in Chinese serves to separate descriptive clauses, similar to how English uses commas or conjunctions.
