On the Method of Zadig: Essay #1 from "Science and Hebrew Tradition" — Page 1

Vocabulary

由

yóu — by, from, through; indicates agent or cause

制作

zhìzuò — to produce, create, or manufacture something

论

lùn — treatise, discourse; to discuss or argue about

的

de — possessive/attributive particle; of

方法

fāngfǎ — method, approach, or way of doing something

科学

kēxué — science; scientific knowledge or study

与

yǔ — and, with; together with

希伯来

Xībólái — Hebrew; relating to the Hebrew people or language

传统

chuántǒng — tradition; traditional customs or practices

第一篇

dì yī piān — the first chapter or article in a text

著

zhù — to write, author; noted, famous work

回溯性

huísùxìng — retrospective in nature; looking back at past events

预言

yùyán — prophecy, prediction; to foretell future events

作为

zuòwéi — as, in the role of; to act as something

功能

gōngnéng — function, capability, or purpose of something

一个

yī gè — one, a single; general measure word for things

比

bǐ — compared to; than; comparison particle

所有

suǒyǒu — all, every; to possess or own everything

标记

biāojì — mark, sign, label; to mark or indicate something

都

dōu — all, both; indicating totality or inclusiveness

更

gèng — even more, still more; comparative degree marker

可靠

kěkào — reliable, dependable, trustworthy in nature

在

zài — at, in, on; to be located at a place

讨论

tǎolùn — to discuss, debate; a discussion or deliberation

一位

yī wèi — one (person); polite measure word for people

哲学

zhéxué — philosophy; the study of fundamental questions

思想家

sīxiǎngjiā — thinker, intellectual; person of significant ideas

观点

guāndiǎn — viewpoint, perspective, or point of view

之前

zhīqián — before, prior to; preceding a time or event

先

xiān — first, beforehand; to do something in advance

介绍

jièshào — to introduce, present; an introduction of someone

此人

cǐ rén — this person; referring to the person mentioned

及

jí — and, as well as; to reach or attain something

塑造

sùzào — to shape, mold, or form a character or image

其

qí — his, her, its, their; third-person possessive pronoun

生平

shēngpíng — one's life, lifetime; biographical details of someone

影响

yǐngxiǎng — influence, impact; to affect or have effect on

看待

kàndài — to regard, view, or look at something a certain way

事物

shìwù — things, matters, objects in the world

方式

fāngshì — way, manner, mode of doing or approaching

各种

gèzhǒng — various kinds, all sorts of different types

情形

qíngxíng — situation, circumstance, state of affairs

这

zhè — this; demonstrative pronoun referring to nearby thing

是

shì — to be; copula linking subject and predicate

一种

yī zhǒng — a kind of, a type of; one variety of something

惯常

guàncháng — customary, habitual, usual practice or behavior

而

ér — and, yet, but; connective conjunction between clauses

值得

zhídé — worth, deserving; meriting attention or praise

称道

chēngdào — to praise, commend; worthy of being spoken well of

做法

zuòfǎ — approach, practice, way of doing something

然而

rán'ér — however, yet, but; transitional adversative conjunction

尽管

jǐnguǎn — although, even though; despite the fact that

最

zuì — most; superlative degree marker before adjectives

重要

zhòngyào — important, significant, crucial in nature

著作

zhùzuò — written works, publications; scholarly writings

其中

qízhōng — among them, within that; inside a group or set

关键

guānjiàn — key, crucial, critical point or factor

章节

zhāngjié — chapters and sections of a book or text

中

zhōng — in, within, middle; inside a place or group

被

bèi — passive marker; indicates action done to subject

引用

yǐnyòng — to quote, cite; referencing another's words or work

人们

rénmen — people, folks; people in general collectively

对

duì — toward, regarding; correct; facing or directed at

他

tā — he, him; third-person singular male pronoun

了解

liǎojiě — to understand, know, be familiar with someone

却

què — yet, but, however; expressing contrast or surprise

甚少

shèn shǎo — very little, very few; extremely scarce amount

为数不多

wéishù bù duō — few in number; only a small amount exists

或许

huòxǔ — perhaps, maybe; expressing possibility or uncertainty

也

yě — also, too, as well; additive particle

有待

yǒudài — yet to be, awaiting; still needing to be done

充分

chōngfèn — sufficient, full, thorough; fully adequate

考证

kǎozhèng — to verify historically, authenticate through research

据说

jùshuō — it is said that; reportedly, allegedly

生活

shēnghuó — life, livelihood; to live, to reside somewhere

时值

shí zhí — at the time of; occurring during a specific period

在位

zàiwèi — to reign, be on the throne; holding royal power

之时

zhī shí — at the time of; during that particular period

近年来

jìn nián lái — in recent years; over the past few years

楔形文字

xiēxíng wénzì — cuneiform script; ancient wedge-shaped writing system

解读者

jiědúzhě — interpreter, decoder; one who deciphers texts

凭借

píngjiè — by means of, relying on; using something as support

耐心

nàixīn — patience; patient and persevering in attitude

勤勉

qínmiǎn — diligent, industrious, hardworking in effort

所

suǒ — particle before verb indicating result of action

揭示

jiēshì — to reveal, disclose, uncover hidden information

君主

jūnzhǔ — monarch, sovereign; a king or supreme ruler

名录

mínglù — registry, name list; official record of names

并不见

bìng bù jiàn — does not appear; nowhere to be found in record

其名

qí míng — his or its name; the name of that person

我

wǒ — I, me; first-person singular pronoun

确实

quèshí — indeed, truly, certainly; expressing affirmation

不

bù — not, no; negation particle before verbs/adjectives

知道

zhīdào — to know, be aware of; having knowledge of something

除了

chúle — except for, besides; excluding something from consideration

传记作者

zhuànjì zuòzhě — biographer; person who writes another's life story

之外

zhīwài — outside of, beyond, apart from something

还有

háiyǒu — there is also, furthermore; in addition to

什么

shénme — what; interrogative pronoun for asking about things

其他

qítā — other, else; referring to remaining or additional things

权威

quánwēi — authority, expert; having recognized power or expertise

能

néng — can, be able to; expressing ability or possibility

证明

zhèngmíng — to prove, demonstrate; serving as evidence of something

存在

cúnzài — to exist; existence, being present in reality

严格

yángé — strict, rigorous, exacting in standards or requirements

历史

lìshǐ — history; the study or record of past events

准确性

zhǔnquèxìng — accuracy, precision; the quality of being exact

诸多

zhūduō — many, numerous; a great number of things

显著

xiǎnzhù — notable, remarkable, conspicuous; standing out clearly

优点

yōudiǎn — merit, strong point, advantage of something

恐怕

kǒngpà — I'm afraid, probably; expressing concern or likelihood

算不上

suàn bu shàng — cannot be counted as; does not qualify as

之一

zhī yī — one of; indicating membership in a group

幸运

xìngyùn — lucky, fortunate; having good fortune or luck

许多

xǔduō — many, much, a lot of; large quantity

哲学家

zhéxuéjiā — philosopher; person who studies or practices philosophy

处境

chǔjìng — situation, circumstance; the condition one finds oneself in

相同

xiāngtóng — same, identical; being the same as something else

生前

shēngqián — during one's lifetime; before one's death

何

hé — what, how, which; interrogative or exclamatory word

模样

múyàng — appearance, look, shape; how someone or thing looks

乃至

nǎizhì — even, and even; extending to an extreme case

究竟

jiūjìng — after all, exactly, in the end; seeking clarification

是否

shìfǒu — whether or not; used to express doubt or inquiry

真实

zhēnshí — real, true, authentic; corresponding to actual facts

过

guò — experiential aspect marker; to have done something before

无关紧要

wúguān jǐnyào — unimportant, irrelevant; of no significance whatsoever

事情

shìqíng — matter, affair, thing; something that happens or exists