On the Method of Zadig: Essay #1 from "Science and Hebrew Tradition" — Page 15

Vocabulary

事实

shìshí — fact; actual state of affairs

上

shàng — on; above; in terms of (particle)

古生物学

gǔshēngwùxué — paleontology; study of ancient life forms

的

de — structural particle indicating possession or modification

整个

zhěnggè — entire; whole; the complete thing

体系

tǐxì — system; organized framework or structure

将会

jiāng huì — will; shall; is going to happen

土崩瓦解

tǔbēng wǎjiě — completely collapse; fall apart like crumbling earth

除非

chúfēi — unless; only if; except when

我们

wǒmen — we; us; our group

承认

chéngrèn — acknowledge; admit; recognize as valid

伟大

wěidà — great; magnificent; of outstanding significance

原则

yuánzé — principle; fundamental rule or guideline

有效性

yǒuxiàoxìng — validity; effectiveness; state of being valid

即

jí — namely; that is; i.e.

相同

xiāngtóng — identical; the same; alike in nature

结果

jiéguǒ — result; outcome; consequence of something

意味着

yìwèizhe — implies; means; signifies something specific

原因

yuányīn — cause; reason; underlying factor

并且

bìngqiě — and; moreover; in addition to that

从

cóng — from; based on; starting from a point

一枚

yī méi — one (small flat object); a single piece

贝壳

bèiké — shell; hard outer covering of mollusks

一颗

yī kē — one (small round object); a single grain or tooth

牙齿

yáchǐ — tooth; teeth; hard biting structure in mouth

或

huò — or; either; alternatively

一根

yī gēn — one (long thin object); a single bone or stick

骨骼

gǔgé — skeleton; bones; the skeletal structure of body

推断

tuīduàn — infer; deduce; draw a logical conclusion

其

qí — its; his; their (literary third-person possessive)

所属

suǒshǔ — belonging to; affiliated with; the group it belongs

动物

dòngwù — animal; living creature; fauna

之

zhī — literary possessive particle; of (classical Chinese)

本性

běnxìng — nature; innate character; fundamental essence

推理

tuīlǐ — reasoning; logical inference; deductive thinking

过程

guòchéng — process; course; sequence of steps

完全

wánquán — completely; entirely; fully; without exception

依赖于

yīlài yú — depends on; relies upon; is contingent on

这样

zhèyàng — such; like this; of this kind

一个

yī gè — one; a single (general measure word)

假设

jiǎshè — assumption; hypothesis; suppose that something is true

这枚

zhè méi — this (small flat object); this particular piece

与

yǔ — and; with; together with (literary)

已知

yǐzhī — known; already established; previously determined

某种

mǒu zhǒng — a certain kind; some type of something

相应

xiāngyìng — corresponding; matching; respective counterpart

部分

bùfen — part; portion; section of a whole

之间

zhījiān — between; among; in the middle of

相似

xiāngsì — similar; resembling; alike in appearance

程度

chéngdù — degree; extent; level of something

足以

zúyǐ — sufficient to; enough to; adequate to do

使

shǐ — cause; make; enable something to happen

有

yǒu — have; there is; possess

理由

lǐyóu — reason; justification; grounds for a claim

两个

liǎng gè — two; a pair of; both objects

生物体

shēngwùtǐ — organism; living body; biological entity

其余

qíyú — the rest; the remainder; other parts

存在

cúnzài — exist; existence; to be present

相似性

xiāngsìxìng — similarity; resemblance; degree of being alike

古生物学家

gǔshēngwùxuéjiā — paleontologist; scientist studying ancient life

所谓

suǒwèi — so-called; what is known as; supposedly

复原

fùyuán — reconstruct; restore; recreate original form

工作

gōngzuò — work; task; job or professional activity

正是

zhèng shì — precisely is; exactly; just what it is

建立

jiànlì — establish; build; found on a basis

在

zài — at; in; located at; based on

这一

zhè yī — this one; this particular (emphatic reference)

极为

jí wéi — extremely; exceedingly; to a very high degree

简单

jiǎndān — simple; straightforward; uncomplicated

之上

zhī shàng — above; on top of; based upon (literary)

而非

ér fēi — rather than; instead of; not but rather

那些

nàxiē — those; those particular things or people

虚构

xūgòu — fictional; fabricated; invented and not real

生理

shēnglǐ — physiological; relating to bodily functions

相关性

xiāngguānxìng — correlation; relatedness; degree of connection between things

法则

fǎzé — law; rule; principle governing phenomena

对于

duìyú — regarding; with respect to; concerning

后者

hòuzhě — the latter; the second of two mentioned items

大多数

dàduōshù — majority; most; the greater number of

情况下

qíngkuàng xià — under circumstances; in situations; given conditions

根本

gēnběn — fundamentally; at all; completely (with negation)

一无所知

yī wú suǒ zhī — know nothing at all; completely ignorant about something

熟悉

shúxī — familiar with; well acquainted; to know well

人

rén — person; people; human being

都能

dōu néng — all can; everyone is able to; capable of

轻易

qīngyì — easily; without difficulty; lightly done

想到

xiǎngdào — think of; come up with; bring to mind

大量

dàliàng — large quantity; abundant; a great deal of

印证

yìnzhèng — confirm; corroborate; verify with evidence

真理

zhēnlǐ — truth; universal truth; absolute fact

例子

lìzi — example; instance; illustrative case

其中

qízhōng — among them; within; in the midst of

最为

zuì wéi — most; the most; to the greatest extent

恰当

qiàdàng — appropriate; fitting; suitable for the purpose

莫过于

mò guòyú — nothing surpasses; best exemplified by; most apt is

案例

ànlì — case; example; specific instance for study

化石

huàshí — fossil; preserved remains of ancient organisms

研究

yánjiū — research; study; investigate systematically

早期

zǎoqī — early period; early stage; initial phase

这个

zhège — this; this one; this particular thing

名称

míngchēng — name; designation; term used to identify

被

bèi — passive marker; by (indicating passive voice)

赋予

fùyǔ — bestow; grant; endow with a quality

某些

mǒuxiē — certain; some particular; a number of unspecified

细长

xìcháng — slender; long and thin; elongated in shape

体

tǐ — body; object; physical form or structure

一端

yī duān — one end; one extremity of an object

呈

chéng — present; exhibit; take on a shape

圆锥形

yuánzhuīxíng — conical; cone-shaped; tapering to a point

另一端

lìng yī duān — the other end; the opposite extremity

则

zé — then; whereas; on the other hand (contrast)

这些

zhèxiē — these; these particular items or things

通常

tōngcháng — usually; normally; under ordinary circumstances

认为

rènwéi — believe; think; consider to be true

是

shì — is; are; am; to be

雷电

léidiàn — thunder and lightning; thunderbolt; electrical storm

石

shí — stone; rock; mineral material

据称

jùchēng — allegedly; reportedly; it is said that

从天而降

cóng tiān ér jiàng — fall from the sky; descend from heaven suddenly

它们

tāmen — they; them (referring to inanimate objects)

英格兰

Yīnggélán — England; the southern part of Great Britain

地区

dìqū — region; area; district; geographic zone

相当

xiāngdāng — quite; fairly; considerably; rather common

常见

chángjiàn — common; frequently seen; encountered often

而且

érqiě — moreover; furthermore; and also in addition

发现

fāxiàn — discover; find; come across something

时

shí — when; at the time of; during

状态

zhuàngtài — state; condition; current status of something

下

xià — under; below; in a given condition

要

yào — want; need; require; it is necessary to

给出

gěichū — provide; give; offer an explanation or answer

令人满意

lìng rén mǎnyì — satisfactory; pleasing; meeting expectations adequately

来

lái — come; in order to; directional complement particle

否认

fǒurèn — deny; refute; reject the truth of something

不过

búguò — however; but; merely; only

普通

pǔtōng — ordinary; common; regular; not special

矿物

kuàngwù — mineral; naturally occurring inorganic substance

或许

huòxǔ — perhaps; maybe; possibly; not certain

并非

bìng fēi — is not; by no means; definitely not so

易事

yìshì — easy matter; simple task; something done easily