Word of the Day: 环保 (Environmental Protection), Pinyin pronunciation: Huánbǎo
I am so fortunate to have a conscious relationship with the sea.
There aren't many of us left that have been able to develop this innate connection we were born with over our lifetime, but there is hope for future generations. That's what The Blue Marble Series is all about: to help more readers explore more of the ocean and become more literate when it comes to protecting our precious water planet.
No species on Earth can live without the ocean, even the desert flower relies on the ocean to regulate the climate and weather. The ocean is the source of all life on our planet today, often referred to as a "womb-like" space, it gave birth to existence. So, not only is it in everyone's best interest to learn more about the "Great Unknown" (myself included, as every good teacher is a lifelong student) but how incomplete would our lives be without all life in the sea?
Since receiving my Open Water SCUBA diving certification in 2006 off the coast of Vietnam, my world has fundamentally changed by spending so much time swimming deep below the sea. It has continued to expand marvelously and delight me with surprises, as well as continual curiosity. I am convinced that the mystery of life on Earth must be celebrated, guarded and loved with all our hearts. I began writing The Blue Marble series to share the awesome experience of swimming alongside dolphins, turtles, sharks, squid, seahorses, barracudas, giant manta ray, snails and (hopefully, one day) whales! Of course, diving 18 meters below sea level is not for everyone, but whether or not we get to experience such a heart-warming encounter with sea life, it is still part of our world, even if it's hidden from our daily activities.
环保 (huánbǎo) is an abbreviated term for "environmental protection". It comes from 环境保护 (Huánjìng bǎohù), where "环境" literally means environment or surroundings. The character 环 (環) is a pictorial-phonetic character with Jade (玉) as its semantic component and 'huan' as its phonetic component. The character 境 is also a pictorial-phonetic character, comprising 土 (earth) as its semantic part and 竟 as its phonetic part. These two components together reflect the conceptual meaning of environment or surroundings encompassing a boundary. In its early forms, 环 (huán) depicted a ring or loop made of jade, symbolizing complete surrounding. 境 (jìng) originally indicated boundary lands within earth territory, drawing from the phonetic element 'jìng' (竟), representing definitive ends. During the Old Mandarin period (12th - 14th centuries AD), "环境" started to represent physical surroundings. In Modern Mandarin (Yuan Dynasty, 13th century AD onward) 环境 has broadened to include ecological and social circumstances as part of its meaning.
These days, "环境" is widely used in the context of environmental science, emphasizing the human impact on the rest of the natural world. Just as the evolution of the term "环境" has developed over time, so have its concepts and our human understanding of them. Perhaps this word will continue to shift and change with our world, encompassing the inner life of our planet as well as what we can see and touch on land?
In the meantime, let's celebrate all we've learned so far and have to look forward to learning! There's an ocean of love between all of us Earthlings, and if you haven't felt it yet, it's just a matter of learning how to give and receive it.
Music: "Diving Woman", Japanese Breakfast
Travel around our water planet and watch this short: The Great Unknown