# Meditations on Moloch — selected ideas

Reference 1.6.2 · vocabulary revision 8.

An abridged paraphrase of selected ideas in sections I–III of Scott Alexander’s essay. This is neither the full essay nor a consecutive excerpt. Adapted, paraphrased, and translated under CC BY 4.0. Source: https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/07/30/meditations-on-moloch/

## Passage 01

Scott Alexander 咿 名 啊 这 类 系 啊 Moloch。

*Scott Alexander yī míng ā zhè lèi xì ā Moloch。*

Scott Alexander names this kind of system Moloch.

Usage: Revised for Reference 1.6.2 and vocabulary revision 8. All combinations are ordinary grammar; no compound entry supplies a hidden meaning.

## Passage 02

每 人 咿 恨 啊 这 系。

*měi rén yī hèn ā zhè xì。*

Each person hates the system.

Usage: Revised for Reference 1.6.2 and vocabulary revision 8. All combinations are ordinary grammar; no compound entry supplies a hidden meaning.

## Passage 03

但 这 系 咿 不 停。

*dàn zhè xì yī bù tíng。*

Yet the system does not stop.

Usage: Revised for Reference 1.6.2 and vocabulary revision 8. All combinations are ordinary grammar; no compound entry supplies a hidden meaning.

## Passage 04

人 咿 遵 因 可 其 咿 恐 啊 罚，啊 法。

*rén yī zūn yīn kě qí yī kǒng ā fá，ā fǎ。*

People obey rules because they fear punishment.

Usage: Revised for Reference 1.6.2 and vocabulary revision 8. All combinations are ordinary grammar; no compound entry supplies a hidden meaning.

## Passage 05

多 鱼 商 咿 用 啊 同 湖。

*duō yú shāng yī yòng ā tóng hú。*

Many fish businesses use the same lake.

Usage: Revised for Reference 1.6.2 and vocabulary revision 8. All combinations are ordinary grammar; no compound entry supplies a hidden meaning.

## Passage 06

其 们 垃 咿 做 啊 湖 水 诶 脏。

*qí men lā yī zuò ā hú shuǐ ēi zāng。*

Their waste dirties the lake water.

Usage: Revised for Reference 1.6.2 and vocabulary revision 8. All combinations are ordinary grammar; no compound entry supplies a hidden meaning.

## Passage 07

商 咿 付 为 用 啊 滤，啊 钱。

*shāng yī fù wèi yòng ā lǜ，ā qián。*

Businesses pay money in order to use filters.

Usage: Revised for Reference 1.6.2 and vocabulary revision 8. All combinations are ordinary grammar; no compound entry supplies a hidden meaning.

## Passage 08

Steve 咿 了 停 用 啊 自 滤。

*Steve yī le tíng yòng ā zì lǜ。*

Steve stops using his filter.

Usage: Revised for Reference 1.6.2 and vocabulary revision 8. All combinations are ordinary grammar; no compound entry supplies a hidden meaning.

## Passage 09

其 咿 赚 啊 更 多 钱。

*qí yī zhuàn ā gèng duō qián。*

He earns more money.

Usage: Revised for Reference 1.6.2 and vocabulary revision 8. All combinations are ordinary grammar; no compound entry supplies a hidden meaning. 赚 asserts earning, not net profit; costs would need a separate statement.

## Passage 10

钱 咿 诱 可 人 咿 停 用 啊 滤。

*qián yī yòu kě rén yī tíng yòng ā lǜ。*

Money entices people to stop using filters.

Usage: Revised for Reference 1.6.2 and vocabulary revision 8. All combinations are ordinary grammar; no compound entry supplies a hidden meaning.

## Passage 11

别 商 咿 做 啊 同 事。

*bié shāng yī zuò ā tóng shì。*

Other businesses do the same thing.

Usage: Revised for Reference 1.6.2 and vocabulary revision 8. All combinations are ordinary grammar; no compound entry supplies a hidden meaning.

## Passage 12

后，每 商 咿 赚 啊 减 多 钱。

*hòu，měi shāng yī zhuàn ā jiǎn duō qián。*

Later, each business earns a smaller amount of money.

Usage: Revised for Reference 1.6.2 and vocabulary revision 8. All combinations are ordinary grammar; no compound entry supplies a hidden meaning. 赚 asserts earning, not net profit; costs would need a separate statement.

## Passage 13

每 商 咿 选 为 自 益 啊 这 事。

*měi shāng yī xuǎn wèi zì yì ā zhè shì。*

Each business chooses this action for its own benefit.

Usage: Revised for Reference 1.6.2 and vocabulary revision 8. All combinations are ordinary grammar; no compound entry supplies a hidden meaning.

## Passage 14

但 效 诶 坏 为 全 商 欲。

*dàn xiào ēi huài wèi quán shāng yù。*

But the outcome is bad for what all the businesses want.

Usage: Revised for Reference 1.6.2 and vocabulary revision 8. All combinations are ordinary grammar; no compound entry supplies a hidden meaning.

## Passage 15

啊 赛 可 人 咿 能 赢 因 可 其 咿 失 啊 别 值。

*ā sài kě rén yī néng yíng yīn kě qí yī shī ā bié zhí。*

There are competitions a person can win because they lose other things of value.

Usage: Revised for Reference 1.6.2 and vocabulary revision 8. All combinations are ordinary grammar; no compound entry supplies a hidden meaning.

## Passage 16

人 咿 欲 可 这 事 咿 停。

*rén yī yù kě zhè shì yī tíng。*

People want this situation to stop.

Usage: Revised for Reference 1.6.2 and vocabulary revision 8. All combinations are ordinary grammar; no compound entry supplies a hidden meaning.

## Passage 17

但 人 咿 不 能 修 的 独 啊 这 系。

*dàn rén yī bù néng xiū de dú ā zhè xì。*

But a person cannot fix the system alone.

Usage: Revised for Reference 1.6.2 and vocabulary revision 8. All combinations are ordinary grammar; no compound entry supplies a hidden meaning.

## Passage 18

允 和 罚 咿 能 助 可 人 咿 劳 跟 别 人。

*yǔn hé fá yī néng zhù kě rén yī láo gēn bié rén。*

Agreements and punishment can help people work with one another.

Usage: Revised for Reference 1.6.2 and vocabulary revision 8. All combinations are ordinary grammar; no compound entry supplies a hidden meaning. Joint work is a concrete description of cooperation, not an exact word for every coordination mechanism.

## Passage 19

合 可 咿 助 可 人 咿 劳 跟 别 人，咿 赛。

*hé kě yī zhù kě rén yī láo gēn bié rén，yī sài。*

Groups that help people work with one another compete.

Usage: Revised for Reference 1.6.2 and vocabulary revision 8. All combinations are ordinary grammar; no compound entry supplies a hidden meaning. Joint work is a concrete description of cooperation, not an exact word for every coordination mechanism.

## Passage 20

人 咿 需 护 啊 人 值。

*rén yī xū hù ā rén zhí。*

People need to protect human values.

Usage: Revised for Reference 1.6.2 and vocabulary revision 8. All combinations are ordinary grammar; no compound entry supplies a hidden meaning.