{
  "vercy": "1.0-draft",
  "publication": {
    "status": "research-draft",
    "adjudicationStatus": "unreviewed",
    "publishableCanonical": false,
    "generatedAt": "2026-09-12T02:16:38Z",
    "providers": [
      "Claude"
    ],
    "breadth": "written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify",
    "pass": 2,
    "wave": 2,
    "engine": "claude",
    "enrichment": {
      "pass": 3,
      "engine": "claude",
      "producedAt": "2026-10-05T23:55:00Z",
      "ingestedAt": "2026-10-05T20:51:26+00:00",
      "fields": [
        "agent_conduct",
        "ethics",
        "owners"
      ]
    },
    "gate": {
      "passed": true,
      "version": "1.0",
      "at": "2026-10-06T19:52:03+00:00",
      "evidence": [
        "completeness 1.00",
        "sense: Wikidata description",
        "2 live sources",
        "review by codex: pass"
      ]
    }
  },
  "metaModel": {
    "id": "THING-Q9192",
    "registryId": "vr.tr.mandarin",
    "name": "Mandarin",
    "version": "0.2.0-wave.2",
    "entryKind": "thing",
    "family": "Thing Registry",
    "domain": [
      "INF.MED"
    ],
    "status": "research-draft"
  },
  "canonicalUrl": "https://ver.cy/models/thing/q9192/",
  "model": {
    "registry_id": "vr.tr.mandarin",
    "name": "Mandarin",
    "purpose": "Let an agent explain Mandarin as a language group and its relation to Standard Chinese, describe dialect groups and features, support learners and translators, and describe its status and history.",
    "definition": "A group of Sinitic varieties spoken across northern and southwestern China and by communities worldwide, the largest branch of Chinese by speakers, comprising dialect groups such as Northeastern, Beijing, Northwestern, Southwestern and Jianghuai Mandarin with local varieties such as the Wuhan dialect; Standard Chinese, the official language of China, Taiwan and Singapore, is based on the Beijing dialect of Mandarin and is written with Chinese characters.",
    "what_it_is_for": "The largest group of Chinese varieties.",
    "affordances": [
      "explain the group and Standard Chinese",
      "describe dialects and features",
      "support learners",
      "describe status and history"
    ],
    "distinguishing_features": [
      "Largest Chinese branch",
      "Tonal with typically four tones",
      "Dialect groups",
      "Standard based on Beijing"
    ],
    "appearance": "Not physical; spoken and written language.",
    "visual_identification": [
      "Northern and southwestern Chinese varieties",
      "Basis of Standard Chinese",
      "Cantonese, Wu and Min are other Chinese branches"
    ],
    "physical_properties": [],
    "families_and_kinds": [
      "Northeastern Mandarin",
      "Beijing Mandarin",
      "Northwestern Mandarin",
      "Southwestern Mandarin",
      "Jianghuai Mandarin and other groups"
    ],
    "related_models": [
      {
        "relation": "is a kind of",
        "target": "Chinese",
        "why": "category"
      },
      {
        "relation": "is related to",
        "target": "religion in China",
        "why": "cultural context"
      },
      {
        "relation": "is related to",
        "target": "PRC administrative entity",
        "why": "regions where spoken"
      },
      {
        "relation": "is related to",
        "target": "pseudonym",
        "why": "naming conventions in Chinese"
      }
    ],
    "identifiers": [],
    "standards_and_regulation": [
      "Standard Chinese definitions by national language bodies",
      "Pinyin romanisation standard",
      "Proficiency tests such as HSK and TOCFL"
    ],
    "failure_modes_and_hazards": [
      "Confusing Mandarin with Chinese as a whole",
      "Treating dialect groups as uniform",
      "Politicised naming disputes"
    ],
    "in_scope": [],
    "out_of_scope": [],
    "characteristics": [],
    "agent_conduct": {
      "may": [
        "Translate to and from Standard Mandarin and say when a regional variety differs from the standard.",
        "Explain the main Mandarin dialect groups and where they are spoken, citing sources.",
        "Help learners with pronunciation, tones and characters at their chosen level."
      ],
      "must_not": [
        "Treat Mandarin as identical to Chinese as a whole or erase other Sinitic languages such as Cantonese or Wu.",
        "Mock speakers of regional varieties or present their speech as incorrect Mandarin.",
        "Infer a person's origin, loyalty or politics from their accent or dialect.",
        "Present a machine translation into Mandarin as certified for legal or medical use."
      ],
      "requires_human": [
        "Certifying a translation for courts, immigration or medical consent.",
        "Choosing which variety or script to use for official communication with a community."
      ]
    },
    "ethics": {
      "considerations": [
        "Promoting a standard variety can marginalise regional languages and their speakers.",
        "Naming of languages and scripts is politically contested and must be handled neutrally."
      ],
      "affected_parties": [
        "Speakers of regional varieties",
        "Learners and translators",
        "Minority language communities"
      ]
    },
    "owners": {
      "steward": "Nobody owns the language; standardisation bodies set the official norms for Standard Mandarin.",
      "master_systems": []
    }
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "wikidata",
      "title": "Wikidata item Q9192: Mandarin",
      "url": "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9192",
      "url_status": "live",
      "what_it_supports": "identity and sense of the item",
      "checked_by": "wikidata-api"
    },
    {
      "id": "wikipedia-en",
      "title": "Wikipedia: Mandarin Chinese",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandarin_Chinese",
      "url_status": "live",
      "what_it_supports": "general description of the item",
      "checked_by": "wikidata-api sitelink"
    }
  ],
  "structure": {
    "bundles": [
      {
        "id": "understand",
        "name": "Understand",
        "description": "What Mandarin is.",
        "rationale": "Linguistics.",
        "layers": [
          {
            "id": "scope",
            "name": "Scope",
            "description": "Scope and standard.",
            "findings": [
              {
                "id": "scope-finding",
                "name": "Scope",
                "description": "Scope.",
                "questions": [
                  {
                    "text": "How does Mandarin as a dialect group relate to Standard Chinese and to other Chinese branches?",
                    "kind": "definition"
                  },
                  {
                    "text": "Is the dialect group or the standard language meant?",
                    "kind": "boundary"
                  }
                ]
              }
            ]
          },
          {
            "id": "dialects",
            "name": "Dialects",
            "description": "Dialect groups.",
            "findings": [
              {
                "id": "dialects-finding",
                "name": "Dialects",
                "description": "Dialects.",
                "questions": [
                  {
                    "text": "How do Northeastern, Beijing, Northwestern, Southwestern and Jianghuai Mandarin differ?",
                    "kind": "provenance"
                  },
                  {
                    "text": "Which entry fits a specific dialect?",
                    "kind": "action"
                  }
                ]
              }
            ]
          }
        ]
      },
      {
        "id": "features",
        "name": "Features",
        "description": "Linguistic features.",
        "rationale": "Language.",
        "layers": [
          {
            "id": "phonology",
            "name": "Phonology",
            "description": "Sounds and tones.",
            "findings": [
              {
                "id": "phonology-finding",
                "name": "Phonology",
                "description": "Phonology.",
                "questions": [
                  {
                    "text": "What are the tones, sounds and syllable structure of Mandarin, and how does pinyin represent them?",
                    "kind": "definition"
                  },
                  {
                    "text": "Which entry fits pinyin?",
                    "kind": "action"
                  }
                ]
              }
            ]
          },
          {
            "id": "grammar",
            "name": "Grammar",
            "description": "Grammar and writing.",
            "findings": [
              {
                "id": "grammar-finding",
                "name": "Grammar",
                "description": "Grammar.",
                "questions": [
                  {
                    "text": "What are the main features of Mandarin grammar, and how is it written in simplified and traditional characters?",
                    "kind": "definition"
                  },
                  {
                    "text": "Which entry fits Chinese characters?",
                    "kind": "action"
                  }
                ]
              }
            ]
          }
        ]
      },
      {
        "id": "learn",
        "name": "Learn",
        "description": "Learning and use.",
        "rationale": "Practice.",
        "layers": [
          {
            "id": "learners",
            "name": "Learners",
            "description": "For learners.",
            "findings": [
              {
                "id": "learners-finding",
                "name": "Learners",
                "description": "Learners.",
                "questions": [
                  {
                    "text": "How can Mandarin be learned, and what proficiency tests exist?",
                    "kind": "action"
                  },
                  {
                    "text": "Which entry fits language learning?",
                    "kind": "action"
                  }
                ]
              }
            ]
          },
          {
            "id": "translate",
            "name": "Translate",
            "description": "Translation.",
            "findings": [
              {
                "id": "translate-finding",
                "name": "Translate",
                "description": "Translation.",
                "questions": [
                  {
                    "text": "How can this Mandarin text be translated or explained?",
                    "kind": "action"
                  },
                  {
                    "text": "Which variety and script is meant?",
                    "kind": "boundary"
                  }
                ]
              }
            ]
          }
        ]
      },
      {
        "id": "context",
        "name": "Context",
        "description": "Status and history.",
        "rationale": "Society.",
        "layers": [
          {
            "id": "status",
            "name": "Status",
            "description": "Official status.",
            "findings": [
              {
                "id": "status-finding",
                "name": "Status",
                "description": "Status.",
                "questions": [
                  {
                    "text": "What is the official status of Mandarin in China, Taiwan, Singapore and elsewhere, and how do language policies differ, with positions attributed?",
                    "kind": "provenance"
                  },
                  {
                    "text": "Is the presentation neutral?",
                    "kind": "boundary"
                  }
                ]
              }
            ]
          },
          {
            "id": "history",
            "name": "History",
            "description": "History.",
            "findings": [
              {
                "id": "history-finding",
                "name": "History",
                "description": "History.",
                "questions": [
                  {
                    "text": "How did Mandarin develop and become the basis of the national standard?",
                    "kind": "provenance"
                  },
                  {
                    "text": "Which references are standard?",
                    "kind": "provenance"
                  }
                ]
              }
            ]
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "openQuestions": [
    "Should Standard Chinese be a separate entry?",
    "How should dialect groups be linked?",
    "How should learning resources be linked?"
  ],
  "statistics": {
    "bundles": 4,
    "layers": 8,
    "findings": 8,
    "questions": 16
  }
}