Mandarin Chinese · 中文(普通话)

Father's Heart Bible™ key-term glossary — anchored to the historic Mandarin Chinese Scriptures · Script: Han (Simplified)

For the reviewer

These are the proposed renderings of FHB's key terms. The heart of the review: wherever English says our Father, the rendering must feel like a beloved child addressing their own father — warm, reverent, natural to your language's Bible — and never the distant generic word for "God." Mark anything that reads wrong, stiff, or irreverent. Tip: your browser's translate feature can back-translate this page as a second witness. Approvals or corrections go to Kevin White.

Reverent contemporary church register matching the 和合本 (Chinese Union Version, CUV) tradition — the most-trusted and most-loved Chinese Bible — with 和合本修订版 (RCUV) contemporary smoothing where the CUV wording has aged. Warm and personal in the filial address without slipping into colloquial 父亲/爸爸; keeps the prayer-register 父 / 天父 that Chinese believers already use aloud.

Quotation marks

Mainland Simplified fullwidth double quotes “…” for speech, nested single ‘…’; many Simplified Bible editions instead use the CJK corner brackets 「…」 for speech and 『…』 nested — either is acceptable, but be consistent per edition.

Poetry lines

Poetic lines (Psalms, Proverbs, prophetic oracles, canticles) set one colon/stich per line with a two-character (全角) indent; Hebrew parallelism preserved line-by-line, second-half lines further indented, following CUV verse typesetting.

#	English term	Proposed rendering	Literal back-translation	Why
1	our Heavenly Father	我們在天上的父	our Heaven-Father	Anchored to 和合本 (CUV) (Mt 6:9) — the established rendering this language's church already prays; FHB shifts only the person (our), never the construction. Was: "我们的天父". Sweep 2026-07-22 (Kevin: mine the existing translations, don't invent)
2	our Father	我們的父	our Father	Anchored to 和合本 (CUV) (Mt 6:9 / Rom 1:7) — the established rendering this language's church already prays; FHB shifts only the person (our), never the construction. Was: "我们的父". Sweep 2026-07-22 (Kevin: mine the existing translations, don't invent)
3	the Father	天父	the Father	Anchored to 和合本 (CUV) (Jn 14:9ff) — the established rendering this language's church already prays; FHB shifts only the person (our), never the construction. Was: "父". Sweep 2026-07-22 (Kevin: mine the existing translations, don't invent)
4	Heavenly Father	天父	Heaven-Father	Bare filial name; the ordinary Chinese-church address for God as Father. Contains stem 父.
5	Abba, Father	阿爸！父！	Abba, Father	Anchored to 和合本 (CUV) (Rom 8:15 / Mk 14:36) — the established rendering this language's church already prays; FHB shifts only the person (our), never the construction. Was: "阿爸,父". Sweep 2026-07-22 (Kevin: mine the existing translations, don't invent)
6	God	神	God	REVERSION TOKEN — God-as-God only. CUV 神-edition form (上帝 in the parallel 上帝-edition); pick one per publication. This is the NON-filial contrast term; never a substitute for 父.
7	the LORD	耶和华	Jehovah / Yahweh (the covenant name)	REVERSION TOKEN — the covenant name only, as CUV renders the Tetragrammaton. Distinct from the generic title 主 (‘Lord’) used for Jesus; never a substitute for 父.
8	the Holy Spirit	圣灵	Holy Spirit	Standard CUV term; unchanged.
9	the Spirit of our Father	我們父的靈	the Spirit of our Father	Anchored to 和合本 (CUV) (Mt 10:20) — the established rendering this language's church already prays; FHB shifts only the person (our), never the construction. Was: "我们父的灵". Sweep 2026-07-22 (Kevin: mine the existing translations, don't invent)
10	the Son of Man	人子	Son of Man	Fixed CUV title (Dan 7 / Gospels); unchanged.
11	the Son	子	the Son	CUV pairing 父…子 (‘the Father… the Son’). Keeps the father–son relational frame in one character.
12	the Son of God	神的儿子	Son of God	Christological title as in CUV; uses reversion 神 by design (deity-Sonship, not the filial divine name). Reviewer to confirm vs 父的儿子.
13	one and only Son	独生子	only-begotten Son	CUV John 3:16 独生子; the beloved-only-child sense the verse needs.
14	the kingdom of our Father	我們父的國	our Father's kingdom	Anchored to 和合本 (CUV) (Mt 26:29) — the established rendering this language's church already prays; FHB shifts only the person (our), never the construction. Was: "我们父的国". Sweep 2026-07-22 (Kevin: mine the existing translations, don't invent)
15	Jesus	耶稣	Jesus	Fixed transliteration.
16	Christ	基督	Christ	Fixed CUV term.
17	Messiah	弥赛亚	Messiah	CUV transliteration where ‘Messiah’ is kept as a title (e.g. John 1:41; 4:25), distinct from the translated 基督.
18	covenant	约	covenant / pact	Standard CUV covenant word (新约 ‘new covenant’, 立约 ‘make a covenant’). Use 圣约 only where solemnity must be marked.
19	steadfast love	慈爱	loving-kindness / steadfast love	CUV's settled rendering of Hebrew ḥesed — loyal covenant love. Preferred over the flatter 坚定的爱.
20	compassion	怜悯	compassion / mercy	CUV term for raḥam / splanchnizomai; where the gut-level tenderness is foregrounded, the verb 动了慈心 (‘moved with compassion’) may be used.
21	righteousness	义	righteousness	CUV standard (公义 where God's righteousness as a public attribute is meant).
22	eternal life	永生	eternal life	CUV John 3:16; unchanged.
23	born again	重生	born again / regenerated	CUV John 3 重生 (‘born anew’); the settled church term over the more literal 从上头生.

Terms we deliberately avoid

These common words carry another religion's meaning, so Scripture in Mandarin Chinese has always chosen different vocabulary — and so do we. Please don't recommend them; the established Bible alternative is listed beside each.

輪迴 (samsara / reincarnation) → 重生 (born again — established CUV term)
涅槃 (Buddhist nirvana) → 永生 (eternal life)
業報 (karmic retribution) → 報應 only where English has recompense; never karma-theology

Machine conformance stems (every filial rendering must contain one): 父 · 天父

Submit your review

Your review goes directly to Kevin White. Corrections can be written in Mandarin Chinese or English.