Core Glossary
Core Glossary — Acts 1–28
Consolidated per-term glossary for the Acts curriculum. Terms marked [Baseline TM] are inherited unchanged from the Romans translation_memory.json / bible_term_registry.json and MUST be reused exactly. Terms marked [New — Acts] are newly derived for this curriculum and are candidates for addition to translation memory in Phase 2 (subject to theologian review for Critical/High tier terms).
Risk tiers follow the baseline’s doctrine_risk_registry.json definitions: Critical = human theologian review every occurrence; High = human theologian review; Medium = native speaker review recommended; Low = automated review sufficient.
Table A — Reused Baseline Romans Terms Attested in Acts
| Term | Greek | Cantonese (Baseline) | Jyutping | Risk | Doctrine Link | Acts Chapters | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| God | θεός | 神 | san4 | Critical | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost; all | 1–28 (pervasive) | No new collision; reuse exactly. |
| Jesus | Ἰησοῦς | 耶穌 | je4 sou1 | Critical | Conversion of Paul; all | 1–28 (pervasive) | No new collision. |
| Lord | κύριος | 主 | zyu2 | Critical | Lordship of Christ | 2:21,34,36; 10:36; 16:31; 22:8; 26:15 | ”Jesus is Lord” register carried through Acts’ confession formulas. |
| Christ/Messiah | Χριστός | 基督 | gei1 duk1 | Critical | Conversion of Paul; Gospel to Jews/Gentiles | 2:31,36,38; 3:18,20; 9:22; 17:3; 18:5,28 | Never conflate with Maitreya/wish-granting deity framing. |
| Holy Spirit | πνεῦμα ἅγιον | 聖靈 | sing3 ling4 | Critical | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 1–28 (pervasive) | Never bare 靈; never 問米-spirit framing; central doctrinal term of the whole book. |
| Salvation | σωτηρία / σῴζω | 救恩 / 得救 | gau3 jan1 / dak1 gau3 | Critical | Repentance and Baptism; Gospel to Jews/Gentiles | 2:21,40,47; 4:12; 11:14; 16:17,30-31 | Never 解脫/超度/Guanyin epithet. |
| Grace | χάρις | 恩典 | jan1 din2 | Critical | Justification apart from the Law | 4:33; 11:23; 13:43; 14:26; 15:11,40; 18:27; 20:24,32 | Never framed as reciprocal temple-vow favor; Simon Magus (ch.8) dramatizes the forbidden alternative. |
| Righteousness | δικαιοσύνη | 義 | ji6 | Critical | Justification apart from the Law | 13:10; 24:25 | Flag distinguishing note from 義氣 loyalty-honor idiom whenever justification-adjacent. |
| Justification | δικαιόω | 稱義 | cing1 ji6 | Critical | Justification apart from the Law | 13:38-39 | Key single-verse statement of the doctrine; verbatim-consistent with Romans 3–4. |
| Imputed righteousness | (conceptually parallel) | 算為義 | syun3 wai4 ji6 | Critical | Justification apart from the Law | (conceptual background to 13:38-39) | Retained for cross-reference to Romans 4. |
| Resurrection | ἀνάστασις | 復活 | fuk6 wut6 | Critical | Resurrection of Christ | 2:24,31-32; 4:2,33; 17:18,32; 23:6,8; 24:15,21; 26:23 | Never 投胎轉世 or 問米 framing; contested doctrine at Athens (17) and Sanhedrin (23). |
| Son of God | υἱὸς θεοῦ | 神嘅兒子 | san4 ge3 ji4 zi2 | Critical | Conversion of Paul (implicit Christology) | 9:20 | Full phrase required; never 天子 or abbreviated 神人. |
| Incarnation (theol. category) | ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο (background) | 道成肉身 | dou6 sing4 juk6 san1 | Critical | (background doctrine, not a frequent Acts term) | (background to 2:22-24, 13:23) | Retained for cross-reference; not a frequent standalone Acts term. |
| Apostle | ἀπόστολος | 使徒 | si2 tou4 | Low | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 1:2,26; 2:37,42-43; 4:33,35-37; 5:2,12,18,29,34,40; 6:6; 8:1,14,18; 9:27; 11:1; 14:4,14; 15:2,4,6,22-23; 16:4 | No significant new collision; foundational office-term for the whole book. |
| Church | ἐκκλησία | 教會 | gaau3 wui2 | Medium | The Church as Community | 5:11; 8:1,3; 9:31; 11:22,26; 12:1,5; 13:1; 14:23,27; 15:3-4,22,41; 16:5; 18:22; 20:17,28 | Never 廟/祠堂; central term for the doctrine. |
| Fellowship | κοινωνία | 團契 | tyun4 kai3 | Low | The Church as Community | 2:42 | Never 同鄉會/結拜; ties to “breaking of bread” and common life in 2:42-46. |
| Gentiles | ἔθνη | 外邦人 | ngoi6 bong1 jan4 | Medium | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 9:15; 10:45; 11:1,18; 13:46-48; 14:27; 15:3,7,12,14,19; 18:6; 21:19,25; 22:21; 26:17,20,23; 28:28 | Central term for the doctrine; never 外江佬/鄉下人. |
| Israel | Ἰσραήλ | 以色列 | ji5 sik1 lit6 | Medium | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 1:6; 2:36; 4:10,27; 5:21,31; 7:23,37,42; 9:15; 10:36; 13:16-24; 28:20 | No new collision. |
| David | Δαυίδ | 大衛 | daai6 wai6 | Medium | Fulfillment of Prophecy | 1:16; 2:25,29-31,34; 4:25; 7:45; 13:22,34,36; 15:16 | No new collision. |
| Law | νόμος | 律法 | leot6 faat3 | High | Justification apart from the Law | 6:13; 7:53; 13:39; 15:5,24; 18:13; 21:20,24,28; 22:3,12; 23:3,29; 24:14; 25:8; 28:23 | Central term for the doctrine, esp. ch.13, 15. |
| Sin | ἁμαρτία | 罪 | zeoi6 | High | Repentance and Baptism; Universal Human Accountability | 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 7:60; 10:43; 13:38; 22:16; 26:18 | Central to “forgiveness of sins” compound term; never 報應/唔衰得 framing. |
| Prophet | προφήτης | 先知 | sin1 zi1 | Low | Fulfillment of Prophecy | 2:16,30; 3:18,21-25; 7:37,42,48,52; 8:28,30,34; 10:43; 11:27; 13:1,15,20,27,40; 15:15,32; 21:9-10; 24:14; 26:22,27; 28:23 | No new collision. |
| Prophecy | προφητεία | 預言 | jyu6 jin4 | Medium | Fulfillment of Prophecy | 2:17; 19:6; 21:9-11 | Never 求籤/睇風水擇日. |
| Covenant | διαθήκη | 約 | joek3 | High | Fulfillment of Prophecy | 3:25; 7:8 | Never 合約/還神還願. |
| Election / chosen | ἐκλογή | 揀選 | gaan2 syun2 | High | Effectual Calling (Conversion of Paul) | 9:15 (“chosen instrument,” compound) | Never 八字注定/命運; extends into “vessel of election” compound. |
| Peace | εἰρήνη | 平安 | ping4 on1 | Medium | (background) | 9:31; 10:36; 12:20; 15:33; 16:36; 24:2 | Never 平安符/老黃曆 framing. |
| Glory | δόξα | 榮耀 | wing4 jiu6 | Medium | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 7:55; 12:23 | Never 面子/威水. |
| Providence | (πρόνοια concept) | 神嘅護理 | san4 ge3 wu6 lei5 | High | (background — esp. ch.27) | 27:22-25,31,34,44 | Never 天意/運程; note Tin Hau (天后) sea-goddess collision risk specific to a Hong Kong maritime audience. |
| Mission | ἀποστολή / πέμπω (concept) | 宣教 | syun1 gaau3 | Medium | The Great Commission Fulfilled | 13:2-4; 14:26; 15:40 | Standard modern Cantonese Christian term. |
| Kingdom of God | βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ | 神嘅國 | san4 ge3 gwok3 | Medium | The Great Commission Fulfilled | 1:3,6; 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23,31 | Keep doctrinal, not political-restoration, framing — acute at 1:6. |
| Faith | πίστις | 信心 | seon3 sam1 | High | Repentance and Baptism; Justification apart from the Law | 3:16; 6:5,7-8; 11:24; 13:8; 14:9,22,27; 15:9; 16:5,31; 17:31; 20:21; 24:24; 26:18 | Never fortune-telling/palm-reading framing. |
| Spiritual gifts | χαρίσματα (concept, cf. δωρεά distinction) | 屬靈恩賜 | suk6 ling4 jan1 ci3 | Medium | (background) | (conceptual; cf. distinct δωρεά entry below) | Keep distinct from the Acts-specific “gift of the Holy Spirit” (δωρεά) entry — see Table B. |
| Thanksgiving | εὐχαριστία (concept) | 感恩 | gam2 jan1 | Low | (background) | 27:35 (breaking bread with thanks) | No significant risk. |
| Called / calling | κλητός / κλῆσις | 蒙召嘅 / 呼召 | mung4 siu6 ge3 / fu1 siu6 | High | Divine Calling (Conversion of Paul) | 2:39; 13:2; 16:10 | Never 命中注定/八字/緣分 framing. |
| Saints | ἅγιοι | 聖徒 | sing3 tou4 | High | The Church as Community | 9:13,32,41; 26:10 | Never 神仙/得道高人. |
| Holy | ἅγιος | 聖潔 | sing3 git3 | High | Repentance and Baptism (sanctified life) | (adjectival background) | Never 清淨/戒口修行 framing. |
| Sanctification | ἁγιασμός (concept) | 成聖 | sing4 sing3 | High | (background) | 26:18 (“sanctified by faith”) | Never 修煉/戒除惡習. |
Table B — New Terms Introduced in Acts
| Term (English) | Greek | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Cantonese Rendering | Jyutping | Risk | Doctrine Link | Acts Chapters | Cultural Collision Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pentecost | Πεντηκοστή | Pentēkostē | ”fiftieth [day]“ | 五旬節 | Ng5 Seon4 Zit3 | Low | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:1; 20:16 | Established calendar term; gloss to avoid generic “festival” flattening. |
| Filled with the Spirit | ἐπλήσθησαν πνεύματος ἁγίου | eplēsthēsan pneumatos hagiou | ”were filled” | 被聖靈充滿 | bei6 sing3 ling4 cung1 mun5 | Critical | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:4; 4:8,31; 9:17; 13:9,52 | Never 附體 (spirit-possession/mediumship framing). |
| Other tongues / languages | ἑτέραις γλώσσαις / διάλεκτος | heterais glōssais / dialektos | ”other tongues / dialect” | 講別種方言 / 本地語言 | gong2 bit6 zung2 fong1 jin4 | High | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost; Great Commission Fulfilled | 2:4,6,8,11; 10:46; 19:6 | Must not flatten to ordinary Cantonese-dialect code-switching; real, unlearned human languages, not ecstatic utterance. |
| Signs and wonders | σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα | sēmeia kai terata | ”signs and portents” | 神蹟奇事 | san4 zik1 kei4 si6 | Critical | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 2:19,22,43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 14:3; 15:12 | Never 靈驗 (temple-efficacy) framing; highest-frequency new collision risk in the book. |
| Pour out (the Spirit) | ἐκχέω | ekcheō | ”to pour out, spill” | 澹灌 / 傾倒 | king1 dou2 | Critical | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:17-18,33; 10:45 | Never framed as reward dispensed in exchange for ritual merit. |
| Day of the Lord | ἡμέρα Κυρίου | hēmera Kyriou | ”the Lord’s day” | 主嘅日子 | zyu2 ge3 jat6 zi2 | High | Fulfillment of Prophecy | 2:20 | Never assimilated to 老黃曆 lucky/unlucky-day almanac culture. |
| Call on the name of the Lord | ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου | epikalesētai to onoma Kyriou | ”to call upon the name” | 求告主嘅名 | kau4 gou3 zyu2 ge3 ming4 | Critical | Repentance and Baptism; Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 2:21; 9:14,21; 22:16 | Never 求籤/問米/Guanyin-epithet framing. |
| Foreknowledge | πρόγνωσις | prognōsis | ”knowing beforehand” | 神嘅先見 / 預先知道 | san4 ge3 sin1 gin3 | High | Apostolic Authority and Miracles (background providence) | 2:23 | Never fatalistic 命中注定 framing; personal foreknowledge, not impersonal fate. |
| Hades | ᾅδης | Hadēs | ”the realm of the dead” | 陰間 | jam1 gaan1 | Medium | Resurrection of Christ | 2:27,31 | Distinguish from folk-underworld bureaucracy (城隍/Ghost Festival cosmology). |
| Holy One | ὅσιος | hosios | ”devout, consecrated one” | 聖者 | sing3 ze2 | High | Resurrection of Christ; Messianic Promise | 2:27 | Never 神仙/得道高人. |
| Patriarch | πατριάρχης | patriarchēs | ”father-ruler” | 先祖 | sin1 zou2 | Medium | Fulfillment of Prophecy | 2:29; 7:8-9 | Avoid 族長 (living clan-patriarch, ancestor-worship overtones). |
| Witness(es) | μάρτυς / μαρτυρία | martys / martyria | ”one who testifies” | 見證人 / 見證 | gin3 zing3 jan4 / gin3 zing3 | High | Apostolic Authority and Miracles; Persecution and Bold Witness | 1:8; 2:32; 3:15; 5:32; 7:58 (background); 10:39,41; 13:31; 22:15,20; 26:16 | Eyewitness historical testimony; martyrdom sense develops narratively from ch.7 onward, kept doctrinally distinct. |
| Exalted | ὑψωθείς | hypsōtheis | ”lifted up” | 被高舉 | bei6 gou1 geoi2 | High | Lordship of Christ (Ascension) | 2:33; 1:9-11 (Ascension) | Distinguish from Daoist immortal-ascension apotheosis (羽化登仙). |
| Promise (of the Spirit) | ἐπαγγελία | epangelia | ”a promise, pledge” | 應許 | jing3 heoi2 | Medium/High | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:33,39; 13:23,32 | Distinguish from charm-protection/almanac “promised” luck. |
| Pierced to the heart | κατανύσσομαι | katanyssomai | ”to be stabbed/pierced” | 扎心 / 心裏面好難受 | zaat3 sam1 | Medium | Repentance and Baptism | 2:37 | Avoid face/shame framing (面子); conviction before God, not the crowd. |
| Repent | μετανοέω | metanoeō | ”to change one’s mind” | 悔改 | fui3 goi2 | Critical | Repentance and Baptism | 2:38; 3:19; 8:22; 17:30; 26:20 | Never 懺悔 (karma-purification) or 洗心革面 (willpower self-reform) framing; highest-priority new term in the book. |
| Baptize / baptism | βαπτίζω / βάπτισμα | baptizō / baptisma | ”to immerse, dip” | 受洗 / 洗禮 / 施洗 | sau6 sai2 / sai2 lai5 / si1 sai2 | High | Repentance and Baptism | 2:38,41; 8:36-38; 9:18; 10:47-48; 16:15,33; 18:8; 19:3-5; 22:16 | Distinguish from repeatable ritual-purification bathing customs; unique, non-repeatable act. |
| Forgiveness of sins | ἄφεσις τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν | aphesis tōn hamartiōn | ”release/sending-away of sins” | 罪得赦免 / 赦免 | zeoi6 dak1 se3 min5 / se3 min5 | Critical | Repentance and Baptism | 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18 | Never 消災解難 (dispel-calamity) or 還神還願 framing. |
| Gift of the Holy Spirit | δωρεὰ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος | dōrea tou hagiou pneumatos | ”free gift of the Holy Spirit” | 聖靈嘅（白白嘅）恩賜 / 所賜嘅聖靈 | sing3 ling4 ge3 baak6 baak6 ge3 jan1 ci3 | Critical | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:38; 8:20; 10:45; 11:17 | Keep distinct from 屬靈恩賜 (χαρίσματα, spiritual enablements); never framed as purchasable (cf. Simon Magus, ch.8). |
| Added [to the church] | προστίθημι | prostithēmi | ”to add to” | 加入教會 | gaa1 jap6 gaau3 wui2 | Low | The Church as Community | 2:41,47; 5:14; 11:24 | Organic incorporation, not mere institutional registration. |
| Ascension / taken up | ἀναλαμβάνω / ἀνάλημψις | analambanō / analēmpsis | ”to take up” | 被接上天 / 升天 | bei6 zip3 soeng5 tin1 / sing1 tin1 | High | Great Commission Fulfilled (background Christology) | 1:2,9,11,22 | Distinguish from Daoist ascension-to-immortality (羽化登仙); bodily, historical, visible, promised to recur at the return. |
| End of the earth | ἔσχατον τῆς γῆς | eschaton tēs gēs | ”the farthest part of the earth” | 地極 | dei6 gik6 | Medium | Great Commission Fulfilled | 1:8 | Thesis-statement term; render identically at every echo. |
| Lot (casting lots) | κλῆρος | klēros | ”a lot, allotted portion” | 抽籤 | cau1 chim1 | Critical | Apostolic Authority (background) | 1:26 | Direct collision with 求籤 temple fortune-stick divination; mandatory explanatory note — one-time, pre-Pentecost, prayer-grounded discernment, never a repeated normative practice. |
| Healed / made well | ἰάομαι / ὑγιής | iaomai / hygiēs | ”to heal, cure” | 醫好 | ji1 hou2 | High | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 3:7-10; 4:9-10,14; 5:16; 8:7; 9:34; 14:8-10; 19:12; 28:8-9 | Never 靈驗 framing when paired with signs/wonders language. |
| Servant (of God, Christological) | παῖς | pais | ”child/servant” | 神嘅僕人 | san4 ge3 buk6 jan4 | High | Messianic Promise | 3:13,26; 4:27,30 | Isaianic Servant title; requires explanatory OT-background note. |
| Turn / turn back | ἐπιστρέφω | epistrephō | ”to turn, turn around” | 轉向（神） | zyun3 hoeng3 (san4) | Critical | Repentance and Baptism | 3:19; 9:35; 11:21; 14:15; 15:19; 26:18,20 | Pairs with 悔改; same collision cautions apply. |
| Times of refreshing | καιροὶ ἀναψύξεως | kairoi anapsyxeōs | ”seasons of relief” | 安舒嘅時候 | on1 syu1 ge3 si4 hau6 | Medium | Fulfillment of Prophecy | 3:20 | Avoid feng shui energetic-balance (陰陽調和) framing. |
| Restoration of all things | ἀποκατάστασις πάντων | apokatastasis pantōn | ”restoring of all” | 萬物復興 | maan6 mat6 fuk6 hing1 | Medium | Great Commission Fulfilled (eschatology) | 3:21 | Keep eschatological-cosmic, not political-restoration, framing. |
| Boldness | παρρησία | parrēsia | ”freedom/openness of speech” | 坦然無懼 / 膽量 | taan2 jin4 mou4 geoi6 | High | Persecution and Bold Witness | 4:13,29,31; 9:27-28; 13:46; 14:3; 18:26; 19:8; 26:26; 28:31 | Distinguish from face-seeking bravado (威水/面子); Spirit-given, message-rooted courage. |
| One accord | ὁμοθυμαδόν | homothymadon | ”of one mind/passion” | 同心合意 | tung4 sam1 hap6 ji3 | Low | The Church as Community | 1:14; 2:46; 4:24; 5:12; 15:25 | Distinguish lightly from clan/native-place solidarity (同鄉會). |
| All things in common | κοινά (ἅπαντα) | koina | ”common, shared” | 大家共享所有嘅嘢 | daai6 gaa1 gung6 hoeng2 so2 jau5 ge3 je5 | Medium | The Church as Community | 2:44; 4:32 | Distinguish from clan ancestral-hall property arrangements (祠堂); voluntary, Spirit-motivated, historically descriptive not prescriptive. |
| Lie to the Holy Spirit | ψεύσασθαι τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον | pseusasthai to pneuma to hagion | ”to lie to the Spirit” | 欺騙聖靈 | hei1 pin3 sing3 ling4 | Critical | The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 5:3,9 | Inherits 聖靈 Critical tier; underscores Spirit’s full personhood. |
| Great fear | φόβος μέγας | phobos megas | ”great fear” | 好大嘅懼怕 | hou2 daai6 ge3 geoi6 pa3 | Low | The Church as Community (discipline) | 5:5,11; 19:17 | Reverent fear of God’s holiness, not superstitious dread of offended spirits. |
| Ministry / service | διακονία | diakonia | ”table-service, ministry” | 服侍 / 事奉 | fuk6 si6 / si6 fung6 | Medium | The Church as Community | 6:1,4; 11:29; 12:25; 20:24; 21:19 | Spans practical service and word-ministry; disambiguate by context. |
| Hellenists / Hebrews | Ἑλληνισταί / Ἑβραῖοι | Hellēnistai / Hebraioi | ethnic-linguistic subgroup names | 講希臘話嘅猶太人 / 講希伯來話嘅猶太人 | gong2 hei1 laap6 waa2 ge3 jau4 taai3 jan4 | Low | The Church as Community | 6:1 | Historically descriptive; be mindful of Cantonese/Mandarin language-politics resonance. |
| Stiff-necked | σκληροτράχηλος | sklērotrachēlos | ”hard/stiff-necked” | 頸硬 / 抗拒聖靈 | geng2 ngaang6 | Medium | Universal Human Accountability | 7:51 | Pair colloquial idiom with explicit “resisting the Spirit” clause for doctrinal clarity. |
| Stone (to death) | λιθοβολέω | lithoboleō | ”to stone” | 用石頭打死 | jung6 sek6 tau4 daa2 sei2 | Low | Persecution and Bold Witness | 7:58-59; 14:19 | Narrative-descriptive; establishes the martyrdom pattern. |
| Sorcery / sorcerer | μαγεία / μάγος | mageia / magos | occult ritual practice/practitioner | 巫術 / 行邪術嘅人 | mou4 seot6 | Critical | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 8:9,11; 13:6,8; 19:19 | Dramatizes the grace-vs-merit transactional collision; never conflated with legitimate Spirit-given power. |
| Common / unclean | κοινός / ἀκάθαρτος | koinos / akathartos | ”common, profane / impure” | 俗物 / 唔潔淨嘅嘢（人） | zuk6 mat6 / m4 git3 zing6 ge3 je5 | High | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 10:14-15,28; 11:8-9 | Distinguish from ongoing Cantonese ritual-purity taboos (funerary/birth customs); doctrinal payoff is inclusion, not hygiene. |
| God shows no partiality | οὐκ ἔστιν προσωπολήπτης ὁ θεός | ouk estin prosōpolēptēs ho theos | ”not a face-receiver” | 神唔偏待人 | san4 m4 pin1 doi6 jan4 | High | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 10:34 | Distinguish personal divine impartiality from impersonal karmic 報應 mechanism. |
| Christians | Χριστιανοί | Christianoi | ”belonging to Christ” | 基督徒 | gei1 duk1 tou4 | Low | The Church as Community | 11:26; 26:28 | Established, no significant collision. |
| Persecution | διωγμός | diōgmos | ”pursuit, persecution” | 迫害 | bik1 hoi6 | Medium | Persecution and Bold Witness | 8:1; 11:19; 13:50 | Flag for political-sensitivity native-speaker review; keep historically anchored. |
| Set apart (commissioning) | ἀφορίζω | aphorizō | ”to mark off, separate” | 分別出嚟 | fan1 bit6 ceot1 lai4 | Medium | Great Commission Fulfilled | 13:2 | Echoes Romans-baseline “separation unto God’s service” doctrine language. |
| Justified (apart from law) | δικαιοῦται (+ νόμος contrast) | dikaioutai | ”is declared righteous” | 稱義（唔藉住律法） | cing1 ji6 | Critical | Justification apart from the Law | 13:38-39 | Key single-verse thesis statement; verbatim-consistent with Romans. |
| Light for the Gentiles | φῶς ἐθνῶν | phōs ethnōn | ”a light of/for the nations” | 外邦人嘅光 | ngoi6 bong1 jan4 ge3 gwong1 | Medium | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 13:47 | Distinguish “light” from Buddhist enlightenment (悟/開悟) imagery. |
| Elders | πρεσβύτεροι | presbyteroi | ”elder ones” | 長老 | zoeng2 lou5 | Medium | The Church as Community | 11:30; 14:23; 15:2,4,6,22-23; 16:4; 20:17; 21:18 | Distinguish from clan-village patriarch (族長), ancestor-worship overtones. |
| Circumcision | περιτέμνω | peritemnō | ”to cut around” | 受割禮 | sau6 got3 lai5 | Medium | Justification apart from the Law | 15:1,5,24; 16:3; 21:21 | Requires OT-background gloss; no ready Cantonese cultural analogue. |
| Yoke (of the law) | ζυγός | zygos | ”a yoke” | 軛 / 重擔 | aak3 / cung5 daam3 | Medium | Justification apart from the Law | 15:10 | Distinguish from Confucian ritual-duty-burden idiom register. |
| It seemed good to the Holy Spirit | ἔδοξε τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ | edoxe tō pneumati tō hagiō | ”it seemed good” | 聖靈同我們都認為好 | sing3 ling4 tung4 ngo5 mun4 dou1 jing6 wai4 hou2 | High | The Church as Community; The Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 15:28 | Models Spirit-guided corporate decision-making. |
| Spirit of divination | πνεῦμα πύθωνα | pneuma pythōna | ”python spirit” | 占卜嘅邪靈 | zim1 buk1 ge3 ce4 ling4 | Critical | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 16:16 | Never bare 靈; direct collision with 問米/fortune-telling culture; worked narrative example of the forbidden ambiguity. |
| What must I do to be saved? | τί με δεῖ ποιεῖν ἵνα σωθῶ; | ti me dei poiein hina sōthō? | salvation-appeal formula | 我應該做啲乜先可以得救？ | ngo5 jing1 goi1 zou6 di1 mat1 sin1 ho2 ji5 dak1 gau3 | Critical | Repentance and Baptism | 16:30-31; 2:37; 22:10 | Render consistently across all three occurrences per Theological Consistency Rules. |
| Unknown god | ἄγνωστος θεός | agnōstos theos | ”unknown god” | 未識嘅神 | mei6 sik1 ge3 san4 | Medium | The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 17:23 | Model of engaging plural religious culture without syncretistic compromise. |
| John’s baptism vs. Spirit-baptism | Ἰωάννου βάπτισμα | Iōannou baptisma | ”John’s baptism” | 約翰嘅洗禮 | joek3 hon6 ge3 sai2 lai5 | High | Repentance and Baptism | 19:3-6 | Requires teaching note distinguishing preparatory from new-covenant baptism. |
| Overseer | ἐπίσκοπος | episkopos | ”one who watches over” | 監督 | gaam1 duk1 | Medium | The Church as Community | 20:28 | Note secular “supervisor” false-friend sense in modern Cantonese usage. |
| Shepherd | ποιμήν / ποιμαίνω | poimēn / poimainō | ”shepherd / to shepherd” | 牧養 / 牧者 | muk6 joeng5 / muk6 ze2 | Low | The Church as Community | 20:28 | Established pastoral vocabulary. |
| Will of the Lord be done | τὸ θέλημα τοῦ κυρίου γενέσθω | to thelēma tou kyriou genesthō | ”let the Lord’s will happen” | 願主嘅心意得成 | jyun6 zyu2 ge3 sam1 ji3 dak1 sing4 | Low | Persecution and Bold Witness | 21:14 | Models submission to sovereign purpose amid suffering. |
| Vow / purify | εὐχή / ἁγνίζω | euchē / hagnizō | ”vow / to purify” | 願 / 自潔 | jyun6 / zi6 git3 | Medium | (background — Jewish cultural accommodation) | 21:23-26 | Distinguish sharply from forbidden 還神還願 temple vow-exchange. |
| Wash away your sins | ἀπολούω τὰς ἁμαρτίας | apolouō tas hamartias | ”to wash off sins” | 洗去你嘅罪 | sai2 heoi3 nei5 ge3 zeoi6 | High | Repentance and Baptism | 22:16 | Teach alongside baptism without implying mechanical water-efficacy; folk ritual-washing-for-luck (洗邋遢) collision caution. |
| The Way | ἡ ὁδός | hē hodos | ”the road, path” | 道 | dou6 | Critical | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles; Justification apart from the Law | 9:2; 18:25; 19:9,23; 22:4; 24:14,22 | Highest-stakes single collision in the book — direct overlap with Daoism (道教); mandatory explanatory clause at every first occurrence, theologian review every occurrence. |
| Darkness to light / Satan’s power to God | σκότος/φῶς, ἐξουσία τοῦ Σατανᾶ | skotos/phōs, exousia tou Satana | ”darkness/light, Satan’s authority” | 從黑暗轉向光明，從撒但嘅權勢歸向神 | cung4 hak1 am3 zyun3 hoeng3 gwong1 ming4 | High | Conversion of Paul | 26:18 | Avoid yin-yang cosmological dualism and Buddhist “enlightenment” framing. |
| Satan | Σατανᾶς | Satanas | proper name | 撒但 | saat3 daan6 | Medium | Conversion of Paul (background) | 26:18 | Distinguish from diffuse folk-demonology 鬼 (Ghost Festival category); a specific, personal, defeated enemy. |
| Unhindered | ἀκωλύτως | akōlytōs | ”not hindered” | 無阻擋噉 | mou4 zo2 dong2 gam2 | Medium | Great Commission Fulfilled | 28:31 | Climactic closing term of the whole book; carry triumphant momentum in rendering. |
Table C — Chapters Confirmed as Introducing No New Load-Bearing Theological Vocabulary
| Chapter | Status |
|---|---|
| 18 | Reviewed in full. No new theological vocabulary; reuses 教會, 福音, 主, 信心, and the persecution/testimony pattern established in chs. 4–7, 12. |
| 25 | Reviewed in full. No new theological vocabulary; narrative-legal chapter reusing testimony (μάρτυς) and resurrection (ἀνάστασις) vocabulary from chs. 22–24. |
| 27 | Reviewed in full. No new theological term, though the providence register (神嘅護理, Baseline TM) recurs and carries a Hong Kong-specific Tin Hau (天后) maritime-devotion collision note recorded in 07_semantic_analysis.md. |
Chapter 14 introduces one new term (πρεσβύτεροι, elders) and is otherwise a reuse chapter; recorded fully in Table B and noted in 07_semantic_analysis.md.
Glossary Governance Notes
- Priority order for enforcement follows the Romans baseline’s Glossary Enforcement Priority Order exactly: Critical → High → Forbidden Substitution List → Medium → Low.
- Two senses of κλῆρος must never be merged in translation memory: the ch.1 “casting lots” sense (抽籤, Critical, divination-collision) and the ch.26 “inheritance/portion among the saints” sense (產業, Medium, no divination collision). These require two separate translation memory keys in Phase 2 (e.g.
lot_castingandinheritance_among_saints). - Two senses of δωρεά vs. χαρίσματα must never be merged: “gift of the Holy Spirit” (the Spirit himself, given at conversion) and “spiritual gifts” (χαρίσματα, particular Spirit-given enablements, already keyed in the Romans baseline as
spiritual_gifts= 屬靈恩賜) require separate translation memory keys. - 道 (the Way) requires the single strongest procedural safeguard in this glossary: mandatory explanatory clause at first occurrence per document, plus theologian review at every occurrence without exception, regardless of how routine the surrounding narrative context appears.
- All new terms in Table B are proposed for promotion into an Acts-extension translation memory file in Phase 2, pending theologian sign-off on Critical/High tier entries, per the baseline’s Translation Memory Load and Enforcement Instructions.
This glossary extends, and defers in every instance of overlap to, the baseline Romans translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json. See analysis/07_semantic_analysis.md for full verse-by-verse and chapter-by-chapter derivations.
Critical Risk Terms
God
Approved rendering: 神
Transliteration: san4
Doctrine: Deity of Christ / God
Rejected alternatives: 天主, 上帝, 老天爺
Original: θεός / אֱלֹהִים
Category: God
[Inherited from Romans package.] Acts intensifies the risk because Paul’s Areopagus speech (17:23-29) directly engages an altar ‘to an unknown god’ and explicitly repudiates idol-making — reinforce that 神 names the one true God who cannot be represented by an image, not one deity among Hong Kong’s plural temple pantheon.
Jesus
Approved rendering: 耶穌
Transliteration: je4 sou1
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: God
[Inherited from Romans package.] The ‘name of Jesus’ formula (ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ) recurs throughout Acts as the exclusive basis for salvation, healing, and baptism (2:38; 3:6,16; 4:10,12,30; 8:16; 10:48; 16:18; 19:5,13); never abbreviate or generalize to ‘a deity’s name.‘
Lord
Approved rendering: 主
Transliteration: zyu2
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 事頭, 老爺, 耶和華 (NWT substitution)
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
[Inherited from Romans package.] Peter’s climactic ‘Lord and Christ’ (Acts 2:36) and the jailer’s confession formula (16:31) must render 主 with full exclusive weight. Never substitute 耶和華 per Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation practice; never frame as political loyalty given Hong Kong’s political sensitivities.
Messiah
Approved rendering: 基督
Transliteration: gei1 duk1
Doctrine: Messianic Promise Fulfilled in Jesus
Rejected alternatives: 彌勒, 黃大仙式嘅救世主
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
[Inherited from Romans package.] Acts repeatedly argues from Scripture that Jesus specifically is this Christ (2:31,36; 3:18,20; 9:22; 17:3; 18:5,28); never conflate with Maitreya or a wish-granting temple deity such as Wong Tai Sin.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: 聖靈
Transliteration: sing3 ling4
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: 問米嘅靈, 祖先靈, bare 靈
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: Pneumatology
[Inherited from Romans package.] Acts is the book most saturated with 聖靈 language (pervasive, chs.1-28). NEVER render bare 靈. Acts 5:3,9 (‘lie to the Holy Spirit’) and 16:16 (a ‘python spirit’ cast out by Paul) supply worked narrative contrasts that must be kept sharply distinct from 聖靈. Never render in impersonal, force-like phrasing (cf. New World Translation’s impersonal-Spirit framing, per 05_translation_landscape.md §4.1).
Salvation
Approved rendering: 救恩 / 得救
Transliteration: gau3 jan1 / dak1 gau3
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism / Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: 解脫, 超度, 大慈大悲救苦救難
Original: σωτηρία / σῴζω
Category: Salvation
[Inherited from Romans package.] Central to Acts’ repeated salvation-appeal formula ‘what must I do to be saved?’ (2:37; 16:30; 22:10) and ‘call on the name of the Lord’ (2:21). Never 解脫/超度 or Guanyin’s popular epithet.
Grace
Approved rendering: 恩典
Transliteration: jan1 din2
Doctrine: Grace Received Apart from Merit or Payment
Rejected alternatives: 福氣, 有求必應式嘅恩典, 功德
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
[Inherited from Romans package.] Acts dramatizes the forbidden transactional alternative at narrative length in Simon Magus (8:9-24), who attempts to purchase the Spirit’s gift with money — the clearest NT enactment of the Wong Tai Sin ‘whatever you ask, you shall receive’ exchange logic. Also central to the Jerusalem Council’s thesis (15:11) and Paul’s self-summary (20:24,32).
Righteousness
Approved rendering: 義
Transliteration: ji6
Doctrine: Justification Apart from the Law
Rejected alternatives: 道德, 善行
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
[Inherited from Romans package.] Attested at Acts 13:10; 24:25. Always flag with a note distinguishing 義 from the Cantonese loyalty-and-honor idiom 義氣 (triad/brotherhood code of honor) whenever used in justification contexts.
Justification
Approved rendering: 稱義
Transliteration: cing1 ji6
Doctrine: Justification Apart from the Law
Rejected alternatives: 修成正果, 還神還願
Original: δικαιόω
Category: Salvation
[Inherited from Romans package.] Acts 13:38-39 is the curriculum’s single clearest verse-level statement of justification apart from the law and must render verbatim-consistent with Romans 3-4.
Imputed Righteousness
Approved rendering: 算為義
Transliteration: syun3 wai4 ji6
Doctrine: Justification Apart from the Law
Rejected alternatives: 修成正果嘅義, 自義
Original: ἐλογίσθη εἰς δικαιοσύνην (conceptual background)
Category: Salvation
[Inherited from Romans package.] Retained for cross-reference to Romans 4 whenever Acts 13:38-39 is taught; the conceptual background underlying the contrast between grace-received justification and law-keeping.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: 復活
Transliteration: fuk6 wut6
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 投胎轉世, 問米式嘅還魂
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
[Inherited from Romans package.] Acts sharpens this caution: apostolic ‘eyewitness testimony’ language (2:32; 13:31) could otherwise echo 問米 practice’s own claim of contact with the dead. Doctrine explicitly mocked at Athens (17:32) and disputed at the Sanhedrin (23:6-8).
Son Of God
Approved rendering: 神嘅兒子
Transliteration: san4 ge3 ji4 zi2
Doctrine: Lordship and Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 天子, 神人
Original: υἱὸς θεοῦ
Category: Christology
[Inherited from Romans package.] Attested at Acts 9:20, Paul’s first post-conversion proclamation. Full phrase required; never abbreviate to 神人, never equate with 天子.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: 道成肉身
Transliteration: dou6 sing4 juk6 san1
Doctrine: Lordship and Deity of Christ (background)
Rejected alternatives: 化身, 顯靈
Original: ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο (background)
Category: Christology
[Inherited from Romans package.] Not a frequent standalone Acts term but essential background to 2:22-24 and 13:23’s affirmation of Jesus’ real humanity and Davidic descent; never 化身/顯靈.
Filled With Spirit
Approved rendering: 被聖靈充滿
Transliteration: bei6 sing3 ling4 cung1 mun5
Doctrine: Spirit Filling as Normal Christian Experience
Rejected alternatives: 附體
Original: ἐπλήσθησαν πνεύματος ἁγίου
Category: Pneumatology
New — Acts. Fixed formula for every occurrence (2:4; 4:8,31; 9:17; 13:9,52). Never 附體 (spirit-medium possession framing) — the surface-form similarity between ‘filled’ and ‘possessed’ is the specific danger, not an actual semantic overlap.
Pour Out Spirit
Approved rendering: 澹灌 / 傾倒（聖靈）
Transliteration: king1 dou2 (sing3 ling4)
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: 還神還願-style dispensing imagery
Original: ἐκχέω
Category: Pneumatology
New — Acts. Central Pentecost verb (2:17-18,33; 10:45). Must render as a generous, unearned, sovereign divine gift, never a substance dispensed in exchange for ritual merit.
Call On Name Of Lord
Approved rendering: 求告主嘅名
Transliteration: kau4 gou3 zyu2 ge3 ming4
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism / The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: 求籤, 問米, Guanyin epithet, ritualized ‘Shouters’-style exclamatory invocation
Original: ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου
Category: Salvation
New — Acts. Attested 2:21; 9:14,21; 22:16. Never 求籤/問米/Guanyin-epithet framing. Must render identically wherever quoted. Render as sober, ordinary invocational/confessional language — never with exclamatory repetition patterns evoking the ‘Local Church/Shouters’ (呼喊派) movement’s signature ritual practice, per 05_translation_landscape.md §4.3.
What Must I Do To Be Saved
Approved rendering: 我應該做啲乜先可以得救？
Transliteration: ngo5 jing1 goi1 zou6 di1 mat1 sin1 ho2 ji5 dak1 gau3
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Original: τί με δεῖ ποιεῖν ἵνα σωθῶ;
Category: Salvation
New — Acts. Attested 2:37; 16:30-31; 22:10. Must render identically across all three occurrences per Theological Consistency Rules, combining faith/believe, lord, jesus, and salvation exactly as recorded elsewhere in this file.
Repent
Approved rendering: 悔改
Transliteration: fui3 goi2
Doctrine: Repentance
Rejected alternatives: 懺悔, 洗心革面
Original: μετανοέω / μετάνοια
Category: Repentance and Baptism
New — Acts (highest-priority new term in the book). Attested 2:38; 3:19; 8:22; 17:30; 26:20. Must be distinguished from 懺悔 (Buddhist karma-purification ritual confession) and 洗心革面 (secular willpower self-reform with no reference to God); relational reorientation toward a personal God. Requires human theologian review at every occurrence.
Turn Epistrepho
Approved rendering: 轉向（神）
Transliteration: zyun3 hoeng3 (san4)
Doctrine: Repentance
Rejected alternatives: same cautions as 悔改
New — Acts. Pairs with 悔改 at 3:19; 9:35; 11:21; 14:15; 15:19; 26:18,20. Describes repentance as a full reorientation of life-direction; same folk-religious cautions as 悔改 apply.
Forgiveness Of Sins
Approved rendering: 罪得赦免
Transliteration: zeoi6 dak1 se3 min5
Doctrine: Forgiveness of Sins
Rejected alternatives: 消災解難, 還神還願
Original: ἄφεσις τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν
Category: Salvation
New — Acts. Single most repeated soteriological formula: 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18. Never 消災解難 (temple calamity-dispelling petition) or 還神還願 (vow-discharge); judicial release of moral guilt before a personal God, granted freely.
Gift Of Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: 聖靈嘅（白白嘅）恩賜 / 所賜嘅聖靈
Transliteration: sing3 ling4 ge3 baak6 baak6 ge3 jan1 ci3
Doctrine: The Gift of the Holy Spirit
Rejected alternatives: purchasable/merit-exchanged framing, conflation with 屬靈恩賜
Original: δωρεὰ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος
Category: Pneumatology
New — Acts (sense-split from spiritual_gifts, δωρεά vs. χαρίσματα — see 08_core_glossary.md Governance Note 3). Attested 2:38; 8:20; 10:45; 11:17. Simon Magus’s cash offer for this gift (8:18-20) is the NT’s own dramatization of the exact transactional grace-collision the Romans baseline forbids.
Signs And Wonders
Approved rendering: 神蹟奇事
Transliteration: san4 zik1 kei4 si6
Doctrine: Apostolic Miracles as Divine Authentication
Rejected alternatives: 靈驗 (temple-efficacy framing)
Original: σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα
Category: Miracles
New — Acts. Single highest-frequency new-term collision risk in the book: attested 2:19,22,43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 14:3; 15:12. Must always anchor explicitly to God’s authentication of apostolic gospel proclamation, never presented as free-floating supernatural proof. Requires human theologian review at every occurrence.
Lie To Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: 欺騙聖靈
Transliteration: hei1 pin3 sing3 ling4
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: ψεύσασθαι τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον
Category: Pneumatology
New — Acts. Attested 5:3,9 (Ananias and Sapphira). Inherits the Critical 聖靈 tier; underscores the Spirit’s full personal deity — one can lie to him, a category error if 聖靈 is rendered as an impersonal force.
Sorcery
Approved rendering: 巫術 / 行邪術嘅人
Transliteration: mou4 seot6
Doctrine: Confrontation with Occult and Divinatory Power
Original: μαγεία / μάγος
Category: Occult Confrontation
New — Acts. Attested 8:9,11 (Simon Magus); 13:6,8 (Elymas); 19:19 (burning of magic books at Ephesus). Dramatizes the grace-vs-merit transactional collision at narrative length; never conflated with legitimate Spirit-given power. Requires human theologian review.
Spirit Of Divination
Approved rendering: 占卜嘅邪靈
Transliteration: zim1 buk1 ge3 ce4 ling4
Doctrine: Confrontation with Occult and Divinatory Power
Rejected alternatives: bare 靈
Original: πνεῦμα πύθωνα
Category: Occult Confrontation
New — Acts. Attested 16:16-18. NEVER use bare 靈 — direct collision with 問米/睇相算命 culture; the entity’s superficially true words (correctly identifying Paul and Silas) must not be mistaken for legitimate spiritual authority. Requires human theologian review.
The Way
Approved rendering: 道
Transliteration: dou6
Doctrine: The Way as a Name for the Christian Faith
Rejected alternatives: standalone unqualified 道 as a bare synonym for 道教 (Daoism)
Original: ἡ ὁδός
Category: Church
New — Acts. THE single highest-stakes term-collision in the entire curriculum: 道 directly names the foundational term of Daoism (道教), reinforced by Hong Kong’s active Daoist temple culture (Wong Tai Sin, Man Mo Temple). No viable transliteration or paraphrase alternative exists within the established Chinese Bible-translation tradition (CUV itself uses 道). Attested 9:2; 18:25; 19:9,23; 22:4; 24:14,22. MANDATE an explanatory clause at every first occurrence per document (‘這道，即係跟從耶穌基督嘅信仰道路’). Requires human theologian review at every occurrence without exception.
Lot Casting
Approved rendering: 抽籤
Transliteration: cau1 chim1
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority
Rejected alternatives: 求籤 divination framing presented without the mandatory note
Original: κλῆρος
Category: Apostolic Authority
New — Acts (sense-split from inheritance_among_saints below — see 08_core_glossary.md Governance Note 2). Attested Acts 1:26 only. Direct collision with 求籤, the single most iconic form of divination at Wong Tai Sin Temple. Mandatory translator’s note required: unique, pre-Pentecost, prayer-grounded discernment, never repeated as a normative practice elsewhere in Acts or the NT. Requires human theologian review at this occurrence.
High Risk Terms
Law
Approved rendering: 律法
Transliteration: leot6 faat3
Doctrine: Justification Apart from the Law
Rejected alternatives: 禮, 規矩, 法律
Original: νόμος
Category: Justification apart from the Law
[Inherited from Romans package.] Central to chs.13,15,21-25. Never equate with 禮/規矩; never use 法律 (secular/civil law).
Sin
Approved rendering: 罪
Transliteration: zeoi6
Doctrine: Forgiveness of Sins / Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: 報應, 唔衰得
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
[Inherited from Romans package.] Central to the ‘forgiveness of sins’ compound (2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18). Never 報應/唔衰得.
Covenant
Approved rendering: 約
Transliteration: joek3
Doctrine: Fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant
Rejected alternatives: 合約, 還神還願嘅承諾
Original: διαθήκη
Category: Covenant
[Inherited from Romans package.] Attested at 3:25; 7:8. Never 合約/還神還願.
Election
Approved rendering: 揀選
Transliteration: gaan2 syun2
Doctrine: Divine Calling and Election of Paul
Rejected alternatives: 命運, 八字注定
Original: ἐκλογή
Category: Divine Calling
[Inherited from Romans package.] Extended in Acts 9:15’s compound ‘vessel of election’ (σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς) — render as （神）揀選嘅器皿, a personal, purposive, missional choice, never fatalistic birth-chart vocabulary (八字注定).
Providence
Approved rendering: 神嘅護理
Transliteration: san4 ge3 wu6 lei5
Doctrine: Providence and Divine Sovereignty
Rejected alternatives: 天意, 運程
Original: πρόνοια (concept)
Category: Providence
[Inherited from Romans package.] Acts 27 (shipwreck) adds a Hong-Kong-specific collision risk: Tin Hau (天后) sea-goddess maritime-devotion framing, prominent among Hong Kong fishing communities, must be kept distinct from God’s personal providential care. Attested 2:23; 4:28; 27:22-25,31,34,44.
Faith
Approved rendering: 信心
Transliteration: seon3 sam1
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism / Justification Apart from the Law
Rejected alternatives: 虔誠, 睇相算命式嘅相信
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
[Inherited from Romans package.] Recurs at 3:16; 6:5,7-8; 11:24; 13:8; 14:9,22,27; 15:9; 16:5,31; 17:31; 20:21; 24:24; 26:18. Never fortune-telling/palm-reading framing.
Called
Approved rendering: 蒙召嘅
Transliteration: mung4 siu6 ge3
Doctrine: Divine Calling and Election of Paul
Rejected alternatives: 天生註定, 命中注定
[Inherited from Romans package.] Attested at Acts 2:39. Never 命中注定/八字.
Calling
Approved rendering: 呼召
Transliteration: fu1 siu6
Doctrine: Divine Calling and Election of Paul
Rejected alternatives: 命運, 緣分
[Inherited from Romans package.] Attested at Acts 13:2; 16:10, God’s Spirit-directed commissioning of missionaries. Never 命運/緣分.
Saints
Approved rendering: 聖徒
Transliteration: sing3 tou4
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: 神仙, 得道高人
[Inherited from Romans package.] Attested at 9:13,32,41; 26:10. Never 神仙/得道高人.
Holy
Approved rendering: 聖潔
Transliteration: sing3 git3
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism (sanctified life, background)
Rejected alternatives: 清淨, 戒口修行式嘅潔淨
[Inherited from Romans package.] Adjectival background usage throughout Acts. Never 清淨/戒口修行 framing.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: 成聖
Transliteration: sing4 sing3
Doctrine: (background — sanctified by faith)
Rejected alternatives: 修煉, 戒除惡習
[Inherited from Romans package.] Attested at Acts 26:18 (‘sanctified by faith’). Never 修煉/戒除惡習.
Power Of God
Approved rendering: 神嘅大能
Transliteration: san4 ge3 daai6 nang4
Doctrine: Apostolic Miracles as Divine Authentication
Rejected alternatives: 法力, 風水嘅力量
Original: δύναμις θεοῦ
Category: Miracles
[Inherited from Romans package.] Extended in Acts from the Romans soteriological sense to include miracle-working power performed through Jesus and the apostles (esp. 2:22); add a disambiguating clause when the miracle sense is primary. Never 法力/風水嘅力量.
Other Tongues
Approved rendering: 講別種方言 / 本地嘅語言
Transliteration: gong2 bit6 zung2 fong1 jin4
Doctrine: Tongues as a Sign of the Spirit’s Coming
Rejected alternatives: ordinary dialect code-switching, ecstatic unintelligible utterance
Original: ἑτέραις γλώσσαις / διάλεκτος
Category: Pneumatology
New — Acts. 方言 ordinarily names a Chinese regional dialect (Cantonese itself is popularly so described), a politically live term given Cantonese-Mandarin standardization debates. Attach a mandatory translator’s note: real, unlearned human languages, confirmed by hearers recognizing their own native tongue (2:6,8,11), not dialect-switching or ecstatic speech. Also attested 10:46; 19:6.
Day Of The Lord
Approved rendering: 主嘅日子
Transliteration: zyu2 ge3 jat6 zi2
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: 老黃曆嘅好日子/唔好日子
Original: ἡμέρα Κυρίου
Category: Fulfillment of Prophecy
New — Acts. Attested at 2:20. Never assimilated to 老黃曆 lucky/unlucky-day almanac consultation; this is the sovereign Lord’s own appointed day of judgment and salvation.
Foreknowledge
Approved rendering: 神嘅先見 / 預先知道
Transliteration: san4 ge3 sin1 gin3
Doctrine: Providence and Divine Sovereignty
Rejected alternatives: 命中注定
Original: πρόγνωσις
Category: Providence
New — Acts. Attested at 2:23. Never fatalistic 命中注定; personal divine foreknowledge intersecting real human moral responsibility, not impersonal fate absorbing guilt.
Holy One
Approved rendering: 聖者
Transliteration: sing3 ze2
Doctrine: Messianic Promise Fulfilled in Jesus
Rejected alternatives: 神仙, 得道高人
Original: ὅσιος
Category: Messianic Promise
New — Acts. Attested at 2:27. Must not be confused with 神仙 or 得道高人; names the unique Messiah, not an attained spiritual rank.
Witness
Approved rendering: 見證人 / 見證
Transliteration: gin3 zing3 jan4
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority
Rejected alternatives: generic subjective impression
Original: μάρτυς / μαρτυρία
Category: Apostolic Authority
New — Acts. Attested 1:8; 2:32; 3:15; 5:32; 10:39,41; 13:31; 22:15,20; 26:16. Direct eyewitness testimony to a historical, bodily event; the martyrdom sense develops narratively from Stephen (ch.7) onward and must be kept doctrinally distinct from the eyewitness sense.
Exalted
Approved rendering: 被高舉
Transliteration: bei6 gou1 geoi2
Doctrine: Ascension of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 羽化登仙
Original: ὑψωθείς
Category: Christology
New — Acts. Attested at 2:33 (also background 1:9-11). Must be kept tied to bodily ascension/enthronement, not a vague ‘spiritual elevation’ echoing the Daoist immortal-ascension motif.
Baptize
Approved rendering: 受洗 / 洗禮 / 施洗
Transliteration: sau6 sai2 / sai2 lai5 / si1 sai2
Doctrine: Baptism
Rejected alternatives: Daoist ritual purification bathing, 洗邋遢
Original: βαπτίζω / βάπτισμα
Category: Repentance and Baptism
New — Acts. Established Hong Kong church usage. Attested 2:38,41; 8:36-38; 9:18; 10:47-48; 16:15,33; 18:8; 19:3-5; 22:16. Must be distinguished from repeatable ritual-purification bathing customs; unique, non-repeatable, performed ‘in the name of Jesus Christ.‘
Johns Baptism Vs Spirit Baptism
Approved rendering: 約翰嘅洗禮
Transliteration: joek3 hon6 ge3 sai2 lai5
Doctrine: Spirit-Baptism Distinguished from John’s Baptism
New — Acts. Attested 19:1-6 (background 1:5; 11:16). Requires a distinct teaching note (not merely a term substitution) distinguishing John’s preparatory, repentance-only baptism from Christian baptism accompanied by the Spirit’s coming.
Wash Away Sins
Approved rendering: 洗去你嘅罪
Transliteration: sai2 heoi3 nei5 ge3 zeoi6
Doctrine: Forgiveness of Sins
Rejected alternatives: 洗邋遢 folk luck-washing
New — Acts. Attested 22:16. Teach alongside baptism without implying baptismal water mechanically effects forgiveness; the passage’s emphasis is calling on Christ’s name in faith.
Healed
Approved rendering: 醫好
Transliteration: ji1 hou2
Doctrine: Apostolic Miracles as Divine Authentication
Rejected alternatives: 靈驗
Original: ἰάομαι / ὑγιής
Category: Miracles
New — Acts. Attested 3:7-10; 4:9-10,14; 5:16; 8:7; 9:34; 14:8-10; 19:12; 28:8-9. Escalates from Medium (standalone) to High whenever co-occurring with 神蹟奇事 language; never described with 靈驗 vocabulary.
Servant Of God
Approved rendering: 神嘅僕人
Transliteration: san4 ge3 buk6 jan4
Doctrine: Messianic Promise Fulfilled in Jesus
Rejected alternatives: mere ‘helper’/‘assistant’ softening
Original: παῖς
Category: Messianic Promise
New — Acts. Attested 3:13,26; 4:27,30. Isaianic Servant title (Isaiah 52:13 LXX background); requires an explanatory note pointing to Isaiah’s Servant Songs given assumed low OT literacy.
Boldness
Approved rendering: 坦然無懼 / 膽量
Transliteration: taan2 jin4 mou4 geoi6
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Rejected alternatives: 威水, 面子
Original: παρρησία
Category: Persecution and Witness
New — Acts. Attested 4:13,29,31; 9:27-28; 13:46; 14:3; 18:26; 19:8; 26:26; 28:31 (the book’s climactic closing verse). Spirit-given courage rooted in the truth of the message, not self-generated confidence or face-seeking bravado.
Gods Impartiality
Approved rendering: 神唔偏待人
Transliteration: san4 m4 pin1 doi6 jan4
Doctrine: God’s Impartiality toward All Peoples
Rejected alternatives: 報應
Original: οὐκ ἔστιν προσωπολήπτης ὁ θεός
Category: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
New — Acts. Attested 10:34 (also 17:26). Must be distinguished from the impersonal-karma concept 報應; personal moral consistency of a relational God, not automatic karmic fairness.
Common Unclean
Approved rendering: 俗物 / 唔潔淨嘅嘢（人）
Transliteration: zuk6 mat6
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: ongoing folk ritual-pollution taboo framing
Original: κοινός / ἀκάθαρτος
Category: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
New — Acts. Attested 10:14-15,28; 11:8-9. Distinguish clearly from ongoing Cantonese folk ritual-pollution taboos surrounding funerals, childbirth, and certain foods; the doctrinal payoff is inclusion, not hygiene.
Davidic Covenant
Approved rendering: 大衛之約
Transliteration: daai6 wai6 zi1 joek3
Doctrine: Fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant
Original: σπέρμα Δαυίδ / διαθήκη
Category: Covenant
New — Acts. Attested 2:25-31; 13:22-23,32-37; 15:16. Requires OT covenant background given assumed low OT literacy; no directly analogous perpetual-lineage covenant exists in Cantonese/Pearl River Delta clan tradition, where continuity runs through succession-adoption (過繼) rather than unconditional divine promise.
Spirit Guided Decision
Approved rendering: 聖靈同我們都認為好
Transliteration: sing3 ling4 tung4 ngo5 mun4 dou1 jing6 wai4 hou2
Doctrine: Spirit-Guided Corporate Church Decisions
Rejected alternatives: impersonal fate-mechanism resembling divinatory lot-casting
Original: ἔδοξε τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ
Category: Church
New — Acts. Attested 15:28 (Jerusalem Council). Models the Spirit’s active, personal governance of church decisions, distinct from autonomous human deliberation and from an impersonal fate-mechanism resembling lot_casting below (Acts 1:26) — never confuse these two.
Darkness To Light
Approved rendering: 從黑暗轉向光明，從撒但嘅權勢歸向神
Transliteration: cung4 hak1 am3 zyun3 hoeng3 gwong1 ming4
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Rejected alternatives: 陰陽 yin-yang cosmological dualism, 開悟/覺悟 Buddhist enlightenment framing
Original: σκότος πρὸς φῶς
Category: Conversion of Paul
New — Acts. Attested 26:18 (Paul’s commissioning summary). Must not be assimilated to yin-yang cosmological dualism or Buddhist enlightenment imagery; a moral and spiritual reversal from bondage to Satan’s dominion into God’s kingdom, not a cosmic-balance concept.
Ascension
Approved rendering: 被接上天 / 升天
Transliteration: bei6 zip3 soeng5 tin1 / sing1 tin1
Doctrine: Ascension of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 羽化登仙, generic folk-Buddhist soul-ascent
Original: ἀναλαμβάνω / ἀνάλημψις
Category: Christology
New — Acts. Attested 1:2,9,11,22. 升天 is common Chinese-Christian usage but risks assimilation to Daoist ascension-to-immortality imagery; must be anchored to visible, bodily, historical departure witnessed by the apostles, promised to recur at Christ’s return.
Medium Risk Terms
Church
Approved rendering: 教會
Transliteration: gaau3 wui2
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: 廟, 祠堂
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
[Inherited from Romans package.] Never 廟/祠堂. Pervasive across chs.5,8-9,11-16,18,20.
Gentiles
Approved rendering: 外邦人
Transliteration: ngoi6 bong1 jan4
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: 外江佬, 鄉下人
Original: ἔθνη
Category: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
[Inherited from Romans package.] Central term for the doctrine; attested chs.10-11,13-15,28. Never 外江佬/鄉下人.
Israel
Approved rendering: 以色列
Transliteration: ji5 sik1 lit6
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: Ἰσραήλ
Category: Covenant
[Inherited from Romans package.] The disciples’ question at Acts 1:6 (‘will you restore the kingdom to Israel?’) shows the same political-misreading risk flagged in the Romans baseline, present from the book’s opening.
David
Approved rendering: 大衛
Transliteration: daai6 wai6
Doctrine: Fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant
Original: Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
[Inherited from Romans package.] Extensively cited in Peter’s and Paul’s sermons: 1:16; 2:25,29-31,34; 4:25; 7:45; 13:22,34,36; 15:16.
Prophecy
Approved rendering: 預言
Transliteration: jyu6 jin4
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: 求籤, 睇風水擇日
Original: προφητεία
Category: Fulfillment of Prophecy
[Inherited from Romans package.] Includes ongoing prophetic utterance within the church (Agabus, 21:9-11; also 2:17; 19:6). Never 求籤/睇風水擇日.
Peace
Approved rendering: 平安
Transliteration: ping4 on1
Doctrine: (background — Church life)
Rejected alternatives: 平安符式嘅平安, 老黃曆話嘅好日子
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Church
[Inherited from Romans package.] Attested at 9:31; 10:36; 12:20; 15:33; 16:36; 24:2. Never 平安符/老黃曆 framing.
Glory
Approved rendering: 榮耀
Transliteration: wing4 jiu6
Doctrine: Apostolic Miracles as Divine Authentication (background)
Rejected alternatives: 面子, 威水
Original: δόξα
Category: God
[Inherited from Romans package.] Attested at Stephen’s death (7:55) and withheld from Herod’s usurping self-display, for which he dies (12:23). Never 面子/威水.
Mission
Approved rendering: 宣教
Transliteration: syun1 gaau3
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Rejected alternatives: 洋教傳播
Original: ἀποστολή / πέμπω (concept)
Category: Great Commission
[Inherited from Romans package.] Attested at 13:2-4; 14:26; 15:40. Hong Kong’s own long local Christian institutional history gives this less foreign-stigma than in some other Chinese-language contexts, but public-evangelism framing still requires social-climate sensitivity.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: 神嘅國
Transliteration: san4 ge3 gwok3
Doctrine: Kingdom of God Teaching
Rejected alternatives: 天下, 王朝
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
[Inherited from Romans package.] Keep doctrinal, not political-restoration, framing — acute at Acts 1:6 where the disciples ask about restoring Israel’s kingdom. Attested 1:3,6; 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23,31.
Spiritual Gifts
Approved rendering: 屬靈恩賜
Transliteration: suk6 ling4 jan1 ci3
Doctrine: The Gift of the Holy Spirit (background contrast)
Rejected alternatives: 法力, 神通
Original: χαρίσματα (concept)
Category: Church
[Inherited from Romans package.] Must be kept as a distinct translation-memory key from gift_of_holy_spirit (δωρεά, the Spirit himself given at conversion) below; never conflate the two senses. Never 神通/法力.
Hades
Approved rendering: 陰間
Transliteration: jam1 gaan1
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 城隍-governed folk underworld bureaucracy framing
Original: ᾅδης
Category: Eschatology
New — Acts. Attested 2:27,31. Gloss simply as ‘the realm of the dead,’ not the folk underworld bureaucracy active within Ghost Festival (盂蘭節) cosmology.
Patriarch
Approved rendering: 先祖
Transliteration: sin1 zou2
Doctrine: Fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant
Rejected alternatives: 族長
New — Acts. Attested 2:29; 7:8-9. Avoid 族長 (living clan-village patriarch, ancestor-worship-linked hereditary authority); prefer 先祖 or explanatory apposition.
Promise Of Spirit
Approved rendering: 應許
Transliteration: jing3 heoi2
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: 平安符/老黃曆式嘅應許
New — Acts. Attested 2:33,39; 13:23,32. A personal covenantal pledge kept by a personal God, distinct from charm-protection or almanac-based promised luck.
Pierced To Heart
Approved rendering: 扎心
Transliteration: zaat3 sam1
Doctrine: Repentance
Rejected alternatives: 面子/唔衰得 shame framing
New — Acts. Attested 2:37. Conviction before God, not embarrassment before the crowd; pair with an explicit ‘before God’ clause.
Times Of Refreshing
Approved rendering: 安舒嘅時候
Transliteration: on1 syu1 ge3 si4 hau6
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: feng shui 陰陽調和 balance framing
New — Acts. Attested 3:20. Eschatological, God-given relief anticipating final restoration, not an energetic-balance concept.
Restoration Of All Things
Approved rendering: 萬物復興
Transliteration: maan6 mat6 fuk6 hing1
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Rejected alternatives: political-restoration slogan framing
New — Acts. Attested 3:21. Keep clearly framed as God’s future cosmic renewal, not a this-worldly political-restoration slogan, given Hong Kong’s sensitivities around ‘restoration’ language.
All Things Common
Approved rendering: 大家共享所有嘅嘢
Transliteration: daai6 gaa1 gung6 hoeng2 so2 jau5 ge3 je5
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: 祠堂 clan-property arrangement framing
Original: ἅπαντα κοινά
Category: Church
New — Acts. Attested 2:44; 4:32. Distinguish from Pearl River Delta clan ancestral-hall property arrangements; voluntary, Spirit-motivated, historically descriptive of the Jerusalem church only, not a general economic program. Flag for native-speaker political-sensitivity review.
Diakonia Ministry
Approved rendering: 服侍 / 事奉
Transliteration: fuk6 si6 / si6 fung6
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: διακονία
Category: Church
New — Acts. Attested 6:1,4; 11:29; 12:25; 20:24; 21:19. Disambiguate by context: 服侍 for practical service, 事奉 for word-ministry.
Stiff Necked
Approved rendering: 頸硬 / 抗拒聖靈
Transliteration: geng2 ngaang6
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
New — Acts. Attested 7:51 (Stephen’s speech). Pair colloquial idiom with the explicit ‘resisting the Spirit’ clause for doctrinal clarity.
Word Of God Growth
Approved rendering: 神嘅道不斷興旺
Transliteration: san4 ge3 dou6 bat1 dyun6 hing1 wong6
Doctrine: The Growth of the Word of God
Rejected alternatives: institutional-success metric divorced from the gospel
New — Acts. Recurring growth-summary formula: 6:7; 12:24; 19:20. Describes church growth as God’s own sovereign act, not a mere institutional-success metric. Note: 道 here renders λόγος (‘word/message’), NOT the semi-technical ‘the Way’ (ὁδός) sense — keep the two senses of 道 distinguished in teaching notes.
Light For Gentiles
Approved rendering: 外邦人嘅光
Transliteration: ngoi6 bong1 jan4 ge3 gwong1
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: 悟/開悟 Buddhist enlightenment framing
Original: φῶς ἐθνῶν
Category: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
New — Acts. Attested 13:47 (quoting Isaiah 49:6). Keep the ‘light’ metaphor distinct from Buddhist enlightenment imagery — revelatory illumination given by God, not an attained inner awakening.
Elders
Approved rendering: 長老
Transliteration: zoeng2 lou5
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Governance
Rejected alternatives: 族長
Original: πρεσβύτεροι
Category: Church
New — Acts. Attested 11:30; 14:23; 15:2,4,6,22-23; 16:4; 20:17; 21:18. Distinguish from clan-village patriarch (族長), whose authority is ancestor-worship-linked and hereditary; church eldership is a spiritual-service office within the gospel community.
Circumcision
Approved rendering: 受割禮
Transliteration: sau6 got3 lai5
Doctrine: Justification Apart from the Law
Original: περιτέμνω
Category: Justification apart from the Law
New — Acts. Attested 15:1,5,24; 16:3; 21:21. Requires an OT-background explanatory gloss; no ready Cantonese cultural analogue beyond a purely medical framing.
Yoke Of Law
Approved rendering: 軛 / 重擔
Transliteration: aak3 / cung5 daam3
Doctrine: Justification Apart from the Law
Rejected alternatives: 禮教嘅重擔 Confucian duty-burden idiom register
Original: ζυγός
Category: Justification apart from the Law
New — Acts. Attested 15:10. The burden of law-keeping as a salvation condition, rejected by the Jerusalem Council as contrary to grace; distinct from the unrelated Confucian ritual-duty-burden idiom register.
Unknown God
Approved rendering: 未識嘅神
Transliteration: mei6 sik1 ge3 san4
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: ἀγνώστῳ θεῷ
Category: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
New — Acts. Attested 17:23 (Areopagus altar inscription). Models engaging Hong Kong’s own plural religious landscape (temple, feng shui, folk-mediumship culture) as a rhetorical bridge without syncretistic compromise; Paul firmly rejects idol-worship in the same speech (v.24-29).
Overseer
Approved rendering: 監督
Transliteration: gaam1 duk1
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Governance
Original: ἐπίσκοπος
Category: Church
New — Acts. Attested 20:28. 監督 carries a false-friend secular ‘supervisor/inspector’ sense in modern Cantonese business usage; ensure the church-office sense is clearly marked in context.
Vow Purify
Approved rendering: 願 / 自潔
Transliteration: jyun6 / zi6 git3
Doctrine: (background — Jewish cultural accommodation)
Rejected alternatives: 還神還願 temple vow-and-offering exchange
New — Acts. Attested 21:23-26 (Paul’s Nazirite-vow participation). Distinguish sharply from 還神還願; a Mosaic-law purification vow with a fixed OT background and cultural-accommodation purpose, never a transactional exchange for divine favor.
Satan
Approved rendering: 撒但
Transliteration: saat3 daan6
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Rejected alternatives: 鬼 diffuse folk-demonology
Original: Σατανᾶς
Category: Conversion of Paul
New — Acts. Attested 26:18. Established transliteration; distinguish from Cantonese folk-demonology’s diffuse ‘evil spirit/ghost’ (鬼) category appeased at Ghost Festival (盂蘭節) — a specific, personal, defeated spiritual enemy with a definite biblical narrative role.
Inheritance Among Saints
Approved rendering: 產業
Transliteration: caan2 jip6
Doctrine: Justification Apart from the Law (background — sanctified inheritance)
Rejected alternatives: conflation with 抽籤 lot-casting sense
Original: κλῆρος (inheritance sense)
Category: Salvation
New — Acts (sense-split from lot_casting above). Attested 26:18 only (‘a place/inheritance among those sanctified by faith’). Must be kept as a distinct translation-memory key from lot_casting to avoid importing the divination-collision caution into this unrelated inheritance usage.
End Of Earth
Approved rendering: 地極
Transliteration: dei6 gik6
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: ἔσχατον τῆς γῆς
Category: Great Commission
New — Acts. The thesis-statement term for the whole book (1:8); render identically at every echo (implicitly 8:1; explicitly 13:47; implicitly 28:31).
Unhindered
Approved rendering: 無阻擋噉
Transliteration: mou4 zo2 dong2 gam2
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: ἀκωλύτως
Category: Great Commission
New — Acts. The book’s deliberately open-ended climactic closing word (28:31). Rendering must carry the same triumphant, unstoppable momentum as the Greek adverb, not a flat ‘without difficulty.‘
Persecution
Approved rendering: 迫害
Transliteration: bik1 hoi6
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: διωγμός / διώκω
Category: Persecution and Witness
New — Acts. Attested 7:58-8:1; 9:4-5; 11:19; 13:50; 14:19. No direct folk-religious collision, but flag for native-speaker political-sensitivity review; keep description historically anchored to the narrative (Herod, Sanhedrin, Roman authorities), not contemporary political analogy.
Set Apart Commissioning
Approved rendering: 分別出嚟
Transliteration: fan1 bit6 ceot1 lai4
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: ἀφορίζω
Category: Great Commission
New — Acts. Attested 13:2. Echoes the Romans baseline’s ‘separation unto God’s service’ doctrine language; reuse consistently.
Low Risk Terms
Apostle
Approved rendering: 使徒
Transliteration: si2 tou4
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority
Rejected alternatives: 風水師, 大師
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Apostolic Authority
[Inherited from Romans package.] Pervasive foundational office-term across chs.1-16. Avoid 大師 (feng shui grandmaster); teaching notes should clarify the apostolic office is unique and non-repeatable (contra LDS ‘restored apostleship’ claims, per 05_translation_landscape.md §4.4).
Fellowship
Approved rendering: 團契
Transliteration: tyun4 kai3
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship and Common Life
Rejected alternatives: 同鄉會, 結拜
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
[Inherited from Romans package.] Never 同鄉會/結拜. Attested at Acts 2:42, tied to ‘breaking of bread’ and common life (2:42-46).
Prophet
Approved rendering: 先知
Transliteration: sin1 zi1
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: 風水師, 算命佬
Original: προφήτης
Category: Fulfillment of Prophecy
[Inherited from Romans package.] Pervasive across chs.2-3,7-8,10-11,13,15,21,24,26,28. Distinguish from 算命佬/風水師.
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: 感恩
Transliteration: gam2 jan1
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Original: εὐχαριστία (concept)
Category: Faith
[Inherited from Romans package.] Attested at Acts 27:35 (breaking bread with thanks).
Pentecost
Approved rendering: 五旬節
Transliteration: ng5 seon4 zit3
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: Πεντηκοστή
Category: Pneumatology
New — Acts. Established calendar term shared across Chinese Bible tradition. Gloss at first use (‘the day fifty days after Passover when the Spirit came’) to avoid assimilation to a generic 節 (festival) reading. Attested 2:1; 20:16.
One Accord
Approved rendering: 同心合意
Transliteration: tung4 sam1 hap6 ji3
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: 同鄉會-style clan solidarity
Original: ὁμοθυμαδόν
Category: Church
New — Acts. Attested 1:14; 2:46; 4:24; 5:12; 15:25. Spirit-given unity across ethnic and social lines, not native-place loyalty.
Added To Church
Approved rendering: 加入教會
Transliteration: gaa1 jap6 gaau3 wui2
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: formal institutional registration only
Original: προστίθημι
Category: Church
New — Acts. Attested 2:41,47; 5:14; 11:24. Organic incorporation into the believing community, not merely institutional membership.
Great Fear
Approved rendering: 好大嘅懼怕
Transliteration: hou2 daai6 ge3 geoi6 pa3
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: superstitious dread of offended spirits
Original: φόβος μέγας
Category: Church
New — Acts. Attested 5:5,11; 19:17. Reverent fear of God’s holiness manifest in church discipline, not superstitious dread of offended spirits common in Cantonese ghost-story/temple culture.
Hellenists Hebrews
Approved rendering: 講希臘話嘅猶太人 / 講希伯來話嘅猶太人
Transliteration: gong2 hei1 laap6 waa2 ge3 jau4 taai3 jan4
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles in One Church
New — Acts. Attested 6:1. Historically descriptive of the early church’s Greek-speaking vs. Aramaic-speaking Jewish believers; be mindful of Cantonese-Mandarin language-politics resonance.
Stone To Death
Approved rendering: 用石頭打死
Transliteration: jung6 sek6 tau4 daa2 sei2
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
New — Acts. Attested 7:58-59; 14:19. Narrative-descriptive; establishes the martyrdom pattern recurring through the book.
Christians
Approved rendering: 基督徒
Transliteration: gei1 duk1 tou4
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship and Common Life
Original: Χριστιανοί
Category: Church
New — Acts. Attested 11:26; 26:28. Fully established, widely used Cantonese self-designation with no significant folk-religious collision.
Johns Ministry Reference
Approved rendering: 約翰嘅事工（背景）
Transliteration: joek3 hon6 ge3 si6 gung1
Doctrine: Spirit-Baptism Distinguished from John’s Baptism
New — Acts. Background reference term supporting the johns_baptism_vs_spirit_baptism entry above; no independent doctrinal weight beyond that entry.
Shepherd
Approved rendering: 牧養 / 牧者
Transliteration: muk6 joeng5 / muk6 ze2
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Governance
Original: ποιμήν / ποιμαίνω
Category: Church
New — Acts. Attested 20:28. Established Chinese-Christian pastoral vocabulary; no significant folk-religious collision.
Will Of The Lord
Approved rendering: 願主嘅心意得成
Transliteration: jyun6 zyu2 ge3 sam1 ji3 dak1 sing4
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
New — Acts. Attested 21:14. Models submission to God’s sovereign purpose even when it entails suffering.
Referenced passages