Core Glossary
Core Glossary — Ephesians (English → Cantonese)
Purpose
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md across the full text of Ephesians (chapters 1–6, with the core passage Ephesians 2:1–10 as theological anchor). It extends — and never contradicts — the baseline Romans translation_memory.json. Terms already recorded in the baseline are marked Reused and carry forward their exact baseline Cantonese rendering, transliteration, and risk tier unchanged. Terms newly required for Ephesians are marked New and are proposed here for adoption into an updated translation memory in Phase 2.
Risk tiers follow the baseline doctrine_risk_registry.json definitions:
- Critical — mistranslation destroys essential doctrine; human theologian review required for every occurrence.
- High — mistranslation creates significant theological confusion/syncretism risk; human theologian review required.
- Medium — mistranslation reduces clarity but preserves essential meaning; native speaker review recommended.
- Low — minor imprecision risk; automated review sufficient.
Table 1 — Terms Reused Exactly from Baseline Romans Translation Memory
| English term | Greek origin | Cantonese rendering | Transliteration | Risk | Ephesians occurrences (chapter) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apostle | ἀπόστολος | 使徒 | si2 tou4 | Low | 1:1; 2:20; 3:5; 4:11 | No deviation from baseline. |
| Saints | ἅγιοι | 聖徒 | sing3 tou4 | High | 1:1,4,15,18; 3:8,18; 4:12; 5:3; 6:18 | Corporate designation for all believers; never an ascetic elite. |
| Grace | χάρις | 恩典 | jan1 din2 | Critical | 1:2,6,7; 2:5,7,8; 3:2,7,8; 4:7,29; 6:24 | Central term of the whole letter’s argument (esp. Eph 2:5,8). Never framed as temple-vow reciprocity. |
| Peace | εἰρήνη | 平安 | ping4 on1 | Medium (elevated to High in 2:14-17) | 1:2; 2:14,15,17; 4:3; 6:15,23 | In 2:14-17, Christ himself IS the peace between Jew/Gentile — heightened risk beyond the baseline’s everyday-blessing caution. |
| Holy | ἅγιος | 聖潔 | sing3 git3 | High | 1:4; 5:27 | Moral/relational set-apartness, not ritual purity. |
| Election / chosen | ἐκλογή / ἐξελέξατο | 揀選 | gaan2 syun2 | High | 1:4,11 | Personal, gracious, pre-temporal choice — never fate/astrology. |
| Adoption | υἱοθεσία | 兒子嘅名分 | ji4 zi2 ge3 ming4 fan6 | High | 1:5 | Same Greek word as Romans 8:15; full inheritance-bearing sonship. |
| Sin | ἁμαρτία | 罪 | zeoi6 | High | 1:7; 2:1 | General condition of moral offense against God. |
| Gentiles | ἔθνη | 外邦人 | ngoi6 bong1 jan4 | Medium | 2:11; 3:1,6,8; 4:17 | Never rendered with local/clan-outsider idiom. |
| Church | ἐκκλησία | 教會 | gaau3 wui2 | Medium | 1:22; 3:10,21; 5:23-25,27,29,32 | Never a temple (廟) or ancestral hall (祠堂). |
| Glory | δόξα | 榮耀 | wing4 jiu6 | Medium | 1:6,12,14,17,18; 3:13,16,21 | Never reduced to 面子 (face) or 威水 (flashy success). |
| Power of God | δύναμις θεοῦ | 神嘅大能 | san4 ge3 daai6 nang4 | High | 1:19,21; 3:7,16,20 | Never 法力 or feng shui force. |
| Faith | πίστις | 信心 | seon3 sam1 | High | 1:15; 2:8; 3:12,17; 4:5,13; 6:16,23 | Personal trust in Christ; never fortune-telling confidence. |
| Salvation / saved | σωτηρία / σῴζω | 救恩 / 得救 | gau3 jan1 / dak1 gau3 | Critical | 1:13; 2:5,8; 6:17 | 得救 is the verbal form of the baseline noun 救恩 — consistent, not a deviation. Never 解脫/超度. |
| Holy Spirit | πνεῦμα ἅγιον | 聖靈 | sing3 ling4 | Critical | 1:13,17; 2:18,22; 3:5,16; 4:3,4,30; 5:18; 6:17,18 | Never 靈 alone; always the full compound. Personal third Person of the Trinity — reinforced positively by the “grieve the Spirit” passage (4:30). |
| Father | πατήρ | 父 | fu6 | High | 1:2,3,17; 2:18; 3:14,15; 4:6; 5:20; 6:2,4,23 | Archetype of all fatherhood; never ancestor-veneration framing. |
| Calling | κλῆσις | 呼召 | fu1 siu6 | High | 1:18; 4:1,4 | Sovereign summons; never fate/coincidence framing. |
| Kingdom of God/Christ | βασιλεία τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ Θεοῦ | 神嘅國 | san4 ge3 gwok3 | Medium | 5:5 | Spiritual reign; keep politically neutral per baseline caution. |
| Lord | κύριος (of Christ) | 主 | zyu2 | Critical | 1:2,3,15,17; 2:21; 3:11; 4:1,5,17; 5:8,10,17,19,20,22; 6:1,4,5,7,8,9,10,21,23,24 | Exclusive divine Lordship; sharply disambiguated from human “master” (κύριος of 6:5-9, see Table 2) via compound phrasing. |
| Jesus / Christ | Ἰησοῦς / Χριστός | 耶穌 / 基督 | je4 sou1 / gei1 duk1 | Critical | throughout | Standard established forms; no deviation. |
| God | θεός | 神 | san4 | Critical | throughout | Protestant-curriculum-consistent term; never 天主/上帝. |
| Prophet | προφήτης | 先知 | sin1 zi1 | Low | 2:20; 3:5; 4:11 | Never confused with fortune-teller/feng shui consultant. |
| Mission (implicit — proclamation to the nations) | — | 宣教 | syun1 gaau3 | Medium | 3:1-13; 6:19-20 | Standard modern Cantonese Christian term. |
| Intercession-adjacent (prayer for others) | δέησις | 代求 (as background concept) | doi6 kau4 | Medium | 6:18 | Distinguish from 求籤/問米. |
| Thanksgiving | εὐχαριστία-family | 感恩 | gam2 jan1 | Low | 1:16; 5:4,20 | Standard term. |
| Fellowship (participatory concept) | κοινωνία-adjacent | 團契 | tyun4 kai3 | Low | (conceptual background to 4:1-16) | Not a clan/sworn-brotherhood bond. |
Table 2 — New Terms Required for Ephesians (Proposed for Translation Memory Adoption)
| English term | Greek origin (transliteration) | Cantonese rendering | Transliteration | Risk | Ephesians occurrences | Rejected alternatives | Key collision / doctrinal note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Predestined / foreordained | προορίζω (proorizō) | 預定 | jyu6 ding6 | Critical | 1:5,11 | 命中注定, 八字注定 | Must be taught as a personal, loving, pre-temporal decision of a relational God, never impersonal birth-chart fatalism. Intensifies the baseline “election” caution. |
| Mystery | μυστήριον (mystērion) | 奧秘 | ou3 bei3 | Critical | 1:9; 3:3,4,6,9; 5:32; 6:19 | 密咒, 風水秘訣 (esoteric/secret-knowledge framings) | Biblical “mystery” is revealed openly to all, opposite of restricted esoteric/initiate-only knowledge (密宗, feng shui trade secrets, fortune-telling’s fee-gated knowledge). Highest single collision-risk term in the book. |
| Redemption | ἀπολύτρωσις (apolytrōsis) | 救贖 | gau3 suk6 | High | 1:7,14 | Ritual “netherworld debt” payment framing (陰債, 燒街衣) | A once-for-all historical payment by Christ’s blood, not a repeatable ritual transaction for the deceased. |
| Forgiveness | ἄφεσις (aphesis) | 赦免 | se3 min5 | Medium | 1:7 | Appeasement/negotiated-reconciliation framing | Unilateral divine pardon, not a negotiated appeasement. |
| Inheritance | κληρονομία (klēronomia) | 基業 | gei1 jip6 | High | 1:11,14,18; 5:5 | 家產, 祖業 (clan-succession property) | Unconditional grace-gift, unrelated to ancestor-worship-linked clan inheritance obligations. |
| Sealed (with the Spirit) | σφραγίζω (sphragizō) | 印記 | jan3 gei3 | Medium | 1:13; 4:30 | 平安符 (protective talisman) | Relational ownership-guarantee mark, not a magical protective object. |
| Wisdom and revelation | σοφία / ἀποκάλυψις (sophia / apokalypsis) | 智慧 / 啟示 | zi3 wai6 / kai2 si6 | Medium | 1:8,17; 3:5,10 | 般若 (Buddhist enlightenment-wisdom); divination/omen framing | Spirit-given understanding of God, not attained enlightenment or omen-reading. |
| Head (headship) | κεφαλή (kephalē) | 元首 | jyun4 sau2 | High (Critical in household-code context, 5:23) | 1:22; 4:15; 5:23 | Unqualified authoritarian “boss” framing | Applied to Christ/church: life-giving supreme authority. Applied to husband/wife (5:23): MUST be bounded by Christ’s self-sacrificial love pattern (5:25) and the mutual-submission frame of 5:21 — never unilateral Confucian patriarchal command (夫為妻綱). |
| Body (of Christ) | σῶμα (sōma) | 身體 | san1 tai2 | Medium | 1:22-23; 2:16; 3:6; 4:4,12,16,25; 5:23,30 | Purely organizational/institutional framing | Organic, Spirit-united metaphor, not merely administrative membership. |
| Fullness | πλήρωμα (plērōma) | 豐盛 / 充滿 | fung1 sing6 / cung1 mun5 | Medium | 1:23; 3:19; 4:13 | Vague “completeness” without Christ-content | Must retain explicit reference to Christ/God as the content that fills. |
| Dividing wall | μεσότοιχον τοῦ φραγμοῦ (mesotoichon tou phragmou) | 隔開嘅牆 | gaak3 hoi1 ge3 coeng4 | Medium | 2:14 | — | Abolished, not merely lowered, hostility-barrier. |
| Reconciliation | ἀποκαταλλάξῃ (apokatallaxē) | 復和 | fuk6 wo4 | High | 2:16 | Ordinary mediated interpersonal truce (講和) | Once-for-all achievement of the cross; ground, not merely model, for human reconciliation. |
| One new humanity / new man (corporate) | καινὸς ἄνθρωπος (kainos anthrōpos) | 一個新人 | jat1 go3 san1 jan4 | High | 2:15 | 重新做人 (secular self-reform idiom) | A genuinely new corporate humanity created by God, not a Jew-Gentile merger or personal moral reform. |
| Access | προσαγωγή (prosagōgē) | 親近 | can1 gan6 | Medium | 2:18; 3:12 | Ritual-intermediary approach (temple priest, 問米 medium) | Direct, unmediated access to God through Christ alone. |
| Household of God / fellow citizens | οἰκεῖοι τοῦ Θεοῦ / συμπολῖται | 神嘅家人 / 同國嘅人 | san4 ge3 gaa1 jan4 | Medium | 2:19 | Clan-outsider framing (外江佬, 鄉下人) | Full family/citizen status, not tiered insider/outsider standing. |
| Cornerstone | ἀκρογωνιαῖος (akrogōniaios) | 基石 | gei1 sek6 | Low | 2:20 | — | Standard, well-established architectural metaphor. |
| Temple / dwelling place | ναός / κατοικητήριον | 聖殿 | sing3 din6 | Medium | 2:21-22 | 廟 (folk/Daoist/Buddhist temple) | Metaphor for the corporate Spirit-indwelt church, never a physical building or comparison point with local temple architecture. |
| Boldness | παρρησία (parrēsia) | 坦然無懼 | taan2 jin4 mou4 geoi6 | Medium | 3:12; 6:19,20 | — | Confident approach to God grounded in Christ, not self-confidence. |
| Unity | ἑνότης (henotēs) | 合一 | hap6 jat1 | Medium | 4:3,13 | 和諧 (secular/state-promoted social harmony) | Spirit-grounded oneness, not manufactured social conformity. |
| Baptism | βάπτισμα (baptisma) | 洗禮 | sai2 lai5 | Medium | 4:5 | Ritual luck-cleansing water rites | Sign of union with Christ’s death/resurrection, not a repeatable purification-for-luck rite. |
| Gifts (given to the church, offices) | δόματα (domata) | 恩賜 (in context, distinct nuance from baseline 屬靈恩賜) | jan1 ci3 | Medium | 4:7-11 | — | Referent is persons/offices given to the church (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers), distinct from individual-ability χαρίσματα; flag nuance in translator notes. |
| Evangelist | εὐαγγελιστής (euangelistēs) | 傳福音者 | cyun4 fuk1 jam1 ze2 | Low-Medium | 4:11 | — | Built on baseline 福音 root; standard formation. |
| Pastor / shepherd | ποιμήν (poimēn) | 牧者 | muk6 ze2 | Low | 4:11 | — | Standard church-office term. |
| Teacher | διδάσκαλος (didaskalos) | 教師 | gaau3 si1 | Low | 4:11 | Generic secular school-teacher reading | Church teaching office, not a secular schoolteacher role. |
| Build up / edify | οἰκοδομή (oikodomē) | 建立 / 造就 | gin3 laap6 / zou6 zau6 | Low | 4:12,16,29 | — | Corresponds to Romans-curriculum doctrine “mutual_edification” (Low risk in baseline doctrine registry). |
| Maturity / full-grown | τέλειος (teleios) | 成熟 | sing4 suk6 | Medium | 4:13 | 君子/聖人 self-cultivation ideal | Christlike maturity via the Spirit’s work in the body, not self-directed moral cultivation. |
| Old self / new self (individual) | παλαιὸς / καινὸς ἄνθρωπος (individual sense) | 舊人 / 新人 | gau6 jan4 / san1 jan4 | Medium | 4:22,24 | 重新做人 (secular self-reform idiom) | Spirit-wrought new creation at conversion, distinct from willed moral resolution; distinguish from corporate 2:15 usage via translator note. |
| Renewed | ἀνανεοῦσθαι (ananeousthai) | 更新 | gang1 san1 | Low | 4:23 | — | Ongoing Spirit-wrought mind-renewal. |
| Grieve (the Spirit) | λυπεῖτε (lypeite) | 使…憂愁 | sai2…jau1 sau4 | Medium | 4:30 | — | Positive proof-text for the Holy Spirit’s personhood — reinforces baseline Critical caution. |
| Devil | διάβολος (diabolos) | 魔鬼 | mo4 gwai2 | High | 4:27; 6:11 | 鬼, 孤魂野鬼 (generic folk ghost-belief) | One specific, personal, already-defeated cosmic adversary, distinct from generic ghost/ancestral-spirit folk belief. |
| Flesh | σάρξ (sarx) | 肉體 | juk6 tai2 | Medium | 2:3,11; 5:29 (positive sense); 6:5,12 | 肉身成道 (Daoist body-cultivation attainment) | Fallen human desire-nature, not the physical body itself as a vehicle for spiritual ascent. |
| Walk (conduct) | περιπατέω (peripateō) | 行事為人 | hang4 si6 wai4 jan4 | Low | 2:2,10; 4:1,17; 5:2,8,15 | — | Recurring lifestyle-conduct motif; render consistently across all occurrences. |
| Transgressions | παράπτωμα (paraptōma) | 過犯 | gwo3 faan6 | Medium | 2:1,5 | — | Specific wrongful acts, distinct from the general condition named by 罪 (sin). |
| Spiritually dead | νεκρός (nekros, spiritual sense) | 靈裡死咗 | ling4 leoi5 sei2 zo2 | High | 2:1,5 | Unqualified 死 (physical-death reading) | Must carry the “靈裡” qualifier to avoid ancestor/ghost-culture associative misreading. |
| Ruler of the power of the air | ἄρχων τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ ἀέρος | 空中掌權者 | hung1 zung1 zoeng2 kyun4 ze2 | Critical | 2:2 | Feng shui “air/wind” force framing (風水), generic sky-spirit belief | Satan as a single personal, doomed adversary — never a feng shui force or generic weather-spirit. |
| By nature children of wrath | τέκνα φύσει ὀργῆς | 本性都係應受神忿怒嘅人 | bun2 sing3 dou1 hai6 jing1 sau6 san4 fan5 nou6 ge3 jan4 | High | 2:3 | 報應 (karmic retribution), 八字注定 (astrological birth-fate) | Inherited, universal guilt before a holy God, not karmic payback or birth-chart bad luck. |
| Made alive together with Christ | συζωοποιέω (synzōopoieō) | 同基督一齊活過來 | tung4 gei1 duk1 jat1 cai4 wut6 gwo3 loi4 | High | 2:5 | 投胎轉世, 問米 framing | Spiritual regeneration in union with Christ’s historical resurrection, not rebirth-cycle or spirit-summoning. |
| Seated with Christ / heavenly places | συγκαθίζω / ἐπουράνιος | 一齊坐 / 屬天嘅境界 | jat1 cai4 co5 / suk6 tin1 ge3 ging2 gaai3 | Medium | 2:6; 1:3,20; 3:10; 6:12 | 仙界, 極樂世界 (immortal realm / Pure Land) | Present spiritual reality secured by grace-union with Christ, not a merit-earned afterlife destination. |
| Riches (of grace) | πλοῦτος (ploutos) | 豐富 | fung1 fu3 | Medium | 1:7,18; 2:7; 3:8,16 | 福氣, 發財 (material-prosperity framing) | Spiritual, not material, abundance — key caution given Hong Kong prosperity-luck culture. |
| Gift | δῶρον / δωρεά (dōron / dōrea) | 白白嘅恩賜 / 禮物 | baak6 baak6 ge3 jan1 ci3 / lai5 mat6 | High | 2:8; 3:7; 4:7 | 供品, 還神還願 (votive/reciprocal offering) | Unilaterally given with no return expected — must not resemble a temple votive gift. |
| Works (in salvation-exclusion context) | ἔργα (erga) | 行為 | hang4 wai4 | Critical | 2:9 | — | Explicitly excluded as any part of salvation’s basis — direct negation of merit-earning (功德) and vow-fulfillment (還神還願) patterns. |
| Boast | καυχάομαι (kauchaomai) | 自誇 | zi6 kwaa1 | Medium | 2:9 | — | Self-congratulation before God, connects to but is distinct from social “face” (面子) concerns. |
| Workmanship | ποίημα (poiēma) | 作品 | zok3 ban2 | Medium | 2:10 | — | Identity as God’s creative product, not self-achieved status. |
| Created (new-creation sense) | κτίζω (ktizō) | 被創造 | bei6 cong3 zou6 | Medium | 2:10 | 重新做人 (self-reform idiom) | A fresh divine creative act, not a willed resolution. |
| Good works (fruit of salvation) | ἔργα ἀγαθά (erga agatha) | 善行 | sin6 hang4 | Critical | 2:10; 4:28 | 功德 (Buddhist/folk merit-accumulation) | MUST be flagged at every occurrence: these are the fruit of grace already given, never a means of earning further grace, blessing, or salvation. The single highest-stakes adjacency-risk term in the letter, given its proximity to 2:9’s works-exclusion. |
| Prepared beforehand | προετοιμάζω (proetoimazō) | 預先安排 | jyu6 sin1 on1 paai4 | High | 2:10 | 命中注定 | Connects to the predestination collision documented for 1:5,11. |
| Offering and sacrifice | προσφορὰ καὶ θυσία (prosphora kai thysia) | 祭物 | zai3 mat6 | High | 5:2 | 燒香敬奉, ancestral food-offerings | Christ’s unique, once-for-all sacrificial death, never a repeatable propitiatory offering. |
| Light / darkness | φῶς / σκότος (phōs / skotos) | 光 / 黑暗 | gwong1 / hak1 am3 | Medium | 5:8-14 | 開光 (idol-consecration ritual) | Moral-spiritual metaphor for holiness/sin, not idol-consecration imagery. |
| Filled with the Spirit | πληρωθε ἐν Πνεύματι (plērousthe en Pneumati) | 被聖靈充滿 | bei6 sing3 ling4 cung1 mun5 | Medium | 5:18 | Trance/possession states (spirit-mediumship, spirit-writing) | Ongoing, sober, fruit-producing Spirit-empowerment, not an involuntary altered state. |
| Submit to one another | ὑποτάσσω (hypotassō, mutual sense) | 彼此順服 | bei2 ci5 seon6 fuk6 | High | 5:21 | Unidirectional Confucian hierarchy (夫為妻綱) | Governing mutuality-frame for the whole household-code passage; must not be dropped. |
| Honor (parents) | τιμάω (timaō) | 孝敬 | haau3 ging3 | High | 6:2 | Confucian filial piety detached from Christ | Re-grounded explicitly “in the Lord” (6:1); not filial duty as an independent good. |
| Servant / bondservant | δοῦλος (doulos) | 僕人 | buk6 jan4 | High | 6:5-8 | — | First-century household slavery, addressed via mutual heavenly accountability (6:9); requires pastoral sensitivity given Hong Kong’s contemporary domestic-helper context. |
| Master | κύριος (kyrios, human sense) | 主人 | zyu2 jan4 | High | 6:5,9 | Unqualified 主 (risking confusion with Lord Christ) | Must use compound disambiguation from the baseline’s Critical-risk 主 (Lord); an earthly master is never to be confused with Christ’s exclusive Lordship. |
| Armor of God | πανοπλία τοῦ Θεοῦ (panoplia tou Theou) | 全副軍裝 | cyun4 fu3 gwan1 zong1 | Medium | 6:11,13 | 平安符 (protective talisman) | Metaphor for spiritual equipping (truth, righteousness, faith, gospel, salvation, Spirit’s word), not a literal protective charm. |
| Schemes / wiles | μεθοδεία (methodeia) | 詭計 | gwai2 gai3 | Low-Medium | 6:11 | — | The devil’s cunning strategy, requiring vigilance. |
| Struggle / wrestle | πάλη (palē) | 爭戰 | zaang1 zin3 | Low | 6:12 | — | Fundamentally spiritual, not human, conflict. |
| Rulers, authorities, cosmic powers, spiritual forces of evil | ἀρχάς, ἐξουσίας, κοσμοκράτορας, πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας | 執政的、掌權的、黑暗勢力、天空之上嘅邪靈 | zap1 zing3 dik1, zoeng2 kyun4 dik1, hak1 am3 sai3 lik6, tin1 hung1 zi1 soeng6 ge3 ce4 ling4 | Critical | 6:12 | Feng shui evil-force remedies, ghost-month ritual, temple protective-deity invocation, folk exorcism | Real, personal, organized evil beings under Satan’s headship, already defeated in Christ (1:21); engaged only through prayer and the armor of God, never folk-ritual means. Highest spiritual-warfare collision-risk in the book. |
| Prayer | προσευχή / δέησις (proseuchē / deēsis) | 禱告 | tou2 gou3 | Low-Medium | 6:18 | 求籤 (temple fortune-stick request) | Direct Spirit-enabled communication with God. |
Risk Summary for Ephesians-Specific New Terms
| Risk tier | Count of new terms | Review routing |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 5 (predestined, mystery, works [exclusion sense], good works [adjacency], ruler of the power of the air, rulers/authorities/cosmic powers*) | Human theologian review required for every occurrence |
| High | 17 | Human theologian review required |
| Medium | 20 | Native speaker review recommended |
| Low / Low-Medium | 9 | Automated review sufficient |
*Note: 6 terms are marked Critical in Table 2 (predestined; mystery; works [2:9 exclusion sense]; good works [2:10 adjacency risk]; ruler of the power of the air [2:2]; rulers/authorities/cosmic powers/spiritual forces of evil [6:12]); the count above reflects all six.
Cross-Reference to Baseline Doctrine Categories
New Ephesians doctrines map onto and extend the baseline doctrine_risk_registry.json structure as follows, for Phase 1 Step 9 (doctrine risk registry extension):
- Election and Predestination in Christ — extends baseline “election” (揀選) and “effectual_calling”; adds new Critical term 預定.
- The Church as the Body of Christ — extends baseline “church” (教會); adds new Medium term 身體 and High term 元首.
- Unity of Jews and Gentiles in One New Humanity — extends baseline “unity_of_jews_and_gentiles” (High); adds new High terms 隔開嘅牆, 復和, 一個新人.
- The Mystery of Christ Revealed — wholly new doctrine category; centers on the new Critical term 奧秘.
- Spiritual Warfare and the Armor of God — wholly new doctrine category; centers on the new Critical term for rulers/authorities/cosmic powers and Medium term 全副軍裝.
- Household Codes and Christ-Centered Relationships — wholly new doctrine category; centers on new High/Critical terms 元首, 彼此順服, 孝敬, 僕人/主人.
- Gifts for Building Up the Church — extends baseline “spiritual_gifts” (屬靈恩賜, Medium) with a flagged nuance for the Ephesians 4:7-11 “gifts as persons/offices” sense; adds new Low-risk office terms (傳福音者, 牧者, 教師) and Low-risk 建立/造就.
- Walking in Newness of Life — extends baseline “sanctification” (成聖, High); adds new Medium/High terms 行事為人, 舊人/新人, 更新.
See 07_semantic_analysis.md for the full verse-by-verse and chapter-by-chapter analysis underlying this glossary.
This glossary extends but does not alter any entry in the baseline translation_memory.json. All Table 1 entries must be enforced exactly as recorded in the baseline; all Table 2 entries are proposed for formal addition to translation memory in Phase 1 Step 9 / Phase 2 pre-flight loading.
Critical Risk Terms
Grace
Approved rendering: 恩典
Transliteration: jan1 din2
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: 福氣, 有求必應式嘅恩典, 功德
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. NEVER frame grace as reciprocal temple-vow favor (Wong Tai Sin’s 「有求必應」). Ephesians occurrences: 1:2,6,7; 2:5,7,8; 3:2,7,8; 4:7,29; 6:24. Central to the letter’s thesis statement (Eph 2:5,8) — must render identically at both occurrences per cross-document consistency mandate.
Righteousness
Approved rendering: 義
Transliteration: ji6
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: 道德, 善行
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. 義 is a Confucian Five Constant Virtue reinforced by Cantonese triad/brotherhood-film 義氣 (loyalty-and-honor code). Ephesians occurrences: 4:24 (the new self created in righteousness); 5:9 (fruit of light); 6:14 (breastplate of righteousness) — every occurrence must retain the forensic/relational sense, not a peer-loyalty ethic.
Salvation
Approved rendering: 救恩
Transliteration: gau3 jan1
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: 解脫, 超度, 大慈大悲救苦救難
Original: σωτηρία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. NEVER use 解脫 (Buddhist liberation from samsara) or 超度 (posthumous release rite); never quote Guanyin’s popular epithet. Ephesians occurrences: 1:13; 2:5,8; 6:17. Verbal form 得救 is the verbal counterpart, also carried forward — consistent, not a deviation.
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 / ἐγείρω
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package. Ephesians occurrences: 1:20 (God raised Christ); 2:6 (believers raised with Christ, συνήγειρεν). NEVER 投胎轉世 or a 問米 spirit-medium framing.
Lord
Approved rendering: 主
Transliteration: zyu2
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 事頭, 老爺
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Ephesians occurrences extensively throughout (1:2,3,15,17; 2:21; 3:11; 4:1,5,17; 5:8,10,17,19,20,22; 6:1,4,5,7,8,9,10,21,23,24). Must be sharply disambiguated from the human-master sense of κύριος in 6:5,9 (see new term ‘master’ = 主人, never unqualified 主).
Son Of God
Approved rendering: 神嘅兒子
Transliteration: san4 ge3 ji4 zi2
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 天子, 神人
Original: υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Ephesians occurrence: 4:13 (‘the knowledge of the Son of God’), the goal of the church’s unity and maturity. NEVER 天子.
Messiah
Approved rendering: 基督
Transliteration: gei1 duk1
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Rejected alternatives: 彌勒, 黃大仙式嘅救世主
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Ephesians occurrences throughout. Never conflated with 彌勒 (Maitreya) or a wish-granting temple deity.
Jesus
Approved rendering: 耶穌
Transliteration: je4 sou1
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Ephesians occurrences throughout.
God
Approved rendering: 神
Transliteration: san4
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 天主, 上帝, 老天爺
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Protestant-curriculum-consistent term; never 天主 (Catholic) or 上帝. Ephesians occurrences throughout.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: 聖靈
Transliteration: sing3 ling4
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: 問米嘅靈, 祖先靈
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Ephesians occurrences: 1:13,17; 2:18,22; 3:5,16; 4:3,4,30; 5:18; 6:17,18. Reinforced positively by 4:30’s ‘grieve the Spirit’ — never 靈 alone, never a 問米-summoned spirit framing.
Predestined
Approved rendering: 預定
Transliteration: jyu6 ding6
Doctrine: Election and Predestination in Christ
Rejected alternatives: 命中注定, 八字注定
Original: προορίζω
Category: Salvation
NEW for Ephesians. Must be taught as the personal, loving, pre-temporal decision of a relational God ‘according to the purpose of his will’ (1:11), never an impersonal cosmic mechanism assimilable to birth-chart astrology (八字) or almanac fatalism (命中注定, 運程). Occurrences: 1:5,11. Every occurrence requires human theologian review.
Mystery
Approved rendering: 奧秘
Transliteration: ou3 bei3
Doctrine: The Mystery of Christ Revealed
Rejected alternatives: 密咒, 風水秘訣, 奧跡
Original: μυστήριον
Category: Mystery
NEW for Ephesians. A previously hidden divine plan now OPENLY and freely disclosed to all — the structural opposite of Hong Kong’s fee-gated/initiate-only knowledge frameworks (密宗, 密咒, 風水秘訣, fortune-telling consultation fees). NEVER use the Catholic-register term 奧跡 (which carries sacramental/‘Holy Mysteries’ overtones foreign to this Protestant curriculum). Occurrences: 1:9; 3:3,4,6,9; 5:32; 6:19. Highest single collision-risk term in the letter; must always be paired, at first use in any document, with explicit ‘now revealed to all’ framing. Human theologian review required at every occurrence.
Ruler Of Power Of Air
Approved rendering: 空中掌權者
Transliteration: hung1 zung1 zoeng2 kyun4 ze2
Doctrine: Spiritual Warfare against Cosmic Powers
Rejected alternatives: 風水嘅空中力量, 天氣/宇宙神靈
Original: ἄρχων τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ ἀέρος
Category: Spiritual Warfare
NEW for Ephesians. Satan as a single, personal, already-defeated adversary (cf. 1:20-21; 6:12) — NEVER a feng shui ‘bad air/qi’ force correctable by spatial arrangement, and never a generic sky-deity or weather-spirit. Occurrence: 2:2. Human theologian review required at every occurrence.
Works
Approved rendering: 行為
Transliteration: hang4 wai4
Doctrine: Salvation by Grace through Faith
Rejected alternatives: 唔單止靠行為（弱化版本）
Original: ἔργα
Category: Salvation
NEW for Ephesians. Explicitly and totally excluded as any part of salvation’s basis — direct negation of Hong Kong’s most pervasive religious transactional patterns (merit-accumulation 功德, temple vow-fulfillment 還神還願). Must NEVER be softened into ‘not only by works’ or any partial-contribution formulation. Occurrence: 2:9. Human theologian review required at every occurrence.
Good Works
Approved rendering: 善行
Transliteration: sin6 hang4
Doctrine: Good Works as the Fruit, Never the Root, of Grace
Rejected alternatives: 功德
Original: ἔργα ἀγαθά
Category: Salvation
NEW for Ephesians. Sits immediately adjacent to 2:9’s total exclusion of 行為 — the single highest-stakes adjacency-risk term in the curriculum, given Hong Kong’s merit-accumulation (功德) and vow-fulfillment (還神還願) patterns. EVERY occurrence MUST carry an explicit translator note: these good works are the RESULT of grace already given, never a MEANS of earning further grace, blessing, or salvation. Occurrences: 2:10; 4:28. Human theologian review required at every occurrence.
Rulers Authorities Powers
Approved rendering: 執政的、掌權的、黑暗勢力、天空之上嘅邪靈
Transliteration: zap1 zing3 dik1, zoeng2 kyun4 dik1, hak1 am3 sai3 lik6, tin1 hung1 zi1 soeng6 ge3 ce4 ling4
Doctrine: Spiritual Warfare against Cosmic Powers
Rejected alternatives: 風水化解, 問米, 廟宇protective deity invocation, 符咒驅邪
Original: ἀρχάς, ἐξουσίας, κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τούτου, τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας
Category: Spiritual Warfare
NEW for Ephesians. Real, personal, organized evil beings under Satan’s single defeated headship (cf. 1:20-21; 2:2) — engaged ONLY through prayer and the armor of God, never feng shui remedy, protective talisman, Ghost Month ritual, temple protective-deity invocation, or Daoist exorcism practice. Cross-check phrasing against established CUV/RCUV wording (執政的、掌權的、管轄這幽暗世界的、天空屬靈氣的惡魔) per analysis/05_translation_landscape.md §2 to maximize continuity with text Hong Kong learners already read aloud in church. Occurrence: 6:12. Highest spiritual-warfare collision-risk term in the letter; human theologian review required at every occurrence.
High Risk Terms
Faith
Approved rendering: 信心
Transliteration: seon3 sam1
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: 虔誠, 睇相算命式嘅相信
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Ephesians occurrences: 1:15; 2:8; 3:12,17; 4:5,13; 6:16,23. In 2:8, faith is the instrumental means of receiving grace (藉住/憑住), never the causal/meritorious basis (因為) — see new doctrine entry faith_as_instrument.
Calling
Approved rendering: 呼召
Transliteration: fu1 siu6
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: 命運, 緣分
Original: κλῆσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. NEVER use 命運 (impersonal fate) or 緣分 (predestined fortuitous connection). Ephesians occurrences: 1:18; 4:1,4 — believers urged to ‘walk worthy’ of a calling already effectually given (see doctrine effectual_calling and walking_worthy).
Holy
Approved rendering: 聖潔
Transliteration: sing3 git3
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: 清淨, 戒口修行式嘅潔淨
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Ephesians occurrences: 1:4; 5:27 (the church ‘holy and without blemish’).
Saints
Approved rendering: 聖徒
Transliteration: sing3 tou4
Doctrine: Sainthood
Rejected alternatives: 神仙, 得道高人
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Corporate designation for all believers, never an ascetic elite (神仙, 得道高人). Ephesians occurrences: 1:1,4,15,18; 3:8,18; 4:12; 5:3; 6:18.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: 成聖
Transliteration: sing4 sing3
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: 修煉, 戒除惡習
Inherited from Romans package. Ephesians occurrence: 5:26 (‘that he might sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing of water with the word’), within the Christ-centered marriage passage — must remain Spirit/Word-wrought, not self-directed cultivation.
Adoption
Approved rendering: 兒子嘅名分
Transliteration: ji4 zi2 ge3 ming4 fan6
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Rejected alternatives: 過繼, 認契仔
Inherited from Romans package. Same Greek word as Romans 8:15. Ephesians occurrence: 1:5. Never clan-succession adoption (過繼) or temple ‘godson’ dedication (認契仔).
Law
Approved rendering: 律法
Transliteration: leot6 faat3
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: 禮, 規矩, 法律
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Ephesians occurrence: 2:15 (‘the law of commandments expressed in ordinances’), abolished in Christ’s flesh as part of the Jew-Gentile dividing wall.
Sin
Approved rendering: 罪
Transliteration: zeoi6
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: 報應, 唔衰得
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package. Ephesians occurrences: 1:7; 2:1, paired with the more specific new term 過犯 (transgressions) in 2:1’s rhetorical doubling — keep the two distinct.
Power Of God
Approved rendering: 神嘅大能
Transliteration: san4 ge3 daai6 nang4
Doctrine: Power of God for Salvation
Rejected alternatives: 法力, 風水嘅力量
Original: δύναμις θεοῦ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Ephesians occurrences: 1:19,21; 3:7,16,20. Never 法力 or 風水嘅力量.
Covenant
Approved rendering: 約
Transliteration: joek3
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Rejected alternatives: 合約, 還神還願嘅承諾
Original: διαθήκη
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Ephesians occurrence: 2:12 (‘covenants of promise’), describing Gentiles’ former exclusion from Israel’s covenant hope, now abolished in Christ.
Election
Approved rendering: 揀選
Transliteration: gaan2 syun2
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: 命運, 八字注定
Original: ἐκλογή / ἐξελέξατο
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Ephesians occurrences: 1:4,11. Compounds with the new Critical term 預定 (predestined) within seven verses — a combined, not merely additive, collision risk against Cantonese birth-chart astrology (八字).
Providence
Approved rendering: 神嘅護理
Transliteration: san4 ge3 wu6 lei5
Doctrine: Providence
Rejected alternatives: 天意, 運程
Original: πρόνοια (cf. Eph 1:11’s ‘works all things according to the counsel of his will’)
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Reflected in Ephesians 1:11 (‘works all things according to the counsel of his will’). Never 天意 or 運程.
Father
Approved rendering: 父
Transliteration: fu6
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Rejected alternatives: 祖先, 老竇式嘅父
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Ephesians occurrences: 1:2,3,17; 2:18; 3:14,15; 4:6; 5:20; 6:2,4,23. Ephesians 3:14-15 makes God’s fatherhood the archetype of every family — distinguish from ancestor veneration (拜祖先, Ching Ming/Chung Yeung rites).
Abba
Approved rendering: 阿爸
Transliteration: aa3 baa1
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Inherited from Romans package. No direct Ephesians occurrence, but retained for cross-curriculum consistency wherever Ephesians 1:5’s adoption doctrine is taught alongside Romans 8:15.
Redemption
Approved rendering: 救贖
Transliteration: gau3 suk6
Doctrine: Redemption and Forgiveness through Christ’s Blood
Rejected alternatives: 陰債, 燒街衣
Original: ἀπολύτρωσις
Category: Salvation
NEW for Ephesians. A once-for-all historical payment by Christ’s blood for the living believer’s guilt, not a repeatable ritual transaction on behalf of the deceased (contrast Yu Lan/Ghost Festival 陰債 ‘netherworld debt’ payment via 燒街衣 paper-money burning). Occurrences: 1:7,14.
Inheritance
Approved rendering: 基業
Transliteration: gei1 jip6
Doctrine: Election and Predestination in Christ
Rejected alternatives: 家產, 祖業
Original: κληρονομία
Category: Covenant
NEW for Ephesians. Unconditional grace-gift secured by the Spirit’s seal, unrelated to Pearl River Delta clan-succession property (家產/祖業) tied to ancestor-worship continuation obligations. Occurrences: 1:11,14,18; 5:5.
Headship
Approved rendering: 元首
Transliteration: jyun4 sau2
Doctrine: Headship of Christ over the Church
Rejected alternatives: 夫為妻綱式嘅絕對權威, 事頭/老爺式權威
Original: κεφαλή
Category: Household
NEW for Ephesians. Applied to Christ/church (1:22; 4:15): life-giving, self-sacrificial supreme authority, never bare positional command. Applied to the husband (5:23): RISK ESCALATES TO CRITICAL — overlaps directly with the Confucian Three Cardinal Guides’ 夫為妻綱; MUST always be bounded by Christ’s self-giving love (5:25) within the mutual-submission frame (5:21). See analysis/05_translation_landscape.md §2 for the alternative CUV/RCUV reading 頭 (tau4) applied to all three occurrences; 元首 is retained here per Phase 1 Step 8 glossary decision but Phase 2 translators must cross-check register against the plain body-part term 頭 used in existing Cantonese reading tradition and default to 頭 with an explanatory note if consistency with learners’ prior CUV/RCUV exposure is judged more important in a given document.
Reconciliation
Approved rendering: 復和
Transliteration: fuk6 wo4
Doctrine: Reconciliation through the Cross
Rejected alternatives: 講和
Original: ἀποκαταλλάξῃ
Category: Church
NEW for Ephesians. Distinguished from ordinary village-elder-brokered interpersonal truce (講和); achieved once, objectively, at the cross — the ground, not merely a model, for human reconciliation. Occurrence: 2:16.
One New Humanity
Approved rendering: 一個新人
Transliteration: jat1 go3 san1 jan4
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles in One New Humanity
Rejected alternatives: 重新做人
Original: καινὸς ἄνθρωπος (corporate sense)
Category: Church
NEW for Ephesians. A genuinely new corporate humanity created by God, not a Jew-Gentile merger, and never the secular idiom 重新做人 (‘turning over a new leaf,’ used of reformed offenders). Occurrence: 2:15. Distinguish by translator note from the individual old-self/new-self usage at 4:22,24.
Devil
Approved rendering: 魔鬼
Transliteration: mo4 gwai2
Doctrine: Spiritual Warfare against Cosmic Powers
Rejected alternatives: 鬼, 孤魂野鬼
Original: διάβολος
Category: Spiritual Warfare
NEW for Ephesians. One specific, personal, already-doomed cosmic adversary, distinct from Hong Kong’s generic ghost/ancestral-spirit folk belief (鬼, 孤魂野鬼, prominent during 盂蘭節/Ghost Festival). Occurrences: 4:27; 6:11.
Spiritually Dead
Approved rendering: 靈裡死咗
Transliteration: ling4 leoi5 sei2 zo2
Doctrine: Total Spiritual Deadness Prior to Grace
Rejected alternatives: 未加『靈裡』限定嘅『死』
Original: νεκρός (spiritual sense)
Category: Sin
NEW for Ephesians. Must ALWAYS carry the 靈裡 qualifier — unqualified 死 defaults to Hong Kong’s ancestor-death and Yu Lan Ghost Festival (盂蘭節) associative frames rather than the intended sense of a living person cut off from God’s life. Occurrences: 2:1,5.
Children Of Wrath
Approved rendering: 本性都係應受神忿怒嘅人
Transliteration: bun2 sing3 dou1 hai6 jing1 sau6 san4 fan5 nou6 ge3 jan4
Doctrine: Universal Guilt and God’s Wrath by Nature
Rejected alternatives: 報應, 八字注定嘅命
Original: τέκνα φύσει ὀργῆς
Category: Sin
NEW for Ephesians. Inherited, universal guilt before a holy God — never karmic-retribution proportional payback (報應) nor birth-chart ‘born unlucky’ fatalism (八字). Occurrence: 2:3.
Made Alive Together
Approved rendering: 同基督一齊活過來
Transliteration: tung4 gei1 duk1 jat1 cai4 wut6 gwo3 loi4
Doctrine: Salvation by Grace through Faith
Rejected alternatives: 投胎轉世, 問米
Original: συζωοποιέω
Category: Salvation
NEW for Ephesians. Spiritual regeneration in union with Christ’s historical bodily resurrection, not a rebirth-cycle (投胎轉世) or 問米-style spirit-summoning. Occurrence: 2:5.
Gift
Approved rendering: 白白嘅恩賜 / 禮物
Transliteration: baak6 baak6 ge3 jan1 ci3 / lai5 mat6
Doctrine: Salvation by Grace through Faith
Rejected alternatives: 供品, 還神還願
Original: δῶρον / δωρεά
Category: Salvation
NEW for Ephesians. Unilaterally given with no return expected — must not resemble a temple votive gift or reciprocal offering. Occurrences: 2:8; 3:7; 4:7.
Prepared Beforehand
Approved rendering: 預先安排
Transliteration: jyu6 sin1 on1 paai4
Doctrine: Good Works as the Fruit, Never the Root, of Grace
Rejected alternatives: 命中注定
Original: προετοιμάζω
Category: Salvation
NEW for Ephesians. God’s sovereign advance-planning of specific good works, echoing the predestination theme of ch.1 — must avoid an impersonal-fate reading. Occurrence: 2:10.
Offering And Sacrifice
Approved rendering: 祭物
Transliteration: zai3 mat6
Doctrine: Walking Worthy of the Calling
Rejected alternatives: 燒香敬奉, 祖先食物供奉
Original: προσφορὰ καὶ θυσία
Category: Christology
NEW for Ephesians. Christ’s unique, once-for-all sacrificial death — never a repeatable propitiatory offering comparable to incense/food offerings to deities and ancestors (燒香敬奉) or Ching Ming/Chung Yeung grave offerings. Occurrence: 5:2.
Submit To One Another
Approved rendering: 彼此順服
Transliteration: bei2 ci5 seon6 fuk6
Doctrine: Mutual Submission as the Frame for Household Relationships
Rejected alternatives: 夫為妻綱式單向順服
Original: ὑποτασσόμενοι ἀλλήλοις
Category: Household
NEW for Ephesians. The essential governing frame for the entire household-code passage; must NEVER be dropped or excerpted around, or the following instructions default to the unidirectional Confucian Three Cardinal Guides (夫為妻綱) reading. Occurrence: 5:21.
Honor Parents
Approved rendering: 孝敬
Transliteration: haau3 ging3
Doctrine: Parent-Child Relationships in the Lord
Rejected alternatives: 脫離基督嘅孝順
Original: τιμάω
Category: Household
NEW for Ephesians. Sits directly on top of the Confucian filial-piety concept (孝順/孝敬) but MUST be explicitly re-grounded ‘in the Lord’ (6:1) — obedience is owed as an expression of obedience to Christ, not to parental authority as an independent good. Occurrence: 6:2.
Servant
Approved rendering: 僕人
Transliteration: buk6 jan4
Doctrine: Servant-Master Relationships under a Common Heavenly Master
Original: δοῦλος
Category: Household
NEW for Ephesians. First-century household bondservant, addressed via mutual accountability to a common heavenly Master (6:9). Given Hong Kong’s large, socially significant foreign domestic helper population, requires pastoral sensitivity — never used to endorse or excuse contemporary labor exploitation. Occurrences: 6:5-8.
Master
Approved rendering: 主人
Transliteration: zyu2 jan4
Doctrine: Servant-Master Relationships under a Common Heavenly Master
Rejected alternatives: 未加區分嘅『主』
Original: κύριος (human sense)
Category: Household
NEW for Ephesians. Must NEVER appear as unqualified 主 — always compound-disambiguated from the Critical-risk 主 used exclusively of Christ’s Lordship (e.g. 人嘅主人 vs. 主耶穌基督). Occurrences: 6:5,9.
Medium Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: 福音
Transliteration: fuk1 jam1
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: 好消息, 喜訊
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Shared written form with Mandarin 福音, but heard through Hong Kong/Guangdong commercial-luck culture (恭喜發財). Teaching must be explicit the gospel announces salvation through Christ, not a forecast of prosperity. Ephesians occurrences: 1:13; 3:6; 6:15,19 — 6:19 ties the gospel directly to the openly-proclaimed ‘mystery’ (奧秘), reinforcing this caution.
Peace
Approved rendering: 平安
Transliteration: ping4 on1
Doctrine: Peace with God
Rejected alternatives: 平安符式嘅平安, 老黃曆話嘅好日子
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Ephesians occurrences: 1:2; 2:14,15,17; 4:3; 6:15,23. RISK ELEVATED TO HIGH specifically at 2:14-17, where Christ himself IS the peace uniting Jew and Gentile — a personal, achieved, once-for-all reality, not the everyday-blessing sense the baseline cautions against.
Spiritual Gifts
Approved rendering: 屬靈恩賜
Transliteration: suk6 ling4 jan1 ci3
Doctrine: Spiritual Gifts
Rejected alternatives: 法力, 神通
Inherited from Romans package. This entry covers the individual-ability sense only (Romans 12/1 Cor 12 style χαρίσματα). Ephesians 4:7-11’s δόματα (Christ’s gift of persons/offices to the church) is a DISTINCT referent — see new term ‘gifts_offices’ (恩賜 alone, without 屬靈 qualifier). Never conflate the two senses; a translator note is mandatory at every 4:7-11 occurrence.
Church
Approved rendering: 教會
Transliteration: gaau3 wui2
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: 廟, 祠堂
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Ephesians occurrences: 1:22; 3:10,21; 5:23-25,27,29,32. NEVER a folk/Daoist/Buddhist temple (廟) or clan ancestral hall (祠堂).
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: 神嘅國
Transliteration: san4 ge3 gwok3
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Rejected alternatives: 天下, 王朝
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ Θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package. Ephesians occurrence: 5:5 (‘kingdom of Christ and God’). Keep politically neutral given Hong Kong’s political sensitivities around sovereignty/loyalty language.
Gentiles
Approved rendering: 外邦人
Transliteration: ngoi6 bong1 jan4
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: 外江佬, 鄉下人
Original: ἔθνη
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Ephesians occurrences throughout chs. 2-4 (2:11; 3:1,6,8; 4:17). Never rendered with Cantonese clan-outsider idiom (外江佬, 鄉下人).
Glory
Approved rendering: 榮耀
Transliteration: wing4 jiu6
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 面子, 威水
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Ephesians occurrences: 1:6,12,14,17,18; 3:13,16,21. Never reduced to 面子 (face) or 威水 (flashy success).
Intercession
Approved rendering: 代求
Transliteration: doi6 kau4
Doctrine: Prayer and Intercession
Rejected alternatives: 求籤代辦, 問米
Original: δέησις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Ephesians occurrence: 6:18 (‘supplication for all the saints… also for me’). Distinguish from 求籤 fortune-stick requests made on someone else’s behalf, and from 問米 spirit-medium consultation.
Mission
Approved rendering: 宣教
Transliteration: syun1 gaau3
Doctrine: Mission to the Nations
Rejected alternatives: 洋教傳播
Original: ἀποστολή / πέμπω
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Reflected in Ephesians 3:1-13 (Paul’s stewardship of the mystery to the Gentiles) and 6:19-20 (request for boldness in proclamation).
Israel
Approved rendering: 以色列
Transliteration: ji5 sik1 lit6
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: Ἰσραήλ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Ephesians occurrence: 2:12 (‘alienated from the commonwealth of Israel’), describing the Gentiles’ former exclusion, now abolished in Christ (2:13-19).
Forgiveness
Approved rendering: 赦免
Transliteration: se3 min5
Doctrine: Redemption and Forgiveness through Christ’s Blood
Rejected alternatives: 私下講和
Original: ἄφεσις
Category: Salvation
NEW for Ephesians. Unilateral divine pardon, not a negotiated appeasement/private truce between offended parties. Occurrence: 1:7.
Sealed
Approved rendering: 印記
Transliteration: jan3 gei3
Doctrine: Personhood of the Holy Spirit
Rejected alternatives: 平安符
Original: σφραγίζω
Category: Salvation
NEW for Ephesians. The Spirit’s indwelling as a relational ownership-guarantee mark, not a protective talisman/amulet (平安符) whose power is inherent in the object itself. Occurrences: 1:13; 4:30.
Wisdom And Revelation
Approved rendering: 智慧 / 啟示
Transliteration: zi3 wai6 / kai2 si6
Doctrine: The Mystery of Christ Revealed
Rejected alternatives: 般若, 占卦式啟示
Original: σοφία / ἀποκάλυψις
Category: Mystery
NEW for Ephesians. Spirit-given understanding of a personal God, not Buddhist attained enlightenment-wisdom (般若) or divination/omen-based ‘revelation’. Occurrences: 1:8,17; 3:5,10.
Body Of Christ
Approved rendering: 身體
Transliteration: san1 tai2
Doctrine: The Church as the Body of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 純粹組織性嘅會員身份
Original: σῶμα
Category: Church
NEW for Ephesians. Organic, Spirit-united metaphor, never a purely organizational/institutional membership category. Occurrences: 1:22-23; 2:16; 3:6; 4:4,12,16,25; 5:23,30.
Fullness
Approved rendering: 豐盛 / 充滿
Transliteration: fung1 sing6 / cung1 mun5
Doctrine: The Church as the Body of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 空泛嘅『完整』概念
Original: πλήρωμα
Category: Church
NEW for Ephesians. Must retain explicit reference to Christ/God as the content that fills, not a vague general ‘completeness’. Occurrences: 1:23; 3:19; 4:13.
Dividing Wall
Approved rendering: 隔開嘅牆
Transliteration: gaak3 hoi1 ge3 coeng4
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles in One New Humanity
Original: μεσότοιχον τοῦ φραγμοῦ
Category: Church
NEW for Ephesians. Straightforward architectural metaphor; must communicate ABOLITION, not merely a lowering, of the Jew-Gentile hostility barrier. Occurrence: 2:14. Cross-check against CUV/RCUV’s established concrete ‘torn-down wall’ image per analysis/05_translation_landscape.md §2.
Access
Approved rendering: 親近
Transliteration: can1 gan6
Doctrine: Reconciliation through the Cross
Rejected alternatives: 問米式嘅中介, 廟宇祭司式引見
Original: προσαγωγή
Category: Church
NEW for Ephesians. Direct, unmediated access to God through Christ alone — never framed as ritual approach through an intermediary (temple priest, 問米 medium). Occurrences: 2:18; 3:12.
Household Of God
Approved rendering: 神嘅家人 / 同國嘅人
Transliteration: san4 ge3 gaa1 jan4 / tung4 gwok3 ge3 jan4
Doctrine: The Church as God’s Dwelling Place
Rejected alternatives: 外江佬, 鄉下人
Original: οἰκεῖοι τοῦ Θεοῦ / συμπολῖται
Category: Church
NEW for Ephesians. Full family/citizen status for Gentile believers, never tiered insider/outsider standing, paralleling the baseline caution against clan-outsider idiom. Occurrence: 2:19.
Temple Dwelling Place
Approved rendering: 聖殿
Transliteration: sing3 din6
Doctrine: The Church as God’s Dwelling Place
Rejected alternatives: 廟
Original: ναός / κατοικητήριον
Category: Church
NEW for Ephesians. Metaphor for the corporate, Spirit-indwelt church — never compared favorably or unfavorably with actual Hong Kong temple architecture (Wong Tai Sin, Man Mo Temple), and never rendered 廟. Occurrences: 2:21-22.
Boldness
Approved rendering: 坦然無懼
Transliteration: taan2 jin4 mou4 geoi6
Doctrine: The Mystery of Christ Revealed
Original: παρρησία
Category: Faith
NEW for Ephesians. Confidence grounded in Christ’s finished work and the openly-proclaimed mystery, not self-generated confidence. Occurrences: 3:12; 6:19,20.
Unity
Approved rendering: 合一
Transliteration: hap6 jat1
Doctrine: Unity of the Spirit in the Church
Rejected alternatives: 和諧
Original: ἑνότης
Category: Church
NEW for Ephesians. Spirit-given, not humanly engineered, corporate oneness — distinguished from the state-promoted secular value of social harmony (和諧). Occurrences: 4:3,13.
Baptism
Approved rendering: 洗禮
Transliteration: sai2 lai5
Doctrine: Unity of the Spirit in the Church
Rejected alternatives: 祈福水儀式, 開運沐浴
Original: βάπτισμα
Category: Church
NEW for Ephesians. Signifies union with Christ’s death/resurrection, not folk ritual water-purification or luck-cleansing bathing. Occurrence: 4:5.
Gifts Offices
Approved rendering: 恩賜
Transliteration: jan1 ci3
Doctrine: Gifts for Building Up the Church
Rejected alternatives: 同屬靈恩賜（個人能力）混用
Original: δόματα
Category: Church
NEW for Ephesians — distinct nuance from the baseline compound 屬靈恩賜. Referent here is PERSONS/OFFICES (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers) given TO the church, not individual abilities distributed within it. Mandatory translator note at every occurrence to avoid conflating the two senses. Occurrences: 4:7-11.
Maturity
Approved rendering: 成熟
Transliteration: sing4 suk6
Doctrine: Gifts for Building Up the Church
Rejected alternatives: 君子/聖人式自我修煉
Original: τέλειος
Category: Sanctification
NEW for Ephesians. Christlikeness attained through the Spirit’s work within the body, not the Confucian moral-perfection self-cultivation ideal (君子/聖人). Occurrence: 4:13.
Old Self New Self
Approved rendering: 舊人 / 新人
Transliteration: gau6 jan4 / san1 jan4
Doctrine: Sanctification and Putting on the New Self
Rejected alternatives: 重新做人
Original: παλαιὸς ἄνθρωπος / καινὸς ἄνθρωπος
Category: Sanctification
NEW for Ephesians. Spirit-wrought new creation at conversion, distinct from the secular idiom 重新做人 (‘turning over a new leaf,’ self-willed reform). Translator note required distinguishing this individual sense (4:22,24) from the corporate 一個新人 of 2:15.
Grieve Spirit
Approved rendering: 使…憂愁
Transliteration: sai2…jau1 sau4
Doctrine: Personhood of the Holy Spirit
Original: λυπεῖτε
Category: God
NEW for Ephesians. Strong positive proof-text that the Spirit is a personal being capable of emotional response to sin — reinforces the baseline’s Critical-risk insistence that 聖靈 is never an impersonal life-force. Occurrence: 4:30.
Flesh
Approved rendering: 肉體
Transliteration: juk6 tai2
Doctrine: Sanctification and Putting on the New Self
Rejected alternatives: 肉身成道
Original: σάρξ
Category: Sin
NEW for Ephesians. Fallen human desire-nature, not the physical body itself as a vehicle for spiritual ascent (contrast Daoist 肉身成道, ‘attaining the Way in the flesh’). Occurrences: 2:3,11; 5:29 (positive sense); 6:5,12.
Transgressions
Approved rendering: 過犯
Transliteration: gwo3 faan6
Doctrine: Total Spiritual Deadness Prior to Grace
Original: παράπτωμα
Category: Sin
NEW for Ephesians. Specific acts of wrongdoing, distinct from the general condition 罪 (sin) — keep both distinct so Ephesians 2:1’s rhetorical doubling is not flattened. Occurrences: 2:1,5.
Seated With Christ
Approved rendering: 一齊坐 / 屬天嘅境界
Transliteration: jat1 cai4 co5 / suk6 tin1 ge3 ging2 gaai3
Doctrine: Salvation by Grace through Faith
Rejected alternatives: 仙界, 極樂世界
Original: συγκαθίζω / ἐπουράνιος
Category: Salvation
NEW for Ephesians. A present spiritual reality secured entirely by grace-union with Christ, not a merit-earned afterlife destination (Daoist 仙界 immortal-realm, Buddhist Pure Land). Occurrences: 2:6; cf. 1:3,20; 3:10; 6:12.
Riches Of Grace
Approved rendering: 豐富
Transliteration: fung1 fu3
Doctrine: The Glory and Praise of God in Redemption
Rejected alternatives: 福氣, 發財
Original: πλοῦτος
Category: Salvation
NEW for Ephesians. Spiritual, not material, abundance — key caution given Hong Kong’s prosperity-luck culture (恭喜發財). Occurrences: 1:7,18; 2:7; 3:8,16.
Boast
Approved rendering: 自誇
Transliteration: zi6 kwaa1
Doctrine: Salvation by Grace through Faith
Original: καυχάομαι
Category: Salvation
NEW for Ephesians. Self-congratulation before God; distinct from but easily conflated with social ‘face’ (面子) concerns in Cantonese status-conscious culture. Occurrence: 2:9.
Workmanship
Approved rendering: 作品
Transliteration: zok3 ban2
Doctrine: Good Works as the Fruit, Never the Root, of Grace
Original: ποίημα
Category: Salvation
NEW for Ephesians. Identity as God’s creative handiwork, not self-achieved status — resists Hong Kong’s status/achievement culture (威水). Occurrence: 2:10.
Created New Creation
Approved rendering: 被創造
Transliteration: bei6 cong3 zou6
Doctrine: Good Works as the Fruit, Never the Root, of Grace
Rejected alternatives: 重新做人
Original: κτίζω
Category: Salvation
NEW for Ephesians. God’s fresh creative act, not a willed resolution (contrast the secular idiom 重新做人). Occurrence: 2:10.
Light Darkness
Approved rendering: 光 / 黑暗
Transliteration: gwong1 / hak1 am3
Doctrine: Walking Worthy of the Calling
Rejected alternatives: 開光
Original: φῶς / σκότος
Category: Sanctification
NEW for Ephesians. Moral-spiritual metaphor for holiness/sin — must not accidentally evoke the temple idol-consecration ritual 開光 (‘opening the light’). Occurrences: 5:8-14.
Filled With Spirit
Approved rendering: 被聖靈充滿
Transliteration: bei6 sing3 ling4 cung1 mun5
Doctrine: Personhood of the Holy Spirit
Rejected alternatives: 問米, 扶乩
Original: πληρωθε ἐν Πνεύματι
Category: God
NEW for Ephesians. Ongoing, sober, fruit-producing Spirit-empowerment, not an involuntary trance/possession state (問米 spirit-mediumship, spirit-writing/扶乩). Occurrence: 5:18.
Obey Children
Approved rendering: 順服
Transliteration: seon6 fuk6
Doctrine: Parent-Child Relationships in the Lord
Original: ὑπακούω
Category: Household
NEW for Ephesians. Shares the root of 彼此順服 (5:21); household obedience framed explicitly ‘in the Lord,’ not generic filial custom. Occurrence: 6:1.
Armor Of God
Approved rendering: 全副軍裝
Transliteration: cyun4 fu3 gwan1 zong1
Doctrine: The Armor of God
Rejected alternatives: 平安符
Original: πανοπλία τοῦ Θεοῦ
Category: Spiritual Warfare
NEW for Ephesians. Metaphor for spiritual readiness (truth, righteousness, faith, gospel, salvation, Spirit’s word) — never a literal protective charm; avoid conflation with Hong Kong’s protective-amulet culture (平安符). Occurrences: 6:11,13.
Blessed Blessing
Approved rendering: 可稱頌嘅 / 祝福
Transliteration: ho2 cing1 cung6 ge3 / zuk1 fuk1
Doctrine: The Glory and Praise of God in Redemption
Rejected alternatives: 福氣
Original: εὐλογητός / εὐλογία
Category: God
NEW for Ephesians. Must be anchored to spiritual blessing ‘in Christ,’ not material fortune (福氣) — critical given Hong Kong’s prosperity-luck culture already flagged under baseline ‘gospel’. Occurrence: 1:3.
Age Of This World
Approved rendering: 呢個世代
Transliteration: nei1 go3 sai3 doi6
Doctrine: Total Spiritual Deadness Prior to Grace
Original: αἰῶνα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου
Category: Sin
NEW for Ephesians. A spiritually hostile system, not a morally neutral ‘the times we live in’. Occurrence: 2:2.
Promise
Approved rendering: 應許
Transliteration: jing3 heoi2
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles in One New Humanity
Rejected alternatives: 合約
Original: ἐπαγγελία
Category: Covenant
NEW for Ephesians. A relational, divinely initiated promise — never a commercial guarantee/contract (合約), consistent with the baseline’s covenant caution. Occurrences: 1:13; 2:12; 3:6; 6:2.
Low Risk Terms
Apostle
Approved rendering: 使徒
Transliteration: si2 tou4
Doctrine: Apostleship
Rejected alternatives: 風水師, 大師
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Ephesians occurrences: 1:1; 2:20; 3:5; 4:11 — the latter as one of Christ’s gift-offices to the church, distinguished from a generic messenger, missionary, feng shui consultant, or grandmaster/guru.
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: 感恩
Transliteration: gam2 jan1
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Original: εὐχαριστία-family
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Ephesians occurrences: 1:16; 5:4,20.
Fellowship
Approved rendering: 團契
Transliteration: tyun4 kai3
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: 同鄉會, 結拜
Original: κοινωνία (conceptual background)
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Conceptual background to Ephesians 4:1-16’s body-of-Christ unity teaching. Never a clan/native-place association (同鄉會) or sworn-brotherhood pact (結拜).
Prophet
Approved rendering: 先知
Transliteration: sin1 zi1
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: 風水師, 算命佬
Original: προφήτης
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Ephesians occurrences: 2:20; 3:5; 4:11, the latter as a foundational church office.
Exhort
Approved rendering: 勸勉
Transliteration: hyun3 min5
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Original: παρακαλέω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Ephesians occurrence: 4:1, Paul’s appeal to ‘walk worthy’ of the calling.
Cornerstone
Approved rendering: 基石
Transliteration: gei1 sek6
Doctrine: The Church as God’s Dwelling Place
Original: ἀκρογωνιαῖος
Category: Church
NEW for Ephesians. Standard, well-established architectural metaphor in Chinese Bible tradition. Occurrence: 2:20.
Pastor
Approved rendering: 牧者
Transliteration: muk6 ze2
Doctrine: Gifts for Building Up the Church
Original: ποιμήν
Category: Church
NEW for Ephesians. Standard church-office term. Occurrence: 4:11.
Teacher
Approved rendering: 教師
Transliteration: gaau3 si1
Doctrine: Gifts for Building Up the Church
Rejected alternatives: 普通學校教師
Original: διδάσκαλος
Category: Church
NEW for Ephesians. A church teaching office, not a generic secular schoolteacher role. Occurrence: 4:11.
Build Up Edify
Approved rendering: 建立 / 造就
Transliteration: gin3 laap6 / zou6 zau6
Doctrine: Mutual Edification within the Body
Original: οἰκοδομή
Category: Church
NEW for Ephesians. Corresponds directly to the baseline Romans doctrine ‘mutual_edification’, already Low-risk. Occurrences: 4:12,16,29.
Renewed
Approved rendering: 更新
Transliteration: gang1 san1
Doctrine: Sanctification and Putting on the New Self
Original: ἀνανεοῦσθαι
Category: Sanctification
NEW for Ephesians. Ongoing Spirit-wrought mind-renewal. Occurrence: 4:23.
Walk Conduct
Approved rendering: 行事為人
Transliteration: hang4 si6 wai4 jan4
Doctrine: Walking Worthy of the Calling
Original: περιπατέω
Category: Sanctification
NEW for Ephesians. Recurring lifestyle-conduct motif; must render consistently at every occurrence (2:2,10; 4:1,17; 5:2,8,15). Consistency itself is the safeguard against drift.
Struggle Wrestle
Approved rendering: 爭戰
Transliteration: zaang1 zin3
Doctrine: The Armor of God
Original: πάλη
Category: Spiritual Warfare
NEW for Ephesians. The Christian’s conflict is fundamentally spiritual, not against human opponents. Occurrence: 6:12.
Ambassador In Chains
Approved rendering: 帶住鎖鏈嘅使者
Transliteration: daai3 zyu6 so2 lin2 ge3 si2 ze2
Doctrine: The Mystery of Christ Revealed
Original: πρεσβεύω ἐν ἁλύσει
Category: Church
NEW for Ephesians. Paul’s self-description as Christ’s official representative, continuing his mystery-proclaiming mission even under Roman imprisonment. Occurrence: 6:20.
Thoughts Minds
Approved rendering: 心思
Transliteration: sam1 si1
Doctrine: Total Spiritual Deadness Prior to Grace
Original: διάνοια
Category: Sin
NEW for Ephesians. The intellectual/volitional faculty, complicit in sin alongside the body. Occurrence: 2:3.
Kindness
Approved rendering: 恩慈
Transliteration: jan1 ci4
Doctrine: Salvation by Grace through Faith
Original: χρηστότης
Category: God
NEW for Ephesians. The relational warmth accompanying God’s grace. Occurrence: 2:7.
Demonstrate Display
Approved rendering: 顯示 / 彰顯
Transliteration: hin2 si6 / zoeng1 hin2
Doctrine: Salvation by Grace through Faith
Rejected alternatives: 顯靈
Original: ἐνδείκνυμι
Category: God
NEW for Ephesians. God’s purposeful, public display of grace’s riches. NEVER 顯靈 (a deity ‘manifesting power’ at a shrine — forbidden per baseline incarnation entry). Occurrence: 2:7.
Low-Medium Risk Terms
Evangelist
Approved rendering: 傳福音者
Transliteration: cyun4 fuk1 jam1 ze2
Doctrine: Gifts for Building Up the Church
Original: εὐαγγελιστής
Category: Church
NEW for Ephesians. Built on the baseline 福音 root; standard formation. Occurrence: 4:11.
Schemes
Approved rendering: 詭計
Transliteration: gwai2 gai3
Doctrine: The Armor of God
Original: μεθοδεία
Category: Spiritual Warfare
NEW for Ephesians. The devil’s cunning tactics/strategies, requiring vigilance, not merely brute-force resistance. Occurrence: 6:11.
Prayer
Approved rendering: 禱告
Transliteration: tou2 gou3
Doctrine: Prayer and Intercession in the Spirit
Rejected alternatives: 求籤
Original: προσευχή
Category: Faith
NEW for Ephesians. Direct, Spirit-enabled communication with God — distinguish from drawing a temple fortune-stick (求籤) on one’s own or another’s behalf. Occurrence: 6:18.
Disobedience
Approved rendering: 悖逆
Transliteration: bui3 jik6
Doctrine: Total Spiritual Deadness Prior to Grace
Original: ἀπείθεια
Category: Sin
NEW for Ephesians. Willful defiance of God, not mere rule-breaking. Occurrences: 2:2; 5:6.
Desires Lusts
Approved rendering: 私慾 / 慾望
Transliteration: si1 juk6 / jyuk6 mong6
Doctrine: Total Spiritual Deadness Prior to Grace
Original: ἐπιθυμία
Category: Sin
NEW for Ephesians. Disordered desire driving sinful action. Occurrence: 2:3.
Referenced passages