Core Glossary
Core Glossary — Matthew (English → Cantonese)
How to Use This Glossary
This glossary compiles every load-bearing theological term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md, citing the chapter(s) where each term is load-bearing. Terms marked “Reused” are already fixed in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json / bible_term_registry.json and must be used exactly as recorded there — no alternative rendering is proposed here. Terms marked “New” are proposed additions specific to the Matthew curriculum, pending the same theologian/native-speaker review routing established by the baseline’s doctrine_risk_registry.json risk tiers. This file feeds Phase 1 Step 2 (translation memory update) and Phase 1 Step 3 (doctrine risk registry update); it does not itself modify those files.
Section 1 — Terms Reused Exactly from the Romans Baseline
| English Term | Greek | Cantonese (baseline) | Jyutping | Risk | Matthew Chapters | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| God | θεός | 神 | san4 | Critical | 1, 3-6, 8-10, 12, 14-17, 19, 21-22, 26-28 | Reused exactly; no change. |
| Jesus | Ἰησοῦς | 耶穌 | je4 sou1 | Critical | all | Reused exactly. |
| Christ / Messiah | Χριστός | 基督 | gei1 duk1 | Critical | 1-2, 11, 16, 22, 24, 26 | Reused exactly; anchors Messianic Promise doctrine. |
| Lord | κύριος | 主 | zyu2 | Critical | 3, 7-9, 15, 22 | Reused exactly; anchors Lordship of Christ doctrine. |
| Son of God | υἱὸς θεοῦ | 神嘅兒子 | san4 ge3 ji4 zi2 | Critical | 1, 3, 4 (implicit), 8, 14, 16-17, 26-27 | Reused exactly; reserved for Christ alone — see glossary note on Matt 5:9 “sons of God” (believers) below. |
| Holy Spirit | πνεῦμα ἅγιον | 聖靈 | sing3 ling4 | Critical | 1, 3, 12, 28 | Reused exactly. |
| Father | πατήρ | 父 | fu6 | High | 5-7, 10-11, 15, 18, 23, 26, 28 | Reused exactly; frequent in Sermon on the Mount (“your Father in heaven”). |
| Resurrection | ἀνάστασις / ἐγέρθη | 復活 | fuk6 wut6 | Critical | 12 (sign of Jonah), 22 (Sadducees’ question), 27-28 | Reused exactly; anchors Resurrection of Christ doctrine. |
| Church | ἐκκλησία | 教會 | gaau3 wui2 | Medium/High | 16, 18 | Reused exactly; Matthew’s usage is High risk given its tie to Church Discipline (18:17), exceeding the baseline’s Medium default — apply High routing in Matthew contexts. |
| Apostle | ἀπόστολος | 使徒 | si2 tou4 | Low | 10 | Reused exactly. |
| Faith | πίστις | 信心 | seon3 sam1 | High | 8-9, 14-15, 17, 21 | Reused exactly; Matthew adds a healing-context risk (folk-healing collision) — see semantic analysis Ch. 8. |
| Righteousness | δικαιοσύνη | 義 | ji6 | Critical | 3, 5-6, 21 | Reused exactly; risk heightened in Matthew by the comparative “exceeding the Pharisees” framing (5:20) — see dedicated doctrine note below. |
| Kingdom of God | βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ | 神嘅國 | san4 ge3 gwok3 | Medium | 6 (6:33), 12 (12:28), 19 (19:24), 21 (21:31, 43) | Reused exactly; theologically synonymous in Matthew with “kingdom of heaven” (天國, New entry below) — teach as one referent, two register-driven expressions. |
| Law | νόμος | 律法 | leot6 faat3 | High | 5, 7, 22-23 | Reused exactly. |
| Sin | ἁμαρτία | 罪 | zeoi6 | High | 1 (1:21), 3, 9, 26 | Reused exactly. |
| Gentiles | ἔθνη (Jew/Gentile contrast sense) | 外邦人 | ngoi6 bong1 jan4 | Medium | 4, 10, 12 (12:18-21), 20 | Reused exactly; context-sensitive — do not use for the Great Commission’s inclusive “all nations” sense (see 萬民, New entry, Ch. 28). |
| Glory | δόξα | 榮耀 | wing4 jiu6 | Medium | 16-17, 19, 24-25 | Reused exactly; connects to face/status (面子/威水) cautions applied throughout Matthew (hypocrisy, humility teachings). |
| Israel | Ἰσραήλ | 以色列 | ji5 sik1 lit6 | Medium | 2, 8, 10, 15, 19, 27 | Reused exactly. |
| Prophet | προφήτης | 先知 | sin1 zi1 | Low | 1-2, 5, 7, 10-11, 13, 21, 23-24 | Reused exactly. |
| Prophecy / Fulfillment | προφητεία / πληρόω (prediction sense) | 預言 | jyu6 jin4 | Medium | throughout (fulfillment-formula chapters 1-2, 4, 8, 12-13, 21, 26-27) | Reused exactly for the noun “prophecy”; see New entry 應驗 for the specific fulfillment-verb usage. |
| Covenant | διαθήκη | 約 | joek3 | High | 26 | Reused exactly. |
| Called / Calling | κλητός / κλῆσις | 蒙召嘅 / 呼召 | mung4 siu6 ge3 / fu1 siu6 | High | 1 (implicit), 4, 22 | Reused exactly. |
| Election / Chosen | ἐκλογή / ἐκλεκτός | 揀選 | gaan2 syun2 | High | 22, 24 | Reused exactly. |
| Seed of David | σπέρμα Δαυίδ (descent formula) | 大衛嘅後裔 | daai6 wai6 ge3 hau6 jeoi6 | High | 1 (background) | Reused exactly for the descent-formula sense only; distinct from the titular “Son of David” address (New entry below). |
| David | Δαβίδ | 大衛 | daai6 wai6 | Medium | 1, 9, 12, 15, 20-22 | Reused exactly. |
| Gospel | εὐαγγέλιον | 福音 | fuk1 jam1 | Medium | 4, 9, 24, 26 | Reused exactly; compounds with New entry 天國 as “gospel of the kingdom” (4:23). |
| Grace (concept, though the noun χάρις itself is rarer in Matthew than in Romans) | χάρις / grace-framework | 恩典 | jan1 din2 | Critical | 20 (vineyard parable), 9 (calling Matthew) | Reused exactly; functions as the essential doctrinal control against Matthew’s extensive reward/merit-sounding language (see 賞賜 New entry). |
Section 2 — New Terms Proposed for the Matthew Curriculum
| English Term | Greek | Proposed Cantonese | Jyutping | Risk | Chapters | Reason / Rejected Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingdom of Heaven | βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν | 天國 | tin1 gwok3 | Critical | 3-13 (pervasive), 16, 18-20, 22, 25 | Established CUV/Cantonese Bible term. Rejected: rendering that drops 天 in favor of always using 神嘅國 — rejected because it would erase Matthew’s own distinctive, deliberate stylistic variation and its OT-reverential-circumlocution background, which is itself a valuable teaching point. Critical collision risks: (1) 天堂 (heaven as afterlife destination) — must not collapse “kingdom of heaven” into merely “where believers go when they die”; (2) 天命/天意 (Mandate of Heaven; impersonal “heaven’s will,” the latter already forbidden under Providence in the baseline) — kingdom of heaven names God’s personal, active reign, not an impersonal cosmic principle or classical political-legitimacy concept. Teach explicitly as synonymous in referent with 神嘅國. |
| Son of David (titular address) | υἱὸς Δαβίδ | 大衛嘅子孫 | daai6 wai6 ge3 zi2 syun1 | High | 1, 9, 12, 15, 20-21 | Distinguished from baseline’s 大衛嘅後裔 (a descent-formula, Romans 1:3 sense). Rejected: 大衛之子 (too easily read as immediate biological son) and any phrasing overlapping 天子 (Son of Heaven, imperial title, already forbidden under Son of God in the baseline). |
| Authority | ἐξουσία | 權柄 | kyun4 beng3 | High | 7, 9-10, 16, 18, 21, 28 | Distinguished from baseline’s 大能 (δύναμις, raw power/might). Rejected: collapsing into 大能 — would lose the specific “right/standing to command” sense central to the Authority of Jesus’ Teaching doctrine. Political-sensitivity caution applies per baseline’s general note on sovereignty language in Hong Kong. |
| Hypocrite | ὑποκριτής | 假冒為善嘅人 | gaa2 mou6 wai4 sin6 ge3 jan4 | Medium-High | 6-7, 15, 22-24 | Established Cantonese Bible term. Rejected: a bare borrowing of 面具人 (“mask-person”) as too literal/unclear; retains the natural theatrical-mask resonance with Cantonese opera face-changing (變臉) as a helpful but carefully-bounded illustrative bridge. |
| Fulfilled (of prophecy) | πληρόω (πληρωθῇ) | 應驗 | jing3 jim6 | High | 1-2, 4, 8, 12-13, 21, 26-27 | Rejected: using the same word for the Law’s fulfillment (see 成全 below) — the two senses of πληρόω must be kept lexically distinct in Cantonese. Rejected: any phrasing evoking 求籤/運程 (fortune-stick or almanac prediction “coming true”) — this is deliberate, linear, once-for-all fulfillment of a specific prior divine promise. |
| Fulfilled (of the Law) | πληρόω (πληρῶσαι τὸν νόμον) | 成全 | sing4 cyun4 | High | 5 | See 應驗 above — kept as a distinct technical term specifically for the Law’s completion/fulfillment sense (5:17), not prophecy’s fulfillment sense. |
| Baptism / to baptize | βαπτίζω / βάπτισμα | 洗禮 (noun) / 施洗 (verb) | sai2 lai5 / si1 sai2 | Medium | 3, 28 | Established Hong Kong Protestant term. Rejected: any phrasing suggesting generic ritual purification bathing without reference to repentance/incorporation into Christ and the Trinity. |
| Repent / Repentance | μετανοέω / μετάνοια | 悔改 | fui3 goi2 | Medium | 3-4, 11-12 | Established term. Rejected: 後悔 (mere regret without moral turning); rejected: any framing suggesting a temple vow-renewal (還神) transaction. |
| Temptation / to tempt | πειρασμός / πειράζω | 試探 | si3 taam3 | Medium | 4, 6, 26 | Rejected: a purely neutral secular “test” (測試) term, which would lose the morally-loaded, personal-tempter sense. |
| Devil / Satan | διάβολος / σατανᾶς | 魔鬼 / 撒但 | mo1 gwai2 / saat3 daan6 | Medium-High | 4, 12-13, 16, 25 | Established Cantonese Christian terms. Rejected: a bare 鬼 (generic ghost/spirit) — far too broad given Hong Kong’s active ancestral-spirit and Hungry Ghost Festival (盂蘭節) folk-religious vocabulary; must always retain the specific compound/proper-noun form naming the single personal chief adversary. |
| Authority to forgive sins / Forgive | ἀφίημι (ἁμαρτίας) | 赦免 | se3 min5 | High | 9, 18 | Rejected: a merely interpersonal “let go of a grudge” sense alone — must retain the specifically divine, guilt-canceling prerogative Christ claims (9:6), and (at 18) the grace-not-ledger framework for interpersonal forgiveness among believers. |
| Mercy (attribute) | ἔλεος / ἐλεήμων | 憐恤 / 憐憫 | lin4 seot1 / lin4 man5 | High | 5 (5:7), 9, 12 | CRITICAL EXCLUSION: never render as 慈悲, which directly invokes Guanyin’s popular epithet 大慈大悲, already forbidden under Salvation in the baseline. Flag every occurrence for back-translation review specifically checking for 慈悲 drift. |
| Meek / Meekness | πραΰς | 溫柔 | wan1 jau4 | Medium | 5 (5:5), 11, 21 | Rejected: a term implying passivity/weakness alone; teaching must clarify strength-under-control, not personality softness. |
| Pure in heart | καθαρὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ | 清心 | cing1 sam1 | High | 5 (5:8) | Rejected: framing that reduces to the Daoist/Buddhist self-cultivation idiom 清心寡慾 (purify the heart, minimize desire) — biblical purity of heart is God-given moral integrity/undivided devotion, not a meditative-technique attainment. |
| Peacemaker | εἰρηνοποιός | 使人和睦嘅人 | sai2 jan4 wo4 muk6 ge3 jan4 | Medium | 5 (5:9) | Rejected: reducing to mere conflict-avoidance/surface harmony-keeping (consistent with, but distinct from, the Confucian 和為貴 ideal) — this is active, costly reconciliation, including gospel proclamation. |
| Sons/Children of God (of believers, not Christ) | υἱοὶ θεοῦ (believers) | 神嘅兒女 | san4 ge3 ji4 neoi5 | High | 5 (5:9) | Rejected: reusing the baseline’s Critical-risk 神嘅兒子 (reserved for Christ’s unique Sonship) unqualified for believers — recommend 神嘅兒女 (gender-inclusive “children of God”) or the fuller adoption phrase 得兒子嘅名分, to preserve the Christ/believer sonship distinction the baseline’s Critical flag protects. |
| Blessed (Beatitude pronouncement) | μακάριος | 有福 | jau5 fuk1 | Critical | 5 (5:3-11) | Established CUV/Cantonese term. CRITICAL COLLISION: shares the root character 福 already flagged Critical/Medium in the baseline under Grace and Gospel for its resonance with Hong Kong’s commercial New Year prosperity-luck culture (恭喜發財). Every occurrence requires accompanying teaching that reverses the expected fortune-culture association — God pronounces “有福” over conditions (poverty of spirit, mourning, persecution) that popular fortune-culture would call unlucky. |
| Reward | μισθός | 賞賜 | soeng2 ce3 | Critical | 5 (5:12), 6, 10, 16, 19-20, 25 | CRITICAL, cross-cutting. Must never be assimilated to 功德 (Buddhist earned merit, forbidden under Grace in baseline) or to 還神還願 (temple vow-fulfillment exchange, forbidden under Justification in baseline). Every reward-passage requires the note: reward is God’s gracious response to Spirit-enabled faithfulness, not a wage mechanically earned. |
| Confess / Acknowledge (Christ before others) | ὁμολογέω | 承認 / 宣認 | sing4 jing6 / syun1 jing6 | High | 10 | Ties directly to the baseline’s Romans 10:9 Lordship confession (must remain consistent in register/word choice with however “confess” is rendered there in Phase 2 output). |
| Yoke | ζυγός | 軛 | aat3 | Low-Medium | 11 | Primarily a comprehension risk (declining agricultural vocabulary currency); include explanatory gloss at first use. |
| Rest | ἀνάπαυσις | 安息 | on1 sik1 | Medium | 11 | Rejected: framing as a meditative-tranquility attainment (already flagged under sanctification in baseline) — this is relational rest found in Christ. |
| Sabbath | σάββατον | 安息日 | on1 sik1 jat6 | Medium | 12 | Rejected: conflation with almanac auspicious-day selection (擇日), already noted under Prophecy in the baseline. |
| Blasphemy | βλασφημία | 褻瀆 | sit3 duk6 | Critical | 12, 26 | Standard Chinese Bible term. Must be paired precisely with 聖靈 for the unforgivable-sin context (12:31-32) and taught as willful, final rejection — not applied loosely to ordinary doubt or sin. |
| Sign of Jonah / typological sign | σημεῖον | 記號 | gei3 hou6 | Medium | 12 | Rejected: framing as an omen/portent requiring diviner interpretation (求籤) — this is a specific, divinely-intended prefiguration fulfilled in real history. |
| Parable | παραβολή | 比喻 | bei2 jyu6 | Low-Medium | 13 (and throughout: 18, 20-22, 25) | Rejected: conflation with Zen koans (公案) or Daoist allegory, which function by paradox-resolution rather than faith-calibrated revelation. |
| Mystery | μυστήριον | 奧秘 | ou3 bei3 | Medium-High | 13 | Rejected: conflation with occult secret-knowledge systems (術數, esoteric practice) — this is truth graciously revealed to disciples, not adept-earned secret knowledge. |
| End of the Age | συντέλεια τοῦ αἰῶνος | 世界嘅末了 / 末世 | sai3 gaai3 ge3 mut6 liu5 / mut6 sai3 | Critical | 13, 24, 28 | CRITICAL EXCLUSION: must not be conflated with the Buddhist cyclical kalpa-destruction concept (劫) — biblical “end of the age” is linear, final, once-for-all. |
| Gehenna / Hell | γέεννα | 地獄 | dei6 juk6 | Critical | 5 (5:22, 29-30), 10, 18, 23, 25 | CRITICAL EXCLUSION: must not be conflated with the folk-religious underworld bureaucracy (陰間, 十殿閻羅) featuring temporary, ritually-alterable torment followed by reincarnation. Cross-reference with 永遠嘅刑罰 below and with the baseline’s resurrection doctrine note. |
| Gates of Hades / Hades | πύλαι ᾅδου / ᾅδης | 陰間嘅門 / 陰間 | jam1 gaan1 ge3 mun4 / jam1 gaan1 | Critical | 16 | CRITICAL EXCLUSION: 陰間 is the standard folk-religious term for the underworld actively engaged through Hungry Ghost Festival (盂蘭節) ritual practice; must be taught as death’s now-defeated dominion which the church, founded by Christ, triumphantly overcomes — not the folk underworld bureaucracy relatives ritually provision. |
| Bind and Loose | δέω / λύω | 捆綁 / 釋放 | kwan2 bong2 / sik1 fong3 | Critical | 16, 18 | CRITICAL EXCLUSION: must not be rendered or illustrated in a way resembling Daoist/folk-exorcist ritual binding-spells (符咒, 喃嘸佬 practice) or the ritual power (法力) already forbidden under Power of God in the baseline. This is the church’s Spirit-guided, Scripture-grounded doctrinal/disciplinary authority. |
| Cross / Take up one’s cross | σταυρός | 十字架 | sap6 zi6 gaa3 | High | 10 (implicit), 16, 27 | Established term. Risk: secularized Cantonese idiom “揹十字架” (bearing a cross = generic heavy burden) must not be allowed to dilute the specific Christ-centered, self-denying, costly-discipleship sense. |
| Deny oneself | ἀπαρνέομαι (ἑαυτόν) | 捨己 / 否認自己 | se2 gei2 / fu2 jing6 zi6 gei2 | Medium-High | 16, 26 (Peter’s denial, contrasting use) | Rejected: conflation with face-losing (丟臉) as a social event — this is a deliberate reordering of ultimate loyalty toward Christ. |
| Soul / Life | ψυχή | 靈魂 / 生命 | ling4 wan4 / sang1 ming6 | Medium | 16 (16:25-26), 10 (10:28, 39) | Rejected: conflating 靈魂 with a soul destined for reincarnation (輪迴) — consistent with the baseline’s resurrection-doctrine framework. |
| Perfect / Complete | τέλειος | 完全 | jyun4 cyun4 | Medium-High | 5 (5:48), 19 (19:21) | Rejected: conflation with self-cultivation-attained mastery (修煉, already flagged under Sanctification in baseline) — this is relational wholeness reflecting God’s character, given by grace. |
| Transfiguration | μεταμορφόω | 變像 / 變貌 | bin3 zoeng6 / bin3 mou6 | Medium-High | 17 | Rejected: conflation with wuxia/fantasy “power-up transformation” tropes (變身) or with the baseline’s forbidden 化身 (a deity’s repeatable manifestation) — this is a unique, momentary unveiling of Christ’s pre-existing divine glory. |
| Two or Three Witnesses | δύο ἢ τρεῖς | 兩三個證人 | loeng5 saam1 go3 zing3 jan4 | Low-Medium | 18 | Standard due-process vocabulary for Church Discipline doctrine. |
| Debt / Debtor | ὀφείλημα / ὀφειλέτης | 債 / 欠債 | zaai3 / him3 zaai3 | Medium-High | 18 | Caution: ensure surrounding teaching clarifies God’s forgiveness is gracious, not a ledger-balanced transaction, despite the financial-debt metaphor’s internal logic. |
| Ransom | λύτρον | 贖價 | suk6 gaa3 | Critical | 20 (20:28) | CRITICAL, one of the most significant new terms in the book. Must be distinguished from: (1) kidnapping-ransom money (贖金, common HK crime-drama vocabulary); (2) karmic debt-repayment (還債/因果報應); (3) temple vow-fulfillment exchange (還神還願, forbidden under Justification in baseline). Christ is the one who pays, freely and lovingly — no captor, no karmic ledger, no vow-exchange is in view. |
| Serve / Servant (active humble service) | διακονέω / διάκονος | 服侍 / 服事 | fuk6 si6 / fuk6 si6 | Low-Medium | 20 | Status-reversal teaching term; ties to face/status cautions elsewhere in glossary. |
| Slave / Bondservant | δοῦλος | 奴僕 | nou4 buk6 | Low-Medium | 20 | Standard vocabulary; distinct from Pearl River Delta historical indentured-labor associations (non-theological). |
| Cornerstone / The Stone | λίθος (κεφαλὴ γωνίας) | 石頭 / 房角石 | sek6 tau4 / fong4 gok3 sek6 | Medium | 21 | Standard architectural-metaphor rendering; requires explicit OT (Psalm 118) background teaching. |
| Love | ἀγαπάω / ἀγάπη | 愛 | ngoi3 | High | 5 (5:44), 19, 22 | Not isolated as a distinct term in the Romans baseline; new formal entry required for Matthew. Modern Cantonese 愛 does not by itself mark Greek’s distinction between ἀγάπη (willed, self-giving love), ἔρως (romantic desire), and φιλία (friendship). Teaching must consistently clarify the commanded love (including love of enemies) is willed and self-giving, not primarily romantic feeling or natural affection. |
| Caesar | Καῖσαρ | 凱撒 | Hoi2 saat3 | Medium | 22 | Political-sensitivity caution per baseline’s general note on government/authority passages; keep application doctrinal (civic duty vs. ultimate allegiance), not analogized to any present political authority. |
| Hypocrite (see also above) | ὑποκριτής | 假冒為善嘅人 | gaa2 mou6 wai4 sin6 ge3 jan4 | Medium-High | 23 (dominant chapter) | See Section 2 entry above; Chapter 23 is the term’s primary doctrinal home. |
| Scribes and Pharisees | γραμματεῖς καὶ Φαρισαῖοι | 文士 / 法利賽人 | man4 si6 / Faat3 lei6 coi3 jan4 | Medium | 5, 9, 12, 15, 19, 21, 23 | Historically-specific group names; teach without generalizing into anti-Jewish caricature, consistent with baseline’s Unity of Jews and Gentiles sensitivity. |
| Rabbi | ῥαββί | 拉比 | laai1 bei2 | Low-Medium | 23 | Title-status critique resonant with Hong Kong’s own honorific-title culture (老師/師傅/大師). |
| Humble / Exalt | ταπεινόω / ὑψόω | 自卑 / 自高 | zi6 bei1 / zi6 gou1 | Low-Medium | 23 | Ties to baseline’s face/glory caution. |
| Parousia / Second Coming | παρουσία | 降臨 | gong3 lam4 | Critical | 24 | CRITICAL EXCLUSION: must not resemble the baseline’s forbidden 顯靈 (a deity’s repeatable temple-manifestation) — this is Christ’s final, visible, bodily, once-for-all return. |
| False Christs / False Prophets | ψευδόχριστοι / ψευδοπροφῆται | 假基督 / 假先知 | gaa2 gei1 duk1 / gaa2 sin1 zi1 | Medium-High | 24 | Relevant to discerning any claimant to unique spiritual/messianic authority in Hong Kong’s plural religious marketplace. |
| Tribulation | θλῖψις | 患難 | waan6 naan6 | Low-Medium | 24 | Standard vocabulary. |
| Son of Man | υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου | 人子 | jan4 zi2 | High | 8-9, 12, 16-17, 20, 24-26 | Danielic apocalyptic authority title combined with genuine humanity; must not be flattened toward either “merely human” or “merely divine-glory-title” alone. |
| Watch / Be Alert | γρηγορέω | 警醒 | ging2 sing2 | Low | 24-25 | Standard vocabulary. |
| Bridegroom | νυμφίος | 新郎 | san1 long4 | Low | 25 | Standard vocabulary; messianic-banquet imagery. |
| Talent (monetary unit in parable) | τάλαντον | 銀子 | ngan4 zi2 | Medium | 25 | Rejected: rendering that imports the English idiom “talent = natural ability” directly into the Cantonese lexical choice — retain the literal monetary sense; apply the stewardship principle homiletically without distorting the term itself. |
| Judgment | κρίσις | 審判 | sam2 pun3 | High | 25 (and implicit throughout 7, 10-13, 24) | Must be God’s own personal, righteous, final verdict — not an impersonal karmic accounting process, nor an outcome alterable by ritual intervention on behalf of the dead. |
| Eternal Punishment / Eternal Life | κόλασις αἰώνιος / ζωὴ αἰώνιος | 永遠嘅刑罰 / 永生 | wing5 jyun5 ge3 jing4 fat6 / wing5 sang1 | Critical | 25 (25:46) | CRITICAL EXCLUSION — among the most significant collisions in the curriculum. Must not be conflated with the Ten Courts/Yanluo Wang (十殿閻羅/閻羅王) folk-religious framework of temporary, ritually-alterable underworld torment followed by reincarnation. Fixed, final, unending; not alterable by subsequent ritual action by the living (打齋, 燒紙錢, prominent at 盂蘭節). Cross-reference with 地獄 and with baseline’s resurrection doctrine note. |
| Betray / Hand Over | παραδίδωμι | 出賣 / 交付 | ceot1 maai6 / gaau1 fu6 | Medium | 26 | Dual sense (human culpability / divine sovereign purpose) must both be retained without contradiction, per baseline’s Providence doctrine note. |
| Crucify | σταυρόω | 釘十字架 | deng3 sap6 zi6 gaa3 | Medium | 27 | Retain physical, historical, curse-bearing specificity; not a softened generic “executed.” |
| Temple Curtain / Veil | καταπέτασμα | 幔子 | maan6 zi2 | Low-Medium | 27 | Symbolizes access to God opened; connect explicitly to Peace with God / Justification doctrines. |
| Make Disciples | μαθητεύω | 使…成為門徒 | si2 … sing4 wai4 mun4 tou4 | High | 28 (28:19), background throughout | Core Great Commission verb; guard against the martial-arts sifu/apprentice cultural collision flagged at Matt 5:1’s μαθητής entry. |
| Trinitarian Baptismal Formula | εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος | 歸入父、子、聖靈嘅名 | gwai1 jap6 fu6, zi2, sing3 ling4 ge3 ming4 | Critical | 28 (28:19) | Preserve singular “name” shared by three distinct Persons; avoid both tritheism-sounding and modalism-sounding phrasings. Mandatory theologian review per baseline escalation rules. |
| All Nations (inclusive Great Commission sense) | πάντα τὰ ἔθνη | 萬民 | maan6 man4 | High | 28 (28:19) | Distinct from baseline’s 外邦人 (Jew/Gentile-contrast sense); use 萬民 specifically for the Great Commission’s maximally-inclusive scope. |
Section 3 — Cross-Cutting Doctrinal Risk Notes (Apply Across Multiple Chapters)
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福 (fuk1) collision, intensified in Matthew. The Beatitudes’ 有福 pronouncement pattern (Matt 5:3-11) repeats the baseline’s Critical/Medium 福-character risk (Grace, Gospel) nine times in a single core passage, compounded by content that inverts popular fortune-expectations (blessed are the poor, mourning, persecuted). This is the single highest-frequency risk term in the curriculum.
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Reward/merit tension, far more extensive in Matthew than in Romans. μισθός (賞賜) recurs at 5:12; 6:1-6, 16-18; 10:41-42; 16:27; 19:29; 20:1-16; 25:14-30, 34-40. Every occurrence must be taught within the grace framework (Critical, baseline) — reward is God’s gracious response to Spirit-enabled faithfulness, never a merit-transaction resembling 功德 or 還神還願.
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The folk-underworld/afterlife-judgment collision, appearing in three related but distinct terms. 地獄 (Gehenna), 陰間 (Hades, ch.16), and 永遠嘅刑罰 (eternal punishment, ch.25) all risk assimilation to the widely-known Ten Courts/Yanluo Wang (十殿閻羅) folk-religious framework of temporary, ritually-alterable underworld punishment followed by reincarnation, reinforced culturally by the prominent Hong Kong Hungry Ghost Festival (盂蘭節). This cluster should be treated as a single teaching unit with one consistent set of clarifying notes across all three chapters.
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義 (righteousness) collision, heightened by comparative framing. Already Critical in the baseline (collision with Confucian loyalty-honor 義氣), Matthew’s explicit “exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees” framing (5:20) risks reinforcing rather than correcting the loyalty/honor-code reading by casting righteousness as a moral-performance contest. Every occurrence in the Sermon on the Mount and in Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees doctrine material requires the fullest available translator note.
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憐憫/憐恤 (mercy) and Guanyin epithet drift. Flagged High at Matt 5:7 and recurring at 9:13; 12:7; 23:23; 25:31-46 (mercy shown to “the least of these”). Never substitute 慈悲; flag all occurrences for back-translation review.
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門徒/discipleship and the sifu-apprentice collision. Recurring from 5:1 through 28:19 (μαθητεύσατε), the martial-arts master/apprentice frame (師傅/徒弟) is a live, specific Hong Kong cultural collision requiring consistent clarifying teaching that biblical discipleship is comprehensive, Spirit-empowered, lifelong allegiance to a divine Lord, not craft-apprenticeship to a human teacher.
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Kingdom of Heaven / Kingdom of God synonymy. 天國 (New, Critical) and 神嘅國 (Reused, Medium/baseline) must be taught as one referent throughout, with explicit cross-references at 6:33; 12:28; 19:24; 21:31, 43 where Matthew’s own text shifts vocabulary.
This glossary, together with 07_semantic_analysis.md, completes PRD Phase 1 Step 1 for the Matthew curriculum. Recommended next steps: Phase 1 Step 2 (update translation_memory.json with all Section 2 “New” entries) and Phase 1 Step 3 (update doctrine_risk_registry.json with the nine Matthew-specific doctrines listed in the curriculum parameters, cross-referencing Section 3 above).
Critical Risk Terms
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, copied exactly. Matthew reinforces the personal, relational sense via the Sermon’s repeated ‘your Father in heaven’ (5-7, 10-11, 18, 23). Never substitute 天主 or 上帝 (Protestant curriculum consistency) or 老天爺.
Jesus
Approved rendering: 耶穌
Transliteration: je4 sou1
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package, copied exactly. Matthew 1:21 explicitly glosses the name’s saving meaning (‘he will save his people from their sins’) — this etymological link to 救恩 must be taught, not merely transliterated.
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, copied exactly. Matthew’s genealogy (ch.1), Peter’s confession (16:16), and the Sanhedrin trial (26:63) make this the book’s structural spine. Never conflate with Maitreya (彌勒) or a Wong Tai Sin-style wish-granting savior.
Lord
Approved rendering: 主
Transliteration: zyu2
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 事頭, 老爺
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package, copied exactly. Jesus’ own Psalm 110 argument (22:41-45, ‘David calls him Lord’) is a direct scriptural proof of exclusive divine Lordship. Never render with 事頭 or 老爺; keep politically neutral per Hong Kong sovereignty-language sensitivities.
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 θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package, copied exactly. Reserved for Christ alone throughout Matthew (3:17; 4:3,6; 8:29; 14:33; 16:16; 17:5; 26:63; 27:40,43,54). NEVER apply unqualified to believers — see children_of_god_believers (神嘅兒女) for the distinct rendering required at Matt 5:9.
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, copied exactly. Descends visibly at Jesus’ baptism (3:16) and is named in the Great Commission’s baptismal formula (28:19). Never use bare 靈, which in Hong Kong folk usage covers ancestral and mediumship spirits.
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 / ἐγέρθη
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package, copied exactly. Matthew grounds this in a historical, guarded, verifiable tomb (ch.27-28). Never use 投胎轉世 or frame with 問米 spirit-medium imagery.
Righteousness
Approved rendering: 義
Transliteration: ji6
Doctrine: Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees
Rejected alternatives: 道德, 善行
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, copied exactly (already Critical there for 義氣 collision). Risk is HEIGHTENED in Matthew: the comparative frame ‘exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees and scribes’ (5:20) risks reinforcing, not correcting, a moral-performance-contest reading. Every Sermon on the Mount occurrence requires the fullest available translator note.
Grace
Approved rendering: 恩典
Transliteration: jan1 din2
Doctrine: Grace and Reward
Rejected alternatives: 福氣, 有求必應式嘅恩典, 功德
Original: χάρις / grace-framework
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, copied exactly. Functions in Matthew mainly as the underlying framework governing reward and forgiveness language (see reward, ransom, debt_debtor). Never reframe as the Wong Tai Sin ‘whatever you ask, you shall receive’ vow-and-offering exchange.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: 道成肉身
Transliteration: dou6 sing4 juk6 san1
Doctrine: Deity and Incarnation of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 化身, 顯靈
Inherited from Romans package, copied exactly. Directly relevant to Matthew 1:18-23 (virgin conception, Emmanuel) and echoed in the Transfiguration (17:1-8) and Second Coming (parousia) risk-fencing. Never render with 化身 or 顯靈.
Salvation
Approved rendering: 救恩
Transliteration: gau3 jan1
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: 解脫, 超度, 大慈大悲救苦救難
Inherited from Romans package, copied exactly. Directly named at Matthew 1:21, ‘he will save his people from their sins’ — Jesus’ own name (耶穌) etymologically means ‘YHWH saves.’ Never use 解脫, 超度, or Guanyin’s popular epithet 大慈大悲救苦救難.
Kingdom Of Heaven
Approved rendering: 天國
Transliteration: tin1 gwok3
Doctrine: The Kingdom of Heaven
Rejected alternatives: 天堂, 天命, 天意
Original: βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν
Category: Kingdom
NEW for Matthew. Established CUV/Cantonese term. Occurs 32 times (3:2; 4:17; 5:3,10,19-20; 13; 16:19; 18:1-4,23; 19:12,14,23; 20:1; 22:2; 25:1, etc.). Must not collapse into 天堂 (afterlife destination) or 天命/天意 (Mandate of Heaven / impersonal fate, the latter already forbidden under Providence in the baseline). Teach as synonymous in referent with kingdom_of_god (神嘅國). Keep spiritual/doctrinal framing, never a coded political program, given Hong Kong sovereignty-language sensitivities.
Blessed
Approved rendering: 有福
Transliteration: jau5 fuk1
Doctrine: The Beatitudes and Kingdom Blessing
Rejected alternatives: 福氣(好運), 恭喜發財式嘅福
Original: μακάριος
Category: Salvation
NEW for Matthew. God’s declarative pronouncement of objective flourishing, opening each of the nine Beatitudes (5:3-11). HIGHEST-FREQUENCY RISK TERM IN THE CURRICULUM: shares the 福 root already Critical/Medium-flagged under Grace and Gospel for New Year prosperity-luck resonance (恭喜發財). Every occurrence requires teaching that God pronounces 有福 over conditions (poverty of spirit, mourning, persecution) popular fortune-culture calls unlucky (唔好命, 冇運行).
Reward
Approved rendering: 賞賜
Transliteration: soeng2 ce3
Doctrine: Grace and Reward
Rejected alternatives: 功德, 還神還願
Original: μισθός
Category: Salvation
NEW for Matthew. God’s gracious response to Spirit-enabled faithfulness, recurring at 5:12; 6:1-6,16-18; 10:41-42; 16:27; 19:29; 20:1-16; 25:14-30,34-40 — far more extensive than in Romans. Must never be assimilated to 功德 (Buddhist earned merit) or 還神還願 (temple vow-fulfillment exchange). The vineyard parable (20:1-16) is the prime anti-merit teaching text.
Blasphemy
Approved rendering: 褻瀆
Transliteration: sit3 duk6
Doctrine: Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit
Rejected alternatives: 隨口不敬嘅言論, 一般懷疑或罪
Original: βλασφημία
Category: Sin
NEW for Matthew. Willful, final rejection of the Spirit’s testimony to Christ (12:31-32), and the charge brought against Christ himself at trial (26:65). Must describe a specific, settled rejection, not casual irreverence or ordinary doubt/sin, lest anxious believers wrongly fear they have committed it. Always pair with 聖靈.
End Of The Age
Approved rendering: 世界嘅末了 / 末世
Transliteration: sai3 gaai3 ge3 mut6 liu5 / mut6 sai3
Doctrine: Judgment and the End of the Age
Rejected alternatives: 劫(佛教壞劫概念)
Original: συντέλεια τοῦ αἰῶνος
Category: Eschatology
NEW for Matthew. The final, decisive close of the present age at Christ’s return (13:39-40,49; 24:3; 28:20). CRITICAL EXCLUSION: must not be conflated with the Buddhist cyclical kalpa-destruction concept (劫). Linear, final, once-for-all.
Gehenna Hell
Approved rendering: 地獄
Transliteration: dei6 juk6
Doctrine: Hell and the Afterlife
Rejected alternatives: 陰間十殿閻羅式嘅暫時刑罰
Original: γέεννα
Category: Eschatology
NEW for Matthew. The place of final, fiery judgment (5:22,29-30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15,33). CRITICAL EXCLUSION: must not be conflated with the folk-religious underworld bureaucracy (十殿閻羅) of temporary, ritually-alterable torment followed by reincarnation, reinforced by the Hungry Ghost Festival (盂蘭節). Paraphrase, not transliteration — see 05_translation_landscape.md/06_linguistic_gap_analysis.md.
Hades
Approved rendering: 陰間 / 陰間嘅門
Transliteration: jam1 gaan1 / jam1 gaan1 ge3 mun4
Doctrine: The Church and Church Discipline
Rejected alternatives: 陰間(未加註解嘅民間用法)
Original: ᾅδης / πύλαι ᾅδου
Category: Eschatology
NEW for Matthew. Death’s dominion, whose ‘gates’ will not prevail against the church Christ builds (16:18). 陰間 is the standard folk-religious term actively engaged through 盂蘭節 and ancestral offerings. Must be taught as death’s defeated dominion the church triumphantly overcomes, never the folk underworld bureaucracy living relatives ritually provision. Kept lexically distinct from gehenna_hell (地獄) even though both risk the same collision cluster.
Bind And Loose
Approved rendering: 捆綁 / 釋放
Transliteration: kwan2 bong2 / sik1 fong3
Doctrine: Binding and Loosing Church Authority
Rejected alternatives: 符咒, 法力
Original: δέω / λύω
Category: Church
NEW for Matthew. Delegated authority to declare doctrine and administer church discipline, ratified in heaven (16:19; 18:18). CRITICAL EXCLUSION: must be sharply distinguished from Daoist/folk-exorcist ritual binding-spells (符咒, 喃嘸佬 practice) and from ritual power (法力, already forbidden under Power of God in the baseline). Spirit-guided, Scripture-grounded — not a magical incantation.
Ransom
Approved rendering: 贖價
Transliteration: suk6 gaa3
Doctrine: Atonement and Ransom
Rejected alternatives: 贖金, 還債, 因果報應, 還神還願
Original: λύτρον
Category: Salvation
NEW for Matthew. Christ ‘gives his life as a ransom for many’ (20:28) — Matthew’s central atonement statement. CRITICAL: three distinct collision risks: (1) kidnapping-ransom money (贖金, common HK crime-drama vocabulary); (2) Buddhist/folk karmic debt-repayment (還債/因果報應); (3) temple vow-fulfillment exchange (還神還願, forbidden under Justification in baseline). Christ himself, the giver, freely pays — no captor, no karmic ledger, no vow-exchange. Confirmed as the mainstream CUV/RCUV/CNV/TCV rendering per 05_translation_landscape.md Section 2, but the risk lies entirely in how it is taught, not in the word choice.
Parousia
Approved rendering: 降臨
Transliteration: gong3 lam4
Doctrine: The Second Coming of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 顯靈
Original: παρουσία
Category: Eschatology
NEW for Matthew. Christ’s future, visible, bodily return in glory and judgment (24:3,27,37,39). CRITICAL EXCLUSION: must not resemble a deity’s repeatable temple-manifestation (顯靈, already forbidden under Incarnation in the baseline). Final, visible, bodily, once-for-all.
Eternal Punishment Eternal Life
Approved rendering: 永遠嘅刑罰 / 永生
Transliteration: wing5 jyun5 ge3 jing4 fat6 / wing5 sang1
Doctrine: Hell and the Afterlife
Rejected alternatives: 十殿閻羅, 輪迴, 打齋、燒紙錢改變結果
Original: κόλασις αἰώνιος / ζωὴ αἰώνιος
Category: Eschatology
NEW for Matthew. The two eternal, fixed, mutually exclusive final destinies stated at 25:46. AMONG THE MOST SIGNIFICANT COLLISIONS IN THE CURRICULUM: must not be conflated with the Ten Courts/Yanluo Wang (十殿閻羅/閻羅王) folk framework of temporary, ritually-alterable torment followed by reincarnation (輪迴), reinforced by 盂蘭節 ritual offerings (打齋, 燒紙錢). Fixed and unending, not alterable by subsequent ritual action by the living.
Trinitarian Baptismal Formula
Approved rendering: 歸入父、子、聖靈嘅名
Transliteration: gwai1 jap6 fu6, zi2, sing3 ling4 ge3 ming4
Doctrine: The Trinitarian Baptismal Formula
Rejected alternatives: 三個分開嘅神(三神論式講法), 一個神著三個面具(形態論式講法)
Original: εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος
Category: God
NEW for Matthew. The NT’s clearest single Trinitarian baptismal formula (28:19). CRITICAL: must preserve the singular 名 shared equally by three distinct, named Persons — avoid both tritheism-sounding and modalism-sounding phrasings (the latter also risking resonance with the baseline’s forbidden 化身/顯靈). Mandatory human theologian review at every occurrence. Matches mainstream CUV/RCUV/CNV/TCV convention (奉父、子、聖靈的名) per 05_translation_landscape.md Section 2.
High Risk Terms
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, copied exactly. Especially prominent in the Sermon on the Mount’s repeated ‘your Father in heaven’ (5-7, 10-11, 18, 23). Must stay distinct from ancestor veneration (拜祖先) practiced through 祠堂 and Ching Ming/Chung Yeung observance — the biblical Father cares for his children, the reverse relational direction.
Church
Approved rendering: 教會
Transliteration: gaau3 wui2
Doctrine: The Church and Church Discipline
Rejected alternatives: 廟, 祠堂
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package (Medium there); risk elevated to High for Matthew because 16:18 and 18:17 tie 教會 directly to Christ’s own delegated binding/loosing authority and formal discipline procedure — functions with no equivalent in temple (廟) or clan ancestral hall (祠堂) practice.
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, copied exactly. Matthew adds a healing-context risk (8:5-13; 9:2,20-22,27-29; 14:28-31; 15:21-28; 17:14-20): must not be read as validating folk-healing practices (visiting a temple deity or medium) rather than trust in Christ’s authoritative word.
Law
Approved rendering: 律法
Transliteration: leot6 faat3
Doctrine: Fulfillment of the Law
Rejected alternatives: 禮, 規矩, 法律
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package, copied exactly. The Mosaic Law, which Christ fulfills/completes rather than abolishes (5:17-20). Never equate with Confucian 禮 or reduce to generic 規矩. See fulfilled_law (成全) for the distinct completion-verb sense.
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, copied exactly. Named explicitly at 1:21 and 26:28. Distinguish from 報應 karmic retribution and from face/shame framing.
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, copied exactly. Climactically invoked at the Last Supper (26:28, ‘my blood of the covenant’). Avoid 合約 and 還神還願.
Called
Approved rendering: 蒙召嘅
Transliteration: mung4 siu6 ge3
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: 天生註定, 命中注定
Original: κλητός
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, copied exactly. Distinguish from 八字注定 and 命中注定 (birth-chart fatalism).
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, copied exactly. Never use 命運 or 緣分.
Election
Approved rendering: 揀選
Transliteration: gaan2 syun2
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: 命運, 八字注定
Original: ἐκλογή / ἐκλεκτοί
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, copied exactly. ‘Many are called, but few are chosen’ (22:14); elect gathered at the end (24:22,24,31).
Seed Of David
Approved rendering: 大衛嘅後裔
Transliteration: daai6 wai6 ge3 hau6 jeoi6
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: σπέρμα Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package, copied exactly, for the descent-formula sense only (Matt 1 genealogical background). Distinct from son_of_david (大衛嘅子孫), the titular vocative address used by petitioners.
Son Of David
Approved rendering: 大衛嘅子孫
Transliteration: daai6 wai6 ge3 zi2 syun1
Doctrine: Jesus as the Promised Messiah and Son of David
Rejected alternatives: 大衛之子, 天子
Original: υἱὸς Δαβίδ
Category: Christology
NEW for Matthew. Titular, vocative messianic address used by petitioners (9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30-31; 21:9,15), distinct from seed_of_david (descent-formula sense). Must never be confused with 天子 (‘Son of Heaven,’ the historic imperial title, already forbidden under Son of God in the baseline).
Authority
Approved rendering: 權柄
Transliteration: kyun4 beng3
Doctrine: The Authority of Jesus’ Teaching
Rejected alternatives: 大能(誤用), 分析類比現時政治權威
Original: ἐξουσία
Category: Christology
NEW for Matthew. The right/standing to command, distinct from 大能 (raw might, δύναμις, already fixed in baseline for salvation-power). Exercised by Christ over teaching (7:29), disease/demons (8-9), sin (9:6), church discipline (16:19; 18:18), and all creation (28:18). Given Hong Kong’s political sensitivities around sovereignty language, this must remain Christ’s unique divine-messianic authority, never analogized to any present political structure.
Hypocrite
Approved rendering: 假冒為善嘅人
Transliteration: gaa2 mou6 wai4 sin6 ge3 jan4
Doctrine: Hypocrisy and True Religion
Rejected alternatives: 面具人(過於字面)
Original: ὑποκριτής
Category: Ethics
NEW for Matthew. Established Cantonese Bible term. Dominant term of ch.23, recurring at 6-7, 15, 22, 24. The theatrical-mask image resonates with Cantonese opera’s face-changing (變臉) and Hong Kong’s face-culture (面子, flagged under glory) — a helpful but carefully-bounded illustrative bridge; must land as inward-outward inconsistency before God, not mere social face-management.
Fulfilled Prophecy
Approved rendering: 應驗
Transliteration: jing3 jim6
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: 靈驗, 求籤, 運程
Original: πληρόω (πληρωθῇ)
Category: Covenant
NEW for Matthew. The passive verb in Matthew’s recurring formula ‘that it might be fulfilled’ (1:22; 2:15,17,23; 4:14; 8:17; 12:17; 13:35; 21:4; 26:56; 27:9). Must be lexically distinct from fulfilled_law (成全). Never substitute 靈驗 (a temple deity’s ritual efficacy), 求籤 (fortune-stick drawing), or 運程 (almanac forecast).
Fulfilled Law
Approved rendering: 成全
Transliteration: sing4 cyun4
Doctrine: Fulfillment of the Law
Rejected alternatives: 應驗(同一詞混用會令兩個教義混淆)
Original: πληρῶσαι (τὸν νόμον)
Category: Covenant
NEW for Matthew. Christ bringing the Law to its intended completion and purpose (5:17), not abolishing it. Must be kept lexically distinct from fulfilled_prophecy (應驗) — confirmed as the mainstream CUV/RCUV/CNV convention per 05_translation_landscape.md Section 2.
Devil Satan
Approved rendering: 魔鬼 / 撒但
Transliteration: mo1 gwai2 / saat3 daan6
Doctrine: Spiritual Warfare: The Devil and Demons
Rejected alternatives: 鬼(單獨使用)
Original: διάβολος / Σατανᾶς
Category: Sin
NEW for Matthew. The singular, personal chief adversary (4:1-11; 12:24-29; 13:39; 16:23; 25:41). Bare 鬼 is far too broad, covering ancestral spirits and 盂蘭節 wandering ghosts; always use the specific compound/proper-noun forms.
Forgive Sins
Approved rendering: 赦免
Transliteration: se3 min5
Doctrine: Forgiveness of Sins
Rejected alternatives: 淨係人際間嘅『唔追究』
Original: ἀφίημι (ἁμαρτίας)
Category: Salvation
NEW for Matthew. God’s own prerogative, claimed directly by Christ (9:2-6, provoking the blasphemy charge repeated at 26:65) and taught as limitless among believers (18:21-35). Must not be reduced to a merely interpersonal ‘letting go of a grudge.‘
Mercy
Approved rendering: 憐恤 / 憐憫
Transliteration: lin4 seot1 / lin4 man5
Doctrine: Mercy
Rejected alternatives: 慈悲, 大慈大悲
Original: ἔλεος / ἐλεήμων
Category: Ethics
NEW for Matthew. A Beatitude (5:7) recurring at 9:13; 12:7; 15:22; 17:15; 20:30-31; 23:23; 25:31-46. CRITICAL EXCLUSION: never render as 慈悲, which directly invokes Guanyin’s popular epithet 大慈大悲, already forbidden under Salvation in the baseline. Flag every occurrence for back-translation review checking for 慈悲 drift.
Pure In Heart
Approved rendering: 清心
Transliteration: cing1 sam1
Doctrine: Purity of Heart and Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: 清心寡慾
Original: καθαρὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ
Category: Sanctification
NEW for Matthew. Single-minded, undivided moral integrity toward God (5:8; cf. 15:18-19). Strongly overlaps with the Daoist/Buddhist self-cultivation idiom 清心寡慾; must be taught as a God-given moral condition, not a meditative-technique attainment.
Children Of God Believers
Approved rendering: 神嘅兒女
Transliteration: san4 ge3 ji4 neoi5
Doctrine: The Beatitudes and Kingdom Blessing
Rejected alternatives: 神嘅兒子(未經區分噉用於信徒)
Original: υἱοὶ θεοῦ (of believers)
Category: Salvation
NEW for Matthew. Believers’ filial status: peacemakers ‘will be called sons of God’ (5:9). Must NOT reuse the baseline’s Critical-risk 神嘅兒子, reserved for Christ’s unique Sonship. DEPARTURE FROM MAINSTREAM CUV/RCUV/CNV/TCV, which all render 5:9 as 神的兒子 identically to the Son-of-God title (per 05_translation_landscape.md Section 2) — this is a deliberate, documented curriculum decision to protect the Sonship of Christ doctrine, not an error.
Confess Christ
Approved rendering: 承認 / 宣認
Transliteration: sing4 jing6 / syun1 jing6
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Rejected alternatives: 淨係一般認同, 冇公開代價嘅意味
Original: ὁμολογέω
Category: Faith
NEW for Matthew. Public verbal identification with Christ under threat of persecution (10:32-33). Must remain in direct continuity with the Romans 10:9 Lordship confession vocabulary.
Mystery
Approved rendering: 奧秘
Transliteration: ou3 bei3
Doctrine: The Kingdom of Heaven
Rejected alternatives: 術數, 秘傳法門
Original: μυστήριον
Category: Kingdom
NEW for Matthew. A truth previously hidden by God, now graciously revealed to disciples (13:11). Distinguish from esoteric occult secret-knowledge systems (術數) prevalent in Hong Kong folk-religious culture — revealed by grace, not adept-earned.
Cross
Approved rendering: 十字架
Transliteration: sap6 zi6 gaa3
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Rejected alternatives: 揹十字架(世俗化嘅負擔比喻)
Original: σταυρός
Category: Discipleship
NEW for Matthew. Metaphorically the call to self-denying, costly discipleship (10:38; 16:24; 27:32-44). Secularized Cantonese idiom ‘揹十字架’ means generic heavy burden without Christ-reference; must not let this dilute the specific sense.
Deny Oneself
Approved rendering: 捨己 / 否認自己
Transliteration: se2 gei2 / fu2 jing6 zi6 gei2
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Rejected alternatives: 丟臉(社交意義嘅自我否定)
Original: ἀπαρνέομαι (ἑαυτόν)
Category: Discipleship
NEW for Matthew. Renouncing one’s own will as ultimate, the precondition for cross-bearing discipleship (16:24; contrasted with Peter’s culpable denial, 26:69-75). Distinguish from social face-losing (丟臉).
Perfect Complete
Approved rendering: 完全
Transliteration: jyun4 cyun4
Doctrine: Purity of Heart and Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: 修煉至完美
Original: τέλειος
Category: Sanctification
NEW for Matthew. Moral/spiritual wholeness reflecting God’s character, not flawless performance (5:48; 19:21). Distinguish from self-cultivation-attained perfection ideals (修煉, already flagged under sanctification in the baseline).
Transfiguration
Approved rendering: 變像 / 變貌
Transliteration: bin3 zoeng6 / bin3 mou6
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 變身(修煉式能力提升), 化身
Original: μεταμορφόω
Category: Christology
NEW for Matthew. A momentary, unveiled disclosure of Christ’s pre-existing divine glory (17:1-8). Distinguish from the wuxia/fantasy ‘power-up transformation’ trope (變身) and from the baseline’s forbidden 化身 (a deity’s repeatable manifestation).
Debt Debtor
Approved rendering: 債 / 欠債
Transliteration: zaai3 / him3 zaai3
Doctrine: Forgiveness of Sins
Rejected alternatives: 還債式嘅寬恕(帳目結算)
Original: ὀφειλέτης / ὀφείλημα
Category: Salvation
NEW for Matthew. A legal-financial metaphor for the moral/spiritual debt of sin, central to the unforgiving-servant parable (18:23-35). Surrounding teaching must clarify God’s forgiveness of the ‘unpayable debt’ is itself an act of grace, not a ledger-balancing transaction.
Love
Approved rendering: 愛
Transliteration: ngoi3
Doctrine: Love of God and Neighbor
Rejected alternatives: 純粹嘅浪漫愛情
Original: ἀγαπάω / ἀγάπη
Category: Ethics
NEW for Matthew (not isolated as a distinct term in the Romans baseline). Central to the Great Commandment (22:37-39) and love of enemies (5:44). Modern Cantonese 愛 spans romantic/familial/general fondness without marking Greek’s ἀγάπη/ἔρως/φιλία distinction; teach as willed, self-giving love, not primarily feeling.
False Christs False Prophets
Approved rendering: 假基督 / 假先知
Transliteration: gaa2 gei1 duk1 / gaa2 sin1 zi1
Doctrine: Judgment and the End of the Age
Original: ψευδόχριστοι καὶ ψευδοπροφῆται
Category: Eschatology
NEW for Matthew. Deceptive figures claiming messianic/prophetic authority before the end (24:24). Relevant to discerning any claimant to unique spiritual/messianic authority given Hong Kong’s plural religious marketplace.
Son Of Man
Approved rendering: 人子
Transliteration: jan4 zi2
Doctrine: The Son of Man
Rejected alternatives: 純粹『一個人』嘅字面意思
Original: υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου
Category: Christology
NEW for Matthew. A Danielic (Dan 7:13-14) apocalyptic title combining full humanity and transcendent divine authority, Christ’s favored self-designation (8:20; 9:6; 12:8; 16:27-28; 24:27-31; 25:31; 26:64). No existing Cantonese term carries both senses simultaneously — must be closed by consistent teaching, not lexical substitution.
Judgment
Approved rendering: 審判
Transliteration: sam2 pun3
Doctrine: Judgment and the End of the Age
Rejected alternatives: 因果報應式嘅審判, 可用喪禮儀式改變結果嘅審判
Original: κρίσις
Category: Eschatology
NEW for Matthew. God’s formal, decisive verdict, climaxing in the sheep-and-goats scene (25:31-46; cf. 7:1-2; 12:36,41-42). Must be God’s own righteous, final, personal verdict, not an impersonal karmic accounting process or an outcome alterable by ritual intervention on behalf of the dead.
Make Disciples
Approved rendering: 使…成為門徒
Transliteration: si2 … sing4 wai4 mun4 tou4
Doctrine: The Great Commission
Rejected alternatives: 師傅同徒弟嘅工藝傳承關係
Original: μαθητεύσατε
Category: Church
NEW for Matthew. The Great Commission’s core imperative (28:19). Reuses the disciple/門徒 sifu-apprentice collision risk; must be taught as comprehensive, lifelong, Spirit-empowered formation into Christlikeness, not craft-transmission.
All Nations
Approved rendering: 萬民
Transliteration: maan6 man4
Doctrine: The Great Commission
Rejected alternatives: 外邦人(用喺此處會不當噉收窄範圍)
Original: πάντα τὰ ἔθνη
Category: Church
NEW for Matthew. The Great Commission’s maximally inclusive scope: every people group without exception (28:19). Distinct from gentiles (外邦人, the Jew/Gentile-contrast sense). Use 萬民 specifically at 28:19.
Medium Risk Terms
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: 神嘅國
Transliteration: san4 ge3 gwok3
Doctrine: The Kingdom of Heaven
Rejected alternatives: 天下, 王朝
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package, copied exactly. Occurs at 6:33; 12:28; 19:24; 21:31,43. Teach explicitly as the same referent as 天國 (kingdom_of_heaven) — Matthew’s own text shifts between the two, confirming stylistic/reverential variation, not two kingdoms.
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 (Jew/Gentile contrast sense)
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package, copied exactly. Context-sensitive in Matthew (4:15; 10:5-6,18; 12:18-21; 20:19,25): do NOT use for the Great Commission’s maximally-inclusive ‘all nations’ sense at 28:19 — use all_nations (萬民) there instead.
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, copied exactly. Connects to Matthew’s recurring critique of status-seeking and hypocrisy (ch.6, 23) and to Christ’s future glorious return (16:27; 19:28; 24:30; 25:31).
Israel
Approved rendering: 以色列
Transliteration: ji5 sik1 lit6
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: Ἰσραήλ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package, copied exactly. Retain political-sensitivity awareness noted in the baseline; initial, salvation-historically ordered scope of the Twelve’s mission (10:6,23; 15:24).
Prophecy
Approved rendering: 預言
Transliteration: jyu6 jin4
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: 求籤, 睇風水擇日
Original: προφητεία
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package, copied exactly, as the noun. See fulfilled_prophecy (應驗) for the distinct fulfillment-verb usage required by Matthew’s recurring formula.
David
Approved rendering: 大衛
Transliteration: daai6 wai6
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: Δαβίδ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package, copied exactly. Named throughout Matthew (1, 9, 12, 15, 20-22).
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, copied exactly. Named ‘gospel of the kingdom’ at 4:23; 9:35; 24:14; 26:13. The 福 root’s collision with New Year prosperity culture (恭喜發財) is compounded in Matthew by the parallel, more intensive blessed (有福) collision — see blessed entry.
Baptism
Approved rendering: 洗禮 / 施洗
Transliteration: sai2 lai5 / si1 sai2
Doctrine: Baptism
Rejected alternatives: 一般潔淨式嘅洗濯
Original: βαπτίζω / βάπτισμα
Category: Church
NEW for Matthew. Established Hong Kong Protestant term. 洗禮 = noun/ordinance, 施洗 = verb. Distinguish from generic ritual hand/face cleansing in folk/Daoist practice; signifies repentance and, from 28:19, Trinitarian incorporation, not ceremonial cleanliness alone.
Repentance
Approved rendering: 悔改
Transliteration: fui3 goi2
Doctrine: Repentance
Rejected alternatives: 後悔, 還神
Original: μετάνοια / μετανοέω
Category: Salvation
NEW for Matthew. The necessary response to the in-breaking kingdom (3:2; 4:17; 11:20-21; 12:41). Distinguish from superficial regret (後悔) and from temple vow-renewal (還神), a transactional deity-relationship exchange.
Temptation
Approved rendering: 試探
Transliteration: si3 taam3
Doctrine: Temptation and Testing
Rejected alternatives: 測試(中性字眼)
Original: πειρασμός / πειράζω
Category: Sin
NEW for Matthew. Morally-loaded testing toward sin/unbelief by a personal tempter (4:1-11; 6:13; 26:41). Must not flatten to a neutral secular ‘test.‘
Meek
Approved rendering: 溫柔
Transliteration: wan1 jau4
Doctrine: The Beatitudes and Kingdom Blessing
Rejected alternatives: 懦弱式嘅溫柔
Original: πραΰς
Category: Ethics
NEW for Matthew. Strength held under control, exemplified by Moses and Christ (5:5; 11:29; 21:5). Contemporary Cantonese 溫柔 is strongly gendered toward soft/passive femininity; teach as strength restrained, not personality-level passivity.
Peacemaker
Approved rendering: 使人和睦嘅人
Transliteration: sai2 jan4 wo4 muk6 ge3 jan4
Doctrine: The Beatitudes and Kingdom Blessing
Rejected alternatives: 和為貴式嘅表面和諧, 唔好嘈交
Original: εἰρηνοποιός
Category: Ethics
NEW for Matthew. One who actively creates/restores peace (5:9). Resonates with the Confucian 和為貴 ideal and Cantonese conflict-avoidance values; must be taught as active, costly reconciliation, not surface harmony-keeping.
Rest
Approved rendering: 安息
Transliteration: on1 sik1
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Rejected alternatives: 冥想式嘅寧靜(修煉所得)
Original: ἀνάπαυσις
Category: Discipleship
NEW for Matthew. Rest found personally in Christ (11:28-29). Distinguish from meditative tranquility states pursued through Daoist/Buddhist practice, already flagged under sanctification in the baseline.
Sabbath
Approved rendering: 安息日
Transliteration: on1 sik1 jat6
Doctrine: The Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 擇日(揀選好日子)
Original: σάββατον
Category: Covenant
NEW for Matthew. The weekly day of rest, over which Christ asserts lordship (12:1-8, ‘the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath’). Distinguish from a generic day-off and lightly note the unrelated almanac practice of selecting auspicious/inauspicious days (擇日).
Sign Of Jonah
Approved rendering: 約拿嘅記號
Transliteration: Joek3 naa4 ge3 gei3 hou6
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 求籤式嘅預兆
Original: σημεῖον Ἰωνᾶ
Category: Covenant
NEW for Matthew. A typological sign prefiguring Christ’s death and resurrection (12:38-40). Distinguish this divinely-intended prefiguration from a generic omen/portent requiring diviner interpretation (求籤).
Soul Life
Approved rendering: 靈魂 / 生命
Transliteration: ling4 wan4 / sang1 ming6
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Rejected alternatives: 輪迴嘅靈魂
Original: ψυχή
Category: Eschatology
NEW for Matthew. The whole essential self/life, spanning physical existence and eternal destiny (10:28,39; 16:25-26). Distinguish 靈魂 from a soul destined for reincarnation (輪迴).
Cornerstone
Approved rendering: 房角石
Transliteration: fong4 gok3 sek6
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy
Original: λίθος (κεφαλὴ γωνίας)
Category: Christology
NEW for Matthew. The rejected stone that becomes the foundation, quoting Psalm 118:22 (21:42). Standard architectural metaphor requiring explicit OT background teaching, as the image alone will not convey its prophetic weight to a low-OT-literacy audience.
Caesar
Approved rendering: 凱撒
Transliteration: Hoi2 saat3
Doctrine: The Authority of Jesus’ Teaching
Rejected alternatives: 影射現時政治權威嘅類比
Original: Καῖσαρ
Category: Government
NEW for Matthew. ‘Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s’ (22:21). Political-sensitivity caution: present as establishing civic duty distinct from ultimate allegiance to God, not as a coded statement about any specific present political authority.
Scribes And Pharisees
Approved rendering: 文士 / 法利賽人
Transliteration: man4 si6 / Faat3 lei6 coi3 jan4
Doctrine: Hypocrisy and True Religion
Rejected alternatives: 籠統嘅反猶太人刻板印象
Original: γραμματεῖς καὶ Φαρισαῖοι
Category: Church
NEW for Matthew. Specific, historically-situated first-century Jewish religious groups (5, 9, 12, 15, 19, 21, 23). Teach accurately without generalizing into anti-Jewish caricature; redirect critique toward the universal danger of religious hypocrisy.
Talent
Approved rendering: 銀子
Transliteration: ngan4 zi2
Doctrine: Stewardship
Rejected alternatives: 英文『talent』引申嘅『天賦才能』
Original: τάλαντον
Category: Discipleship
NEW for Matthew. A large ancient monetary unit entrusted to servants (25:14-30), NOT the English idiom ‘natural ability.’ Do not let the English wordplay improperly drive the Cantonese rendering; apply the stewardship principle homiletically without distorting the term.
Betray Hand Over
Approved rendering: 出賣 / 交付
Transliteration: ceot1 maai6 / gaau1 fu6
Doctrine: Atonement and Ransom
Original: παραδίδωμι
Category: Christology
NEW for Matthew. Used both of Judas’s culpable betrayal (26:15-16,21-25) and of the Father’s sovereign purpose in handing over the Son. Both senses must be retained without contradiction — Judas is genuinely guilty, and God is genuinely sovereign — consistent with the baseline’s Providence doctrine note.
Crucify
Approved rendering: 釘十字架
Transliteration: deng3 sap6 zi6 gaa3
Doctrine: Atonement and Ransom
Rejected alternatives: 淡化為一般『處決』
Original: σταυρόω
Category: Christology
NEW for Matthew. Christ’s actual, historical, physical death by the Roman execution method, theologically loaded per Deut 21:23’s curse-bearing death (27:22-50). Must retain physical, historical specificity.
Temple Curtain
Approved rendering: 幔子
Transliteration: maan6 zi2
Doctrine: Atonement and Ransom
Original: καταπέτασμα
Category: Salvation
NEW for Matthew. The temple’s inner veil, torn ‘from top to bottom’ at Christ’s death (27:51), symbolizing opened access to God’s presence. Connect explicitly to Peace with God and Justification doctrines.
Disciple
Approved rendering: 門徒
Transliteration: mun4 tou4
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Rejected alternatives: 師傅徒弟式嘅工藝傳承
Original: μαθητής
Category: Discipleship
NEW for Matthew. One who follows and is formed by Christ’s instruction and way of life; primary audience of the Sermon on the Mount (5:1) and recurring throughout. Overlaps conceptually with the 師傅/徒弟 master-apprentice relationship of Hong Kong martial-arts and feng shui culture; teach as whole-life allegiance to a divine Lord, not craft-apprenticeship.
Worship
Approved rendering: 敬拜 / 朝拜
Transliteration: ging3 baai3 / ciu4 baai3
Doctrine: The Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 一般拜神/拜佛用語(未加區分)
Original: προσκυνέω
Category: Christology
NEW for Matthew. Bowing down/doing homage, given to Christ by the magi (2:11), the disciples in the storm (14:33), and the risen Christ (28:9,17). Vocabulary overlaps with generic temple-worship language (拜神, 拜佛); context must make clear this is worship due exclusively to Christ as divine King.
Magi
Approved rendering: 博士
Transliteration: bok3 si6
Doctrine: Jesus as the Promised Messiah and Son of David
Rejected alternatives: 占星術嘅有效性認可
Original: μάγος
Category: Covenant
NEW for Matthew. Gentile star-observing court astrologer-sages who travel to worship the newborn King (2:1-12). Given Hong Kong’s active popular astrology/zodiac-reading culture (占星, 生肖運程), teach that God sovereignly used the magi’s observation to draw them to worship Christ — not a validation of astrology as an ongoing path to spiritual truth. Note modern Cantonese 博士 primarily means ‘PhD/doctorate holder,’ a semantic drift readers must be taught around.
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, copied exactly. The Twelve are named and given delegated authority at 10:1-2. Distinguish from 大師 (feng shui grandmaster titles).
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, copied exactly. Also the object of the ‘false prophet’ warnings (7:15; 24:11,24) — see false_christs_false_prophets.
Yoke
Approved rendering: 軛
Transliteration: aat3
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Original: ζυγός
Category: Discipleship
NEW for Matthew. Metaphor for submission to Christ’s teaching (11:29-30). Primarily a comprehension risk (declining agricultural-vocabulary currency); include a brief explanatory gloss at first use.
Parable
Approved rendering: 比喻
Transliteration: bei2 jyu6
Doctrine: The Kingdom of Heaven
Rejected alternatives: 公案(禪宗)
Original: παραβολή
Category: Teaching
NEW for Matthew. An extended figurative teaching-story (ch.13, 18, 20-22, 25). Distinguish from Zen koans (公案) or Daoist allegory, which function by paradox-resolution rather than faith-calibrated revelation.
Two Or Three Witnesses
Approved rendering: 兩三個證人
Transliteration: loeng5 saam1 go3 zing3 jan4
Doctrine: The Church and Church Discipline
Original: δύο ἢ τρεῖς
Category: Church
NEW for Matthew. The number required for evidentiary witness in church discipline (18:16, echoing Deut 19:15) and for gathered prayer (18:20). Ensure the due-process function is retained in teaching.
Serve Servant
Approved rendering: 服侍 / 服事
Transliteration: fuk6 si6
Doctrine: Humility and Status Reversal
Original: διακονέω / διάκονος
Category: Discipleship
NEW for Matthew. Active, humble service redefining greatness (20:26-28). Doctrinal weight carried by the status-reversal teaching against Hong Kong’s status/face-consciousness (面子/威水), not the vocabulary itself.
Slave Bondservant
Approved rendering: 奴僕
Transliteration: nou4 buk6
Doctrine: Humility and Status Reversal
Rejected alternatives: 歷史性契約勞工聯想
Original: δοῦλος
Category: Discipleship
NEW for Matthew. Applied paradoxically to greatness in the kingdom (20:27). Ensure the paradox is not lost, and distinguish from Pearl River Delta historical indentured-labor associations, non-theological in weight.
Rabbi
Approved rendering: 拉比
Transliteration: laai1 bei2
Doctrine: Hypocrisy and True Religion
Original: ῥαββί
Category: Discipleship
NEW for Matthew. Established transliteration. Jesus warns disciples against seeking this title-status (23:7-8); natural, helpful application to Hong Kong’s own title-conscious culture (老師/師傅/大師).
Humble Exalt
Approved rendering: 自卑 / 自高
Transliteration: zi6 bei1 / zi6 gou1
Doctrine: Humility and Status Reversal
Original: ταπεινόω / ὑψόω
Category: Ethics
NEW for Matthew. A reversal-of-status principle (23:12). Ties naturally to the baseline’s caution against face/status-driven readings of 榮耀.
Tribulation
Approved rendering: 患難
Transliteration: waan6 naan6
Doctrine: Judgment and the End of the Age
Original: θλῖψις
Category: Eschatology
NEW for Matthew. Intense end-time distress preceding Christ’s return (24:9,21,29). Standard vocabulary.
Watch Be Alert
Approved rendering: 警醒
Transliteration: ging2 sing2
Doctrine: Judgment and the End of the Age
Original: γρηγορέω
Category: Eschatology
NEW for Matthew. Vigilant readiness for Christ’s unknown-timed return (24:42; 25:13; 26:38-41). Standard vocabulary.
Bridegroom
Approved rendering: 新郎
Transliteration: san1 long4
Doctrine: Judgment and the End of the Age
Original: νυμφίος
Category: Eschatology
NEW for Matthew. Christ, awaited by the church, in the parable of the ten virgins (25:1-13). Standard vocabulary; messianic-banquet imagery.
Referenced passages