Core Glossary
Core Glossary — Philippians — English → Cantonese
Section 1 — Terms Reused Exactly from the Romans Baseline (no changes permitted)
| Term | Cantonese | Risk (baseline) | Philippians occurrences | Baseline file |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| God | 神 | Critical | throughout | translation_memory.json |
| Jesus | 耶穌 | Critical | 1:1-2; 2:10-11; etc. | translation_memory.json |
| Christ / Messiah | 基督 | Critical | throughout | translation_memory.json |
| Lord | 主 | Critical | 1:2; 2:11; 3:20; 4:4-5 | translation_memory.json |
| Holy Spirit | 聖靈 | Critical | 1:19; 2:1; 3:3 | translation_memory.json |
| Father | 父 | High | 1:2; 2:11; 4:20 | translation_memory.json |
| Grace | 恩典 | Critical | 1:2, 7; 4:23 | translation_memory.json |
| Faith | 信心 | High | 1:25, 27; 2:17; 3:9 | translation_memory.json |
| Righteousness | 義 | Critical | 1:11; 3:6, 9 | translation_memory.json |
| Justification (concept, “counted righteous”) | 稱義 / 算為義 | Critical | 3:9 (conceptual) | translation_memory.json |
| Salvation | 救恩 | Critical | 1:19, 28; 2:12 | translation_memory.json |
| Gospel | 福音 | Medium (registry High) | 1:5, 7, 12, 27; 2:22; 4:3, 15 | translation_memory.json |
| Saints | 聖徒 | High | 1:1; 4:21-22 | translation_memory.json |
| Holy | 聖潔 | High | related (2:15 conceptually) | translation_memory.json |
| Fellowship | 團契 | Low | 1:5; 2:1; 3:10 | translation_memory.json |
| Church | 教會 | Medium | 4:15 (implied) | translation_memory.json |
| Peace | 平安 | Medium | 1:2; 4:7, 9 | translation_memory.json |
| Thanksgiving | 感恩 | Low | 1:3-4; 4:6 | translation_memory.json |
| Law | 律法 | High | 3:5-6, 9 | translation_memory.json |
| Glory | 榮耀 | Medium | 1:11; 2:11; 3:19, 21; 4:19-20 | translation_memory.json |
| Resurrection | 復活 | Critical | 3:10-11, 21 | translation_memory.json |
| Power of God | 神嘅大能 | High | 3:10; 4:13 | translation_memory.json |
| Calling / Called | 呼召 / 蒙召嘅 | High | 3:14 | translation_memory.json |
| Son of God | 神嘅兒子 | Critical | 2:6 (conceptual — deity of Christ) | translation_memory.json |
| Incarnation | 道成肉身 | Critical | 2:7 (conceptual) | translation_memory.json |
| Apostle | 使徒 | Low | 1:1 (Paul); NOTE — Epaphroditus (2:25) uses a different, non-technical sense; render as 使者, not 使徒 (see Section 2) | translation_memory.json |
| Exhort | 勸勉 | Low | 2:1 (related, παράκλησις) | translation_memory.json |
| Obedience (believer’s, “obedience of faith”) | 因信而生嘅順服 | High | NOTE — do not use for Christ’s own obedience in 2:8; see Section 2 “hypēkoos” | translation_memory.json |
Section 2 — New Terms Introduced by Philippians (proposed additions)
| Term (EN) | Original (Greek) | Transliteration | Proposed Cantonese | Risk Tier | Doctrine | Key Passages | Alternatives Rejected | Risk Rationale / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-emptying (Kenosis) | κενόω / ἐκένωσεν | kenoō / ekenōsen | 虛己 | Critical | Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ | 2:7 | 自我否定 (self-negation), 放棄自己 (abandon self), any phrase evoking 空/無 alone | NEVER let this be read through Buddhist śūnyatā (空) or Daoist non-being (無, 無為), both prominent in Hong Kong lay religious idiom. This is voluntary relational self-lowering by a Person, retaining full deity, not metaphysical dissolution of self. Mandatory translator’s note every occurrence. |
| Form of God | μορφή θεοῦ | morphē theou | 神嘅本質形象 | Critical | Incarnation / Deity of Christ | 2:6 | 神嘅樣子 (God’s looks), 神像 (deity statue/idol) | NEVER reduce to a physical idol-image reading (神像/佛像), given prominence of temple deity statues in HK. Names Christ’s actual divine essence. |
| A thing to be grasped/exploited | ἁρπαγμός | harpagmos | 強奪嘅事 | Critical | Deity of Christ / Incarnation | 2:6 | 應得嘅嘢 (something deserved) | Must preserve the paradox: Christ already possessed equality with God and did not need to seize or exploit it for self-advantage; mistranslation risks denying his prior deity or implying he lost it. |
| Equal with God | ἴσα θεῷ | isa theō | 與神同等 | Critical | Deity of Christ | 2:6 | 好似神 (like God), 神咁嘅 (godlike) | Must state full co-equality, not mere resemblance or empowerment. |
| Form of a servant/slave | μορφὴν δούλου | morphēn doulou | 奴僕嘅形象 | High | Incarnation / Humanity of Christ | 2:7 | 僕人嘅樣子 (looser “servant’s look”) | Must mirror the μορφή vocabulary of v.6 in Cantonese (both use 形象) to preserve the highest-to-lowest reversal. |
| Likeness of men | ὁμοίωμα ἀνθρώπων | homoiōma anthrōpōn | 人嘅樣式 | High | Humanity of Christ / Incarnation | 2:7 | 好似人噉 (as if like a man, implying mere appearance) | Guards against Docetism; must affirm genuine, not apparent-only, humanity. |
| He humbled himself | ἐταπείνωσεν ἑαυτόν | etapeinōsen heauton | 佗謙卑自己 | High | Incarnation / Humility | 2:8 | 佗放低自己 (he lowered his status, generic) | Christ’s own voluntary act, the ground of the believer’s own required ταπεινοφροσύνη (2:3). |
| Humility (lowliness of mind) | ταπεινοφροσύνη | tapeinophrosynē | 謙卑 | High | Unity and Humility in the Church | 2:3 | 謙虛 (modesty/etiquette, Confucian decorum sense) | Must be anchored to the Christ Hymn (Christ-patterned self-giving), not reduced to Confucian social-harmony/face-maintaining decorum. |
| Obedient (Christ’s own) | ὑπήκοος | hypēkoos | 順服 | High | Incarnation / Atonement (via obedience) | 2:8 | 孝順 (filial obedience), 因信而生嘅順服 (believer’s obedience-of-faith, wrong referent here) | Distinct from the baseline’s “obedience of faith” (believer’s grace-response); this is Christ’s own meritorious, redemptive obedience unto death. |
| Cross | σταυρός | stauros | 十字架 | High | Incarnation / Atonement | 2:8; 3:18 | (established term, no substitution risk) | Watch for folk-syncretistic talisman/amulet use of the cross symbol (paralleling 平安符); reinforce its meaning as the specific historical instrument of Christ’s atoning death, not decorative protection. |
| Highly exalted | ὑπερύψωσεν | hyperypsōsen | 神將佗升到至高 | Medium-High | Lordship of Christ | 2:9 | 佗被提升 (he was promoted, career-language) | The Father’s gracious vindication of the Son’s obedience, not an earned promotion transferable to human merit-seeking. |
| Name above every name | τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὄνομα | to onoma to hyper pan onoma | 高過萬名之上嘅名 | Critical | Lordship / Deity of Christ | 2:9 | (no substitution risk; ensure phrase retains superlative/exclusive force) | Echoes Isaiah 45:23’s exclusive divine prerogative now applied to Jesus. |
| Every knee shall bow | πᾶν γόνυ κάμψῃ | pan gony kampsē | 萬膝跪拜 | Medium-High | Lordship of Christ | 2:10 | (no lexical substitution, but framing risk) | Bowing/kneeling (跪拜, 叩頭) is a live gesture toward ancestors and temple deities in HK; must be framed as unique universal submission to Christ, not analogous multi-recipient veneration. |
| Confess (Jesus is Lord) | ἐξομολογήσηται | exomologēsētai | 承認 / 宣認 | High | Lordship of Christ | 2:11 | (retain public declarative force) | Parallels Romans 10:9’s salvation confession; render “耶穌基督是主” without qualification, matching established baseline copula-pattern. |
| Bowels and mercies (deep compassion) | σπλάγχνα καὶ οἰκτιρμοί | splangchna kai oiktirmoi | 憐憫同體恤 | High | Unity and Humility in the Church | 2:1 | 慈悲 (Guanyin/Buddha’s compassion epithet) | NEVER 慈悲 — same Guanyin-collision precedent as baseline “salvation.” |
| Joy / Rejoice | χαρά / χαίρω | chara / chairō | 喜樂 / 常常喜樂 | Medium | Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment | 1:4, 18, 25; 2:2, 17-18, 28-29; 3:1; 4:1, 4, 10 | 開心/快樂 (circumstantial happiness) | Must persist independent of, even within, suffering; not conditioned on favorable outcomes, temple-fortune, or luck. |
| Bonds/chains/imprisonment | δεσμά | desma | 鎖鏈 / 監禁 | Medium | Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment | 1:7, 13-14, 17 | (retain literal, historical sense) | Do not soften to metaphorical-only hardship; Paul’s actual Roman imprisonment is the letter’s real setting. |
| Suffer for Christ’s sake | πάσχω / τὸ ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ πάσχειν | paschō | 為基督受苦 | High | Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment | 1:29-30 | 報應 (karmic retribution), 唔好命/行衰運 (bad fate/misfortune) | A graciously granted privilege and participation in Christ’s pattern, not punishment or bad luck. |
| Partnership/fellowship in the gospel | κοινωνία εἰς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον | koinōnia eis to euangelion | 在福音上嘅夥伴關係 | Medium | Partnership in the Gospel | 1:5 | 生意夥伴 (business/commercial partnership) | Shared gospel mission and mutual material support, not a profit-sharing commercial venture. |
| Poured out as a sacrificial offering | σπένδομαι / θυσία | spendomai / thysia | 好似奠祭 / 獻祭 | High | Partnership in the Gospel / Christ-Centered Ministry | 2:17, 30 | (literal offering equivalence) | Must be distinguished from literal ancestor/temple food-and-incense offerings (拜祭, 燒香, 帛金) — metaphorical, costly self-giving, not literal cultic ritual. |
| Fragrant offering, acceptable sacrifice | ὀσμὴ εὐωδίας / θυσία δεκτή | osmē euōdias / thysia dektē | 馨香嘅祭物,神所悅納嘅祭 | High | Partnership in the Gospel | 4:18 | (same as above) | Same ancestor/temple-offering collision; God is pleased by grace-motivated generosity, not “paid” or placated. |
| Messenger (non-apostolic sense) | ἀπόστολος (ὑμῶν) | apostolos (hymōn) | 使者 | Medium | Partnership in the Gospel | 2:25 | 使徒 (technical apostolic office) | Must NOT use 使徒 here; Epaphroditus is “your messenger,” not an Apostle in Paul’s office-sense. |
| Righteousness from Law vs. through faith in Christ | δικαιοσύνη ἐκ νόμου / διὰ πίστεως Χριστοῦ | dikaiosynē ek nomou / dia pisteōs Christou | 律法上嘅義 / 因信基督而得嘅義 | Critical | Righteousness by Faith versus the Law | 3:6, 9 | 修成正果嘅義, 自義 (self-righteousness, per baseline) | Direct link to Romans’ central righteousness/justification cluster; absolute consistency with baseline required. |
| Knowledge of Christ | γνῶσις τοῦ Χριστοῦ | gnōsis tou Christou | 認識基督 | Medium | Righteousness by Faith versus the Law / Pressing on toward the Goal | 3:8 | 算命/睇相 (fortune-telling “hidden knowledge”), esoteric “secret knowledge” framing | Personal relational knowing of a Person, not privileged occult information. |
| Rubbish/dung | σκύβαλα | skybala | 糞土 | Low-Medium | Righteousness by Faith versus the Law | 3:8 | (avoid over-polished euphemism) | Retain Paul’s crude rhetorical force. |
| Fellowship of sufferings / power of resurrection | κοινωνία παθημάτων / δύναμις ἀναστάσεως | koinōnia pathēmatōn / dynamis anastaseōs | 佗嘅苦難嘅團契 / 佗復活嘅大能 | High | Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ | 3:10 | (reuses 復活/大能 baseline roots) | Integrated, not selective, participation in Christ’s whole pattern. |
| Mature/perfect | τέλειος | teleios | 成熟 / 完全 | Medium-High | Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ | 3:12, 15 | 得道/圓滿/成佛 (enlightenment attainment) | Ongoing, grace-dependent growth, not a completed self-cultivated spiritual achievement. |
| Press on / lay hold of | διώκω / καταλαμβάνω | diōkō / katalambanō | 竭力追求 / 攞到 | Medium | Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ | 3:12-14 | (guard against pure self-effort framing) | Must retain 3:12b’s qualifier: pursuit is response to already being grasped by Christ, not substitute self-effort. |
| Prize | βραβεῖον | brabeion | 獎賞 | High | Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ | 3:14 | 功德/福報 (Buddhist merit-reward) | Goal of a grace-initiated calling, not a merit-purchased reward. |
| Citizenship (in heaven) | πολίτευμα / πολιτεύεσθε | politeuma / politeuesthe | 天上嘅國民身份 | High | Citizenship in Heaven | 1:27; 3:20 | 國籍 (nationality/legal citizenship), 公民 (citizen, politically loaded) | Avoid HK’s live political-sensitivity terms around nationality/citizenship (BNO, PRC nationality, HK identity); keep theological — ultimate allegiance to God’s heavenly kingdom, not commentary on earthly political loyalty. |
| Savior | σωτήρ | sōtēr | 救主 | Critical | Citizenship in Heaven / Salvation | 3:20 | Guanyin’s “大慈大悲救苦救難” epithet | Same Guanyin-collision precedent as baseline “salvation”; names the unique person and office of Christ. |
| Body of glory / body of humiliation | σῶμα δόξης / σῶμα ταπεινώσεως | sōma doxēs / sōma tapeinōseōs | 榮耀嘅身體 / 卑微嘅身體 | High | Citizenship in Heaven / Resurrection | 3:21 | 投胎轉世 (rebirth cycle) | Bodily transformation, not disembodied-spirit or reincarnation framing. |
| Contentment / self-sufficiency | αὐτάρκεια / αὐτάρκης | autarkeia / autarkēs | 知足 | Critical | Contentment in All Circumstances | 4:11 | (no viable substitute exists; term itself must be qualified, not replaced) | HIGHEST cultural-collision term in the book: 知足常樂 is a core Daoist/Buddhist proverb of self-achieved contentment through detachment. Paul’s contentment is sourced in Christ’s strength (4:13), the opposite mechanism. Mandatory pairing with 4:13 note every occurrence. |
| Learned the secret (initiation language) | μανθάνω / μυέομαι | manthanō / myeomai | 學到 / 學到箇中嘅秘訣 | Medium-High | Contentment in All Circumstances | 4:11-12 | 皈依 (Buddhist refuge-taking), esoteric initiation-rite framing | Rhetorical borrowing from mystery-cult vocabulary, not an endorsement of an actual esoteric initiation rite. |
| Christ who strengthens me | ἐνδυναμοῦντί με | endynamounti me | 靠住基督嘅大能 | High | Contentment in All Circumstances | 4:13 | 自己嘅能力 (self-sufficiency reading) | The essential corrective to 知足 above; never allow standalone popularized “I can do all things” without this Christ-sourced anchor. |
| Giving and receiving | δόσις καὶ λῆψις | dosis kai lēpsis | 支出同收入 | Low | Partnership in the Gospel | 4:15 | (retain gospel-partnership warmth, avoid strict ledger literalism) | Natural, low-risk bridge metaphor for HK’s commercially fluent culture. |
| God will supply | πλήρωμα / πληρώσει | plērōma / plērōsei | 供應 | Medium | Contentment / Partnership in the Gospel | 4:19 | 財神/風水嘅財運 (fortune-deity/feng shui wealth-luck) | Need-oriented pastoral provision from grace, not a wealth-guarantee formula; echoes baseline gospel/福-root prosperity-culture caution. |
| Overseer | ἐπίσκοπος | episkopos | 監督 | Low-Medium | Unity and Humility in the Church | 1:1 | (secular “supervisor” homonym) | Clarify as specific church office. |
| Deacon | διάκονος | diakonos | 執事 | Low | Unity and Humility in the Church | 1:1 | (established church-polity term) | No major new risk. |
| Same mind / mindset | φρονέω / τὸ αὐτὸ φρονεῖν | phroneō | 同心 / 存住嘅心態 | Medium | Unity and Humility in the Church | 2:2, 5; 4:2 | 面子/表面和諧 (face-saving surface harmony) | Christ-patterned inward disposition (2:5), not social-diplomacy harmony-keeping. |
| Virtue/excellence | ἀρετή | aretē | 美德 | Medium | Contentment / general ethics | 4:8 | (Confucian virtue-ethics general resonance) | Must be filtered through and oriented to Christ (4:9), not a self-standing Confucian ethical checklist. |
| Work out your salvation | κατεργάζεσθε σωτηρίαν | katergazesthe sōtērian | 作成你哋嘅救恩 | Critical | Righteousness by Faith / Salvation | 2:12 | (reuses 救恩 baseline root) | Outworking, not earning, of salvation already secured — critical given HK’s transactional temple-vow culture. |
Section 3 — Proper Names (Established Transliteration Forms)
| Name | Cantonese | Transliteration | Risk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul | 保羅 | bou2 lo4 | Low | [REUSED — Romans 12_ai_translation_requirements.md transliteration standard] |
| Timothy | 提摩太 | tai4 mo4 taai3 | Low | Established Cantonese Bible form. |
| Epaphroditus | 以巴弗提 | ji5 baa1 fat1 tai4 | Low | Established Cantonese Bible form. |
| Euodia | 友阿蒂 | jau5 aa3 dai3 | Low | Established Cantonese Bible form. |
| Syntyche | 循都基 | ceon4 dou1 gei1 | Low | Established Cantonese Bible form. |
| Clement | 革利免 | gaak3 lei6 min5 | Low | Established Cantonese Bible form. |
| Caesar (household of) | 凱撒 | hoi2 saat3 | Low-Medium | 4:22 “Caesar’s household” — historical/political term; no direct doctrinal collision but note Roman imperial-cult background (Caesar was worshipped as divine) reinforces, by contrast, Philippians 2:9-11’s exclusive claim for Christ’s Lordship. |
Section 4 — Risk Summary for Philippians New Terms
| Risk Tier | Count | Review Routing (per baseline doctrine_risk_registry.json conventions) |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 9 | Human theologian review required for every occurrence |
| High | 15 | Human theologian review required |
| Medium-High | 3 | Human theologian review required |
| Medium | 10 | Native speaker review recommended |
| Low-Medium | 4 | Native speaker review recommended |
| Low | 6 | Automated review sufficient |
Note for Phase 2: All Critical and High-risk new terms above must be added to translation_memory.json (with version increment) and doctrine_risk_registry.json (with a corresponding new doctrine entry where one does not already exist, e.g. “kenosis_self_emptying,” “citizenship_in_heaven,” “contentment_in_christ”) before any Phase 2 segment translation of Philippians begins, per the Pre-flight Checklist in 12_ai_translation_requirements.md.
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. Philippians occurrences: 1:2, 7; 4:23. Must never be framed as reciprocal temple-vow favor (Wong Tai Sin’s ‘whatever you ask, you shall receive’).
Righteousness
Approved rendering: 義
Transliteration: ji6
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: 道德, 善行
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Philippians occurrences: 1:11; 3:6, 9. Must not collapse into the Confucian loyalty-and-honor idiom 義氣 (triad/brotherhood film culture); flag every justification-context occurrence.
Justification
Approved rendering: 稱義
Transliteration: cing1 ji6
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: 修成正果, 還神還願
Original: δικαίωσις / λογίζομαι εἰς δικαιοσύνην
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Conceptually active at Philippians 3:9. Never use 修成正果 or 還神還願.
Imputed Righteousness
Approved rendering: 算為義
Transliteration: syun3 wai4 ji6
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Rejected alternatives: 修成正果嘅義, 自義
Original: ἐλογίσθη … εἰς δικαιοσύνην
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Supports Philippians 3:9’s righteousness-by-faith argument. Must not be rendered as earned righteousness.
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. Philippians occurrences: 1:19, 28; 2:12. Never use 解脫, 超度, or quote Guanyin’s popular epithet 大慈大悲救苦救難.
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 / ἐξανάστασις
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package. Philippians occurrences: 3:10-11, 21 (including compound ἐξανάστασις). Never use 投胎轉世 or 問米-style spirit-summoning imagery.
Lord
Approved rendering: 主
Transliteration: zyu2
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 事頭, 老爺
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Philippians occurrences: 1:2; 2:11; 3:20; 4:4-5. Avoid 事頭 or 老爺. Philippians 2:11’s confession 耶穌基督是主 must parallel Romans 10:9’s 耶穌是主 pattern exactly.
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. The title itself is not used in Philippians, but conceptually undergirds the deity claims of 2:6. Never use 天子.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: 道成肉身
Transliteration: dou6 sing4 juk6 san1
Doctrine: Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: 化身, 顯靈
Original: ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο (cf. μορφὴν δούλου λαβών, ἐν ὁμοιώματι ἀνθρώπων γενόμενος)
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Theological name for the event described concretely in Philippians 2:7. Never use 化身 or 顯靈.
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. Never substitute 天主 or 上帝; never use 老天爺.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: 聖靈
Transliteration: sing3 ling4
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: 問米嘅靈, 祖先靈
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον / πνεῦμα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Philippians occurrences: 1:19; 2:1; 3:3. Always use the compound 聖靈; never 靈 alone.
Work Out Salvation
Approved rendering: 作成你哋嘅救恩
Transliteration: zok3 sing4 nei5 dei6 ge3 gau3 jan1
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: 賺到你哋嘅救恩, 還神還願式作成
Original: κατεργάζεσθε τὴν ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίαν
Category: Salvation
NEW term (Philippians 2:12). Must be taught as one non-severable unit together with 2:13 (‘神喺你哋裡面運行’); this is the outworking, not the earning, of salvation already secured by grace — critical given Hong Kong’s transactional temple-vow culture (Wong Tai Sin’s ‘whatever you ask, you shall receive’).
Righteousness By Faith Vs Law
Approved rendering: 律法上嘅義 / 因信基督而得嘅義
Transliteration: leot6 faat3 soeng6 ge3 ji6 / jan1 seon3 gei1 duk1 ji4 dak1 ge3 ji6
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law
Rejected alternatives: 修成正果嘅義, 自義, 功德, 還神還願
Original: δικαιοσύνη ἐκ νόμου / διὰ πίστεως Χριστοῦ
Category: Salvation
NEW term (Philippians 3:6, 9). Direct link to the Romans baseline’s Critical 義/律法/信心/稱義 cluster; retain the forensic, credited-not-earned sense.
Contentment
Approved rendering: 知足
Transliteration: zi1 zuk1
Doctrine: Contentment in All Circumstances
Original: αὐτάρκεια / αὐτάρκης
Category: Sanctification
NEW term (Philippians 4:11). HIGHEST cultural-collision term in the whole book: 知足常樂 is a core Daoist/Buddhist proverb (cf. Laozi 知足者富) of self-achieved contentment through detachment. No viable substitute exists; Paul’s contentment is sourced entirely in Christ (4:13) — the opposite mechanism. MANDATORY: every occurrence of 知足 must be paired in the same translation unit with 4:13’s 靠住基督嘅大能; 4:11-13 is a non-severable segment.
Savior
Approved rendering: 救主
Transliteration: gau3 zyu2
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: 大慈大悲救苦救難
Original: σωτήρ
Category: Christology
NEW title term (Philippians 3:20), rooted in baseline 救恩/主. Must never be explained via Guanyin’s popular epithet.
Self Emptying Kenosis
Approved rendering: 虛己
Transliteration: heoi1 gei2
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ (Kenosis)
Rejected alternatives: 自我否定, 放棄自己, 空, 無
Original: ἐκένωσεν (κενόω)
Category: Christology
NEW term (Philippians 2:7). NEVER read through Buddhist śūnyatā (空) or Daoist non-being (無/無為). Voluntary, relational, historical act of a Person retaining full deity while adding humanity, not metaphysical dissolution of self. Mandatory translator’s note every occurrence.
Form Of God
Approved rendering: 神嘅本質形象
Transliteration: san4 ge3 bun2 zat1 jing4 zoeng6
Doctrine: Deity of Christ (Form of God, Equality with God)
Rejected alternatives: 神嘅樣子, 神像
Original: μορφῇ θεοῦ
Category: Christology
NEW term (Philippians 2:6). NEVER 神像 or 神嘅樣子, both inviting a physical-idol reading given prominence of temple deity statues (Wong Tai Sin, household shrines).
A Thing To Be Grasped
Approved rendering: 強奪嘅事
Transliteration: koeng4 dyut6 ge3 si6
Doctrine: Deity of Christ (Form of God, Equality with God)
Rejected alternatives: 應得嘅嘢
Original: ἁρπαγμός
Category: Christology
NEW term (Philippians 2:6). Must preserve the paradox: Christ already possessed equality with God and did not need to seize/exploit it. Mistranslation risks denying prior deity or implying temporary loss of it. Matches the established CUV rendering 強奪的.
Equal With God
Approved rendering: 與神同等
Transliteration: jyu5 san4 tung4 dang2
Doctrine: Deity of Christ (Form of God, Equality with God)
Rejected alternatives: 好似神, 神咁嘅
Original: ἴσα θεῷ
Category: Christology
NEW term (Philippians 2:6). Must state full co-equality, not mere resemblance or empowerment.
Name Above Every Name
Approved rendering: 高過萬名之上嘅名
Transliteration: gou1 gwo3 maan6 ming4 zi1 soeng6 ge3 ming4
Doctrine: Exaltation and Universal Confession of Christ
Original: τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὄνομα
Category: Christology
NEW term (Philippians 2:9). Echoes Isaiah 45:23’s exclusive divine prerogative, now applied to Jesus; retain superlative/exclusive force.
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. Philippians occurrences: 1:25, 27; 2:17; 3:9. Distinguish from confidence placed in fortune-telling/palm-reading (睇相算命).
Called
Approved rendering: 蒙召嘅
Transliteration: mung4 siu6 ge3
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: 天生註定, 命中注定
Inherited from Romans package. Never use 命中注定 (fate/astrology-derived destiny).
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. Philippians occurrence: 3:14, ‘the prize of the calling’. Never use 命運 or 緣分.
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. Conceptually relevant to Philippians 2:15’s call to blamelessness. Avoid ritual-purity-only connotations (戒口修行).
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. Philippians occurrences: 1:1; 4:21-22. Never use 神仙 or 得道高人.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: 成聖
Transliteration: sing4 sing3
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: 修煉, 戒除惡習
Inherited from Romans package. Kept distinct in Philippians from the newly introduced visible-fruit term 無可指摘、純潔 (2:14-16), which describes character, not the technical process term.
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. Philippians occurrences: 3:5-6, 9. Never equate with 禮 or reduce to 規矩; never use 法律.
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
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Philippians occurrences: 3:10 (power of Christ’s resurrection); 4:13 (Christ who strengthens me). Never use 法力 or attribute effect to feng shui.
Obedience Of Faith
Approved rendering: 因信而生嘅順服
Transliteration: jan1 seon3 ji4 sang1 ge3 seon6 fuk6
Doctrine: Obedience of Faith
Rejected alternatives: 孝順, 還神還願式嘅順服
Inherited from Romans package. This is the BELIEVER’s grace-produced response to God, distinct from Christ’s own meritorious obedience in Philippians 2:8 — see new term ‘obedient_christ’. Do not conflate the two.
Providence
Approved rendering: 神嘅護理
Transliteration: san4 ge3 wu6 lei5
Doctrine: Providence
Rejected alternatives: 天意, 運程
Inherited from Romans package. Conceptual parallel invoked for Philippians 2:12-13 (‘God who works in you’). Never use 天意 or 運程.
Sin
Approved rendering: 罪
Transliteration: zeoi6
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: 報應, 唔衰得
Inherited from Romans package. Referenced by contrast in Philippians’ ‘suffer for Christ’ teaching (1:29-30) — suffering must not be framed as 報應 (karmic retribution), the folk-usage this baseline entry already flags.
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. Philippians occurrences: 1:2; 2:11; 4:20. Distinguish from ancestor veneration.
Sanctification Holy Living
Approved rendering: 無可指摘、純潔
Transliteration: mou4 ho2 zi2 zaak3, seon4 git3
Doctrine: Sanctification and Holy Living
Original: ἄμεμπτος / ἀκέραιος / φωστῆρες
Category: Sanctification
NEW term (Philippians 2:14-16). Describes visible moral character; keep distinct from the technical baseline term 成聖, which already carries a flagged collision with self-directed cultivation regimens (修煉).
Humility
Approved rendering: 謙卑
Transliteration: him1 bei1
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Rejected alternatives: 謙虛
Original: ταπεινοφροσύνη
Category: Sanctification
NEW term (Philippians 2:3). Must be anchored explicitly to the Christ Hymn (2:6-8), not reduced to the Confucian decorum virtue 謙虛 that maintains social harmony/face.
Compassion Mercy
Approved rendering: 憐憫同體恤
Transliteration: lin4 man5 tung4 tai2 seot1
Doctrine: Compassion and Unity of Spirit
Rejected alternatives: 慈悲
Original: σπλάγχνα καὶ οἰκτιρμοί
Category: Sanctification
NEW term (Philippians 2:1). NEVER render with 慈悲, the stock compassion-title of Guanyin/Buddha (大慈大悲) extremely current in Hong Kong household devotion — same collision as the Romans baseline’s ‘salvation’ entry.
Christ Who Strengthens Me
Approved rendering: 靠住基督嘅大能
Transliteration: kaau3 zyu6 gei1 duk1 ge3 daai6 nang4
Doctrine: Contentment in All Circumstances
Rejected alternatives: 自己嘅能力
Original: ὁ ἐνδυναμῶν με
Category: Sanctification
NEW term (Philippians 4:13). The essential corrective clause that must always accompany 知足 — never allow this to be popularized as a stand-alone self-empowerment slogan detached from Christ as its explicit source.
Prize
Approved rendering: 獎賞
Transliteration: zoeng2 soeng2
Doctrine: Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ
Rejected alternatives: 功德, 福報
Original: βραβεῖον
Category: Eschatology
NEW term (Philippians 3:14). Distinguish sharply from the merit-accumulation reward system of folk Buddhist practice; the prize is the goal of a grace-initiated calling, not a merit-purchased reward.
Fellowship Of Sufferings Power Of Resurrection
Approved rendering: 佗嘅苦難嘅團契 / 佗復活嘅大能
Transliteration: keoi5 ge3 fu2 naan6 ge3 tyun4 kai3 / keoi5 fuk6 wut6 ge3 daai6 nang4
Doctrine: Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ
Original: κοινωνία παθημάτων / δύναμις ἀναστάσεως
Category: Eschatology
NEW term (Philippians 3:10), reusing baseline roots 復活/大能. Must express integrated, not selective, participation in Christ’s whole pattern.
Citizenship In Heaven
Approved rendering: 天上嘅國民身份
Transliteration: tin1 soeng6 ge3 gwok3 man4 san1 fan6
Doctrine: Citizenship in Heaven
Rejected alternatives: 國籍, 公民
Original: πολίτευμα / πολιτεύεσθε
Category: Kingdom
NEW term (Philippians 1:27; 3:20). Avoid 國籍/公民, politically loaded given Hong Kong’s live sensitivity around citizenship/nationality (BNO status, PRC nationality, HK identity debates); keep strictly theological. Requires political-sensitivity review in addition to theologian review.
Body Of Glory Humiliation
Approved rendering: 榮耀嘅身體 / 卑微嘅身體
Transliteration: wing4 jiu6 ge3 san1 tai2 / bei1 mei4 ge3 san1 tai2
Doctrine: Future Bodily Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: 投胎轉世
Original: σῶμα δόξης / σῶμα ταπεινώσεως
Category: Eschatology
NEW term (Philippians 3:21), reusing baseline root 榮耀. Bodily transformation, not disembodied-spirit or rebirth-cycle framing.
Form Of A Servant
Approved rendering: 奴僕嘅形象
Transliteration: nou4 buk1 ge3 jing4 zoeng6
Doctrine: Humanity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 僕人嘅樣子
Original: μορφὴν δούλου
Category: Christology
NEW term (Philippians 2:7). Must mirror the 形象 vocabulary used for ‘form of God’ (v.6) so the highest-to-lowest reversal is not lost.
Likeness Of Men
Approved rendering: 人嘅樣式
Transliteration: jan4 ge3 joeng6 sik1
Doctrine: Humanity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 好似人噉
Original: ὁμοιώματι ἀνθρώπων
Category: Christology
NEW term (Philippians 2:7). Guards against Docetism-adjacent reading paralleling Guanyin’s popularly-taught 化身 (temporary manifestation-form); affirms real, permanent humanity.
He Humbled Himself
Approved rendering: 謙卑自己
Transliteration: him1 bei1 zi6 gei2
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ (Kenosis)
Rejected alternatives: 佗放低自己
Original: ἐταπείνωσεν ἑαυτόν
Category: Christology
NEW term (Philippians 2:8). Christ’s own voluntary act, the ground of the humility believers are commanded to have — not a social-harmony gesture.
Obedient Christ
Approved rendering: 順服
Transliteration: seon6 fuk6
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ (Kenosis)
Rejected alternatives: 孝順, 因信而生嘅順服
Original: ὑπήκοος
Category: Christology
NEW term (Philippians 2:8). Christ’s own meritorious, redemptive obedience unto death — distinct from the believer’s grace-produced ‘obedience of faith’ (因信而生嘅順服, baseline term). Do not conflate the two or render as Confucian filial duty (孝順).
Cross
Approved rendering: 十字架
Transliteration: sap6 zi6 gaa3
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ (Kenosis)
Original: σταυρός
Category: Christology
NEW term (Philippians 2:8; 3:18). Established Christian term, no substitution risk, but watch for folk-syncretistic talisman/amulet use of the cross symbol (paralleling 平安符); reinforce its historical/theological weight.
Confess Jesus Is Lord
Approved rendering: 承認 / 宣認
Transliteration: sing4 jing6 / syun1 jing6
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: ἐξομολογήσηται … κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός
Category: Christology
NEW term (Philippians 2:11). Philippians’ own version of the Romans 10:9 salvation confession; render 耶穌基督是主 without qualification, exactly paralleling 耶穌是主. Must not be softened into a political-loyalty statement.
Sacrificial Offering Poured Out
Approved rendering: 好似奠祭 / 獻祭
Transliteration: hou2 ci5 din6 zai3 / hin3 zai3
Doctrine: Sacrificial Giving and Gospel Ministry
Original: σπένδομαι / θυσία
Category: Church
NEW term (Philippians 2:17, 30). Must be distinguished from literal ancestor/deity food-and-incense offering rituals (拜祭, 燒香, 帛金) still widely practiced at Ching Ming and Chung Yeung; metaphor for costly self-giving, not literal cultic ritual.
Fragrant Offering Acceptable Sacrifice
Approved rendering: 馨香嘅祭物,神所悅納嘅祭
Transliteration: hing1 hoeng1 ge3 zai3 mat6, san4 so2 jyut6 naap6 ge3 zai3
Doctrine: Sacrificial Giving and Gospel Ministry
Original: ὀσμὴ εὐωδίας / θυσία δεκτή
Category: Church
NEW term (Philippians 4:18). Same ancestor/temple-offering collision as above; God is pleased by grace-motivated generosity, not paid or placated.
Suffer For Christ
Approved rendering: 為基督受苦
Transliteration: wai6 gei1 duk1 sau6 fu2
Doctrine: Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment
Rejected alternatives: 報應, 唔好命, 行衰運
Original: πάσχω / τὸ ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ πάσχειν
Category: Church
NEW term (Philippians 1:29-30). Must be distinguished from karmic-retribution framing (報應) and folk-fatalist misfortune idiom (唔好命/行衰運); a graciously granted privilege of participating in Christ’s own pattern, not punishment or bad luck.
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. Philippians occurrences: 1:5, 7, 12, 27; 2:22; 4:3, 15. 1:12’s paradox (imprisonment advancing the gospel) must not be read through Hong Kong’s prosperity-luck association with root character 福 (cf. 恭喜發財).
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. Implied at Philippians 4:15 (the church at Philippi’s financial partnership).
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. Philippians occurrences: 1:2; 4:7, 9. In 4:7 distinguish God’s active guarding peace from protective-talisman peace (平安符) and lucky-almanac reassurance (老黃曆).
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. Philippians occurrences: 1:11; 2:11; 3:19, 21; 4:19-20. Avoid 面子 or 威水.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: 神嘅國
Transliteration: san4 ge3 gwok3
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Rejected alternatives: 天下, 王朝
Inherited from Romans package. Cross-referenced by Philippians’ ‘Citizenship in Heaven’ doctrine (1:27; 3:20); shares the same Hong Kong political-sensitivity caution around sovereignty/loyalty language.
Messenger Non Apostolic
Approved rendering: 使者
Transliteration: si2 ze2
Doctrine: Partnership in the Gospel
Rejected alternatives: 使徒
Original: ἀπόστολος (ὑμῶν)
Category: Church
NEW term (Philippians 2:25). Applied to Epaphroditus, ‘your messenger,’ in a non-technical sense. Must NOT be rendered 使徒, reserved for Paul’s technical apostolic office.
Partnership In Gospel
Approved rendering: 在福音上嘅夥伴關係
Transliteration: zoi6 fuk1 jam1 soeng6 ge3 fo2 bun6 gwaan1 hai6
Doctrine: Partnership in the Gospel
Rejected alternatives: 生意夥伴, 合股
Original: κοινωνία εἰς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Church
NEW term (Philippians 1:5; 4:10-19). Must be distinguished from a commercial joint-venture partnership (生意夥伴/合股), a live Hong Kong business concept; this is shared gospel mission and mutual support, not profit-sharing.
Same Mind
Approved rendering: 同心 / 存住嘅心態
Transliteration: tung4 sam1 / cyun4 zyu6 ge3 sam1 taai3
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Rejected alternatives: 面子, 表面和諧
Original: φρονέω / τὸ αὐτὸ φρονεῖν
Category: Church
NEW term (Philippians 2:2, 5; 4:2). Must not be reduced to surface harmony-keeping for the sake of 面子 (face); this is Christ-patterned inward disposition per 2:5.
Virtue
Approved rendering: 美德
Transliteration: mei5 dak1
Doctrine: Contentment in All Circumstances
Original: ἀρετή
Category: Sanctification
NEW term (Philippians 4:8). Must be filtered through and oriented to Christ and Paul’s own example (4:9), not left as a self-standing Confucian virtue-ethics checklist.
Joy
Approved rendering: 喜樂
Transliteration: hei2 lok6
Doctrine: Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment
Rejected alternatives: 開心, 快樂, 求籤中籤嘅歡喜
Original: χαρά / χαίρω
Category: Faith
NEW term (Philippians 1:4, 18, 25; 2:2, 17-18, 28-29; 3:1; 4:1, 4, 10). Must persist independent of, even within, suffering — not conditioned on favorable circumstance, temple-fortune, or luck.
Knowledge Of Christ
Approved rendering: 認識基督
Transliteration: jing6 sik1 gei1 duk1
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law
Rejected alternatives: 算命, 睇相
Original: γνῶσις τοῦ Χριστοῦ
Category: Faith
NEW term (Philippians 3:8). Distinguish from fortune-telling/palm-reading ‘hidden knowledge’ claims and esoteric-enlightenment ‘secret knowledge’ framing; this is relational knowing of a Person, not privileged occult information.
Press On Lay Hold
Approved rendering: 竭力追求 / 攞到
Transliteration: kit3 lik6 zeoi1 kau4 / lo2 dou3
Doctrine: Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ
Original: διώκω / καταλαμβάνω
Category: Faith
NEW term (Philippians 3:12-14). Must retain 3:12b’s qualifier — pursuit is response to already being grasped by Christ, not substitute self-effort. Non-severable with 3:12b.
Circumcision
Approved rendering: 割禮
Transliteration: got3 lai5
Doctrine: Warning against Legalism and False Teachers
Original: περιτομή
Category: Covenant
NEW term (Philippians 3:5). Requires OT covenant background explanation given generally low OT narrative literacy among the destination audience.
Divine Provision Supply
Approved rendering: 供應
Transliteration: gung1 jing3
Doctrine: Divine Provision
Rejected alternatives: 財神, 風水嘅財運
Original: πληρώσει (πλήρωμα)
Category: God
NEW term (Philippians 4:19). Distinguish from prosperity/fortune-granting framing prominent in Hong Kong business and property culture; need-oriented pastoral provision from grace, not a wealth-guarantee formula.
Humanity Of Christ Appearance
Approved rendering: 從外表睇
Transliteration: cung4 ngoi6 biu2 tai2
Doctrine: Humanity of Christ
Original: σχήματι
Category: Christology
NEW term (Philippians 2:8, σχήματι). Keep distinct from 形象 (μορφή/essential nature) so the essence/appearance distinction Paul draws is not collapsed.
Bonds Imprisonment
Approved rendering: 鎖鏈 / 監禁
Transliteration: so2 lin2 / gaam1 gam3
Doctrine: Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment
Original: δεσμά
Category: Church
NEW term (Philippians 1:7, 13-14, 17). Must retain the concrete, historical reality of actual imprisonment; do not soften into generic hardship or metaphorical trial only.
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. Reserved for Paul’s technical apostolic office (Philippians 1:1). NEVER used for Epaphroditus (2:25) — see new term ‘messenger_non_apostolic’.
Fellowship
Approved rendering: 團契
Transliteration: tyun4 kai3
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: 同鄉會, 結拜
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Philippians occurrences: 1:5; 2:1 (聖靈嘅團契); 3:10 (fellowship of sufferings). Distinguish from 同鄉會 or 結拜.
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: 感恩
Transliteration: gam2 jan1
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Original: εὐχαριστία
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Philippians occurrences: 1:3-4; 4:6.
Exhort
Approved rendering: 勸勉
Transliteration: hyun3 min5
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Original: παρακαλέω / παράκλησις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Related sense active at Philippians 2:1 (παράκλησις, comfort/encouragement in Christ).
Overseer
Approved rendering: 監督
Transliteration: gaam1 duk1
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Offices
Original: ἐπίσκοπος
Category: Church
NEW term (Philippians 1:1). Risks a secular ‘supervisor/inspector’ reading common in Hong Kong corporate/civic usage; must be clarified as a specific church office.
Deacon
Approved rendering: 執事
Transliteration: zap1 si6
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Offices
Original: διάκονος
Category: Church
NEW term (Philippians 1:1). Established church-polity term with minimal risk.
Giving And Receiving
Approved rendering: 支出同收入
Transliteration: zi1 ceot1 tung4 sau1 jap6
Doctrine: Partnership in the Gospel
Original: δόσις καὶ λῆψις
Category: Church
NEW term (Philippians 4:15). Useful, low-risk commercial-accounting bridge metaphor for Hong Kong’s commercially fluent culture; must not be over-literalized into a strict transactional ledger devoid of gospel-partnership warmth.
Medium-High Risk Terms
Mature Perfect
Approved rendering: 成熟 / 完全
Transliteration: sing4 suk6 / jyun4 cyun4
Doctrine: Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ
Rejected alternatives: 得道, 圓滿, 成佛
Original: τέλειος
Category: Sanctification
NEW term (Philippians 3:12, 15). Must not be confused with Daoist/Buddhist attainment-of-perfection frameworks; Paul explicitly denies having ‘already attained,’ even for himself.
Learned The Secret
Approved rendering: 學到 / 學到箇中嘅秘訣
Transliteration: hok6 dou3 / hok6 dou3 go3 zung1 ge3 bei3 kyut3
Doctrine: Contentment in All Circumstances
Rejected alternatives: 皈依
Original: μανθάνω / μεμύημαι
Category: Sanctification
NEW term (Philippians 4:11-12). Rhetorical borrowing of mystery-cult ‘initiation’ language; must not suggest an actual esoteric initiation rite paralleling 皈依 (Buddhist refuge-taking) or qigong/martial-lineage secret transmission.
Highly Exalted
Approved rendering: 神將佗升到至高
Transliteration: san4 zoeng1 keoi5 sing1 dou3 zi3 gou1
Doctrine: Exaltation and Universal Confession of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 佗被提升
Original: ὑπερύψωσεν
Category: Christology
NEW term (Philippians 2:9). The Father’s gracious vindication of the Son’s obedience, not an earned career promotion transferable to human merit-seeking.
Every Knee Shall Bow
Approved rendering: 萬膝跪拜
Transliteration: maan6 sat1 gwai6 baai3
Doctrine: Exaltation and Universal Confession of Christ
Original: πᾶν γόνυ κάμψῃ
Category: Christology
NEW term (Philippians 2:10). Bowing/kneeling (跪拜, 叩頭) is a live gesture toward ancestors at Ching Ming/Chung Yeung and toward deities at Wong Tai Sin; must be framed as unique universal submission to Christ, not one more instance of familiar multi-recipient veneration.
Low-Medium Risk Terms
Rubbish Dung
Approved rendering: 糞土
Transliteration: fan3 tou2
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law
Original: σκύβαλα
Category: Salvation
NEW term (Philippians 3:8). Must retain Paul’s original crude rhetorical force; avoid over-polished euphemism.
Referenced passages