Core Glossary
Core Glossary — Revelation (English → Cantonese)
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md, drawn from the entire book of Revelation, chapters 1–22. Terms marked [BASELINE] are inherited unchanged from the Romans translation_memory.json and must be reused exactly; do not re-derive or alter these renderings. New terms specific to Revelation’s apocalyptic vocabulary are assigned risk tiers using the same framework as the baseline doctrine_risk_registry.json (Critical / High / Medium / Low).
Table columns: Term | Greek (transliteration) | Cantonese rendering (Jyutping) | Risk | Doctrine | Chapters | Baseline reuse | Key distinction / risk note
Section 1 — Terms Reused Exactly from the Romans Baseline
| Term | Greek (translit.) | Cantonese (Jyutping) | Risk | Doctrine | Chapters | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| God | θεός (theos) | 神 (san4) | Critical | Sovereignty of God over History | 1–22 (throughout) | Reuse exactly; never 天主/上帝. |
| Jesus | Ἰησοῦς (Iēsous) | 耶穌 (je4 sou1) | Critical | Return and Reign of Christ | 1, 12, 14, 17, 19, 22 | Reuse exactly. |
| Christ | Χριστός (Christos) | 基督 (gei1 duk1) | Critical | Return and Reign of Christ | 1, 11, 12, 20 | Reuse exactly. |
| Lord | κύριος (kyrios) | 主 (zyu2) | Critical | Return and Reign of Christ | 1, 4, 11, 17, 19, 22 | ”King of kings and Lord of lords” (19:16) built on this root; keep exclusive, non-political framing. |
| Holy Spirit | πνεῦμα (τὸ ἅγιον) | 聖靈 (sing3 ling4) | Critical | Worship of the Lamb / Sovereignty | 1–3, 14, 22 | Reuse exactly; never 靈 alone. |
| Father | πατήρ (patēr) | 父 (fu6) | High | Church as Bride of Christ (adoption) | 1, 2, 3, 14 | Reuse exactly. |
| grace | χάρις (charis) | 恩典 (jan1 din2) | Critical | Assurance of Final Victory | 1, 21, 22 | ”Water of life… without payment” (21:6) directly reuses grace-not-merit logic. |
| peace | εἰρήνη (eirēnē) | 平安 (ping4 on1) | Medium | Sovereignty of God over History | 1 | Reuse exactly. |
| faith / faithful | πίστις / πιστός (pistis/pistos) | 信心 (seon3 sam1) | High | Perseverance under Persecution | 1, 2, 13, 14, 17, 19, 21 | Root reused for ἄπιστος (faithless, 21:8) and πιστός titles (“faithful and true,” 3:14; 19:11; 21:5). |
| holy | ἅγιος (hagios) | 聖潔 (sing3 git3) | High | Worship of the Lamb | 4, 21, 22 | Root of “holy city” (21:2), “holy, holy, holy” (4:8). |
| saints | ἅγιοι (hagioi) | 聖徒 (sing3 tou4) | High | Perseverance / Vindication of Saints | 5, 8, 11, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 | Reuse exactly throughout. |
| church | ἐκκλησία (ekklēsia) | 教會 (gaau3 wui2) | Medium | Church as Bride of Christ | 1, 2, 3, 22 | Reuse exactly; distinguish from 廟 (temple). |
| kingdom of God (pattern) | βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ | 神嘅國 / 國度 (san4 ge3 gwok3 / gwok3 dou6) | Medium–Critical | Return and Reign of Christ | 1, 5, 11, 12, 20 | ”Kingdom of the world becomes the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ” (11:15) is Critical; keep apolitical framing given HK sensitivities. |
| glory | δόξα (doxa) | 榮耀 (wing4 jiu6) | Medium | Worship of the Lamb | 1, 4, 5, 21 | Reuse exactly. |
| resurrection | ἀνάστασις (anastasis) | 復活 (fuk6 wut6) | Critical | Judgment / Vindication of the Saints | 1, 20 | ”Firstborn from the dead” (1:5); “first resurrection” (20:5-6). Never 投胎轉世. |
| covenant | διαθήκη (diathēkē) | 約 (joek3) | High | Sovereignty of God over History | 11 | ”Ark of the covenant” (11:19) — 約櫃. |
| prophecy / prophesy | προφητεία / προφητεύω | 預言 / 講預言 (jyu6 jin4 / gong2 jyu6 jin4) | Medium | Symbolic and Apocalyptic Interpretation | 1, 10, 11, 19, 22 | Reuse exactly. |
| Israel / David | Ἰσραήλ / Δαυίδ | 以色列 / 大衛 (ji5 sik1 lit6 / daai6 wai6) | Medium | Sovereignty of God over History | 2, 5, 7, 21, 22 | Proper names, reuse exactly. |
| called / calling / election | κλητός / κλῆσις / ἐκλογή | 蒙召嘅 / 呼召 / 揀選 | High | Perseverance and Faithful Witness | 17 | ”Called, chosen, and faithful” (17:14) reuses all three baseline terms exactly. |
| sin | ἁμαρτία (hamartia) | 罪 (zeoi6) | High | Judgment of the Wicked | throughout (implicit) | Distinguish from 報應 (karmic retribution) for all judgment/plague language. |
| Amen | Ἀμήν (Amēn) | 阿們 (aa3 mun4) | High (as Christ’s title) / Low (liturgical) | Deity of Christ / Return and Reign | 1, 3, 5, 7, 19, 22 | 3:14 uses it as a personal title for Christ — elevate risk tier there. |
| Hallelujah | Ἁλληλουϊά | 哈利路亞 (haa1 lei6 lou6 aa3) | Low | Worship of the Lamb | 19 | Reuse exactly. |
| power of God / Almighty | δύναμις θεοῦ / παντοκράτωρ | 神嘅大能 / 全能者 | High | Sovereignty of God over History | 1, 4, 5, 7, 11, 15, 16, 19, 21 | Never 法力 or feng shui-attributed power. |
| apostle(s) | ἀπόστολος (apostolos) | 使徒 (si2 tou4) | Low | Church as Bride of Christ | 21 | Twelve foundations named for the apostles. |
Section 2 — Return and Reign of Christ
| Term | Greek (translit.) | Cantonese (Jyutping) | Risk | Chapters | Key distinction / risk note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Son of Man | υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου (huios anthrōpou) | 人子 (jan4 zi2) | High | 1, 14 | Danielic messianic title; keep distinct from [BASELINE] 神嘅兒子 (Son of God). |
| Alpha and Omega | τὸ Ἄλφα καὶ τὸ Ὦ | 阿拉法同俄梅嘎 (aa3 laai1 faat3 tung4 ngo4 mui4 gaa3) | Critical | 1, 21, 22 | Claimed by both God (1:8) and Christ (22:13); preserve the parallel — asserts Christ’s full deity. |
| key of Death and Hades | κλεῖς τοῦ θανάτου καὶ τοῦ ᾅδου | 死亡同陰間嘅鑰匙 (sei2 mong4 tung4 jam1 gaan1 ge3 jiu6 si4) | Critical | 1 | 陰間 collides with the folk underworld/ancestor-spirit realm; clarify Christ’s sovereign authority over a temporary realm, not a parallel spirit-world requiring ritual maintenance. |
| kingdom of the world → kingdom of our Lord and his Christ | ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ κόσμου… | 世上嘅國成為我哋主同佢基督嘅國 | Critical | 11 | Keep apolitical/doctrinal framing given HK sovereignty sensitivities. |
| King of kings, Lord of lords | βασιλεὺς βασιλέων καὶ κύριος κυρίων | 萬王之王，萬主之主 (maan6 wong4 zi1 wong4, maan6 zyu2 zi1 zyu2) | Critical | 17, 19 | Exclusive, cosmic claim about Christ at his return; never framed as endorsing/opposing any earthly regime. |
| Word of God (title) | ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ | 神嘅道 (san4 ge3 dou6) | Critical | 19 | Reuses [BASELINE] 道成肉身’s 道 root; keep distinct from generic 神嘅話. |
| Faithful and True | πιστὸς καὶ ἀληθινός | 忠信同真實 (zung1 seon3 tung4 zan1 sat6) | High | 3, 19, 21 | Divine-guarantee formula, also of Christ’s return. |
| ”I am coming soon” | ταχύ (tachy) | 快啲 (faai3 di1) | Medium | 22 | Handle imminence language carefully; resist date-setting speculation. |
| ”Come, Lord Jesus” | Ἔρχου, κύριε Ἰησοῦ | 主耶穌啊，你來 (zyu2 je4 sou1 aa3, nei5 loi4) | Critical | 22 | Parallels Romans 10:9 confession; render with unqualified confidence, no political overtone. |
Section 3 — Sovereignty of God over History
| Term | Greek (translit.) | Cantonese (Jyutping) | Risk | Chapters | Key distinction / risk note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| revelation / apocalypse | ἀποκάλυψις (apokalypsis) | 啟示 (kai2 si6) | Medium | 1 | Distinguish from generic human “insight.” |
| throne | θρόνος (thronos) | 寶座 (bou2 zo6) | High | 1, 4, 5, 7, 12, 20, 21 | Distinguish from imperial “dragon throne”; keep apolitical framing. |
| living creatures | ζῷα (zōa) | 活物 / 四活物 (wut6 mat6 / sei3 wut6 mat6) | High | 4 | Distinguish from Chinese “Four Symbols” (四象) cosmology. |
| elders | πρεσβύτεροι (presbyteroi) | 長老 (zoeng2 lou5) | Medium | 4, 5, 7, 11, 14, 19 | Distinguish from clan/village elder councils (鄉紳/父老). |
| ”It is done” | γέγονεν (gegonen) | 成咗 (sing4 zo2) | Medium | 16, 21 | Completed divine action; judgment (16:17) and new creation (21:6) parallel. |
| mystery of God | μυστήριον τοῦ θεοῦ | 奧祕 (ou3 bei3) | Medium | 10 | Distinguish from occult “secrets” (術數, 秘術). |
Section 4 — Perseverance and Faithful Witness under Persecution
| Term | Greek (translit.) | Cantonese (Jyutping) | Risk | Chapters | Key distinction / risk note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| testimony / witness | μαρτυρία / μάρτυς | 見證 / 見證人 (gin3 zing3 / gin3 zing3 jan4) | High | 1, 6, 11, 12, 15, 20 | Not casual personal-testimony sharing; carries the weight of costly, sometimes fatal, faithful proclamation. |
| two witnesses | οἱ δύο μάρτυρες | 兩個見證人 (loeng5 go3 gin3 zing3 jan4) | High | 11 | Representative prophetic witness, unto death, vindicated by resurrection. |
| tribulation | θλῖψις (thlipsis) | 患難 (waan6 naan6) | High | 1, 7 | Distinguish from fate-determined suffering (命中注定嘅苦難). |
| patience / endurance of the saints | ὑπομονή (hypomonē) | 忍耐 (jan2 loi6) | High | 1, 2, 3, 13, 14 | Distinguish from stoic self-cultivation/face-saving endurance idiom. |
| overcome / conquer | νικάω (nikaō) | 得勝 (dak1 sing3) | High | 2, 3, 5, 12, 15, 17, 21 | Tied to Christ’s victory (blood of the Lamb), not self-achieved heroism. |
| cowardly | δειλός (deilos) | 膽怯嘅人 (daam2 hip3 ge3 jan4) | High | 21 | Failure to persevere under persecution/fear, not a general character flaw. |
| crown of life | στέφανος τῆς ζωῆς | 生命嘅冠冕 (sang1 ming6 ge3 gun3 min5) | Medium | 2 | Reward for faithful endurance, not political/social honor. |
Section 5 — Judgment of the Wicked and Vindication of the Saints
| Term | Greek (translit.) | Cantonese (Jyutping) | Risk | Chapters | Key distinction / risk note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| souls under the altar | ψυχαί ὑποκάτω τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου | 靈魂 (ling4 wan4) | Medium | 6 | Distinguish from folk “wandering/hungry ghosts” (孤魂野鬼) needing appeasement. |
| altar | θυσιαστήριον (thysiastērion) | 祭壇 (zai3 taan4) | Medium-High | 6, 8, 9, 16 | Distinguish from ongoing temple/ancestral altars (神枱, 祖先神位). |
| wrath (of God / of the Lamb) | ὀργή / θυμός | 忿怒 (fan5 nou6) | High | 6, 14, 15, 16, 19 | Distinguish from impersonal karmic retribution (報應); God’s personal, judicial response. |
| plague | πληγή (plēgē) | 災難 (zoi1 naan6) | Medium-High | 9, 15, 16, 21 | Distinguish from karma/報應 and feng shui disaster-omen thinking. |
| great white throne | θρόνος λευκὸς μέγας | 白色嘅大寶座 (baak6 sik1 ge3 daai6 bou2 zo6) | High | 20 | Final judgment scene. |
| book of life | βιβλίον τῆς ζωῆς | 生命冊 (sang1 ming6 caak3) | Critical | 3, 13, 17, 20, 21 | Direct collision with folk “register of life and death” (生死簿) kept by underworld officials (判官, 閻羅王), alterable by bribery/ritual/merit; God’s book cannot be bribed or earned — entry is by grace through the Lamb’s blood. |
| second death | ὁ θάνατος ὁ δεύτερος | 第二次死 (dai6 ji6 ci3 sei2) | Critical | 2, 20, 21 | Final, one-time, non-cyclical judgment — never framed through reincarnation-cycle (投胎轉世, already forbidden) logic. |
| lake of fire | λίμνη τοῦ πυρός | 火湖 (fo2 wu4) | Critical | 19, 20, 21 | Distinguish from temporary/purgatorial Buddhist hell cosmology (十八層地獄); eternal, non-cyclical, final. |
| judged according to works | κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν | 按住佢哋嘅行為 (on3 zyu6 keoi5 dei6 ge3 hang4 wai4) | High | 20 | Distinguish from karma/merit (功德); describes final judgment of unbelievers, not the believer’s justification (by grace through faith, per Romans). |
| Death and Hades (personified) | Θάνατος καὶ Ἅιδης | 死亡 / 陰間 (sei2 mong4 / jam1 gaan1) | Critical | 1, 6, 20 | Defeated personified enemies, finally destroyed — not deities to appease; 陰間 collides sharply with folk ancestor/underworld belief. |
| beast | θηρίον (thērion) | 獸 (sau3) | Critical | 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20 | Never a neutral “wild animal”; a specific end-time anti-Christian power doomed to the lake of fire. |
| mark of the beast | χάραγμα (charagma) | 獸嘅印記 (sau3 ge3 jan3 gei3) | Critical | 13, 14, 16, 19, 20 | Antithesis of God’s seal; distinguish from feng shui talismans/lucky charms. |
| number of the beast, 666 | ἀριθμὸς τοῦ θηρίου | 六百六十六 (luk6 baak3 luk6 sap6 luk6) | Medium-High | 13 | Inverts the culturally “lucky” number 6 (六六大順); flag this inversion explicitly. |
Section 6 — The New Heaven and New Earth
| Term | Greek (translit.) | Cantonese (Jyutping) | Risk | Chapters | Key distinction / risk note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| new heaven and new earth | καινὸς οὐρανὸς καὶ καινὴ γῆ | 新天新地 (san1 tin1 san1 dei6) | Critical | 21 | Distinguish from Daoist immortal-realm concepts (蓬萊仙島, 仙境); a renewed, physical creation, not an ethereal escape. |
| new Jerusalem | Ἰερουσαλὴμ καινή | 新耶路撒冷 (san1 je4 lou6 saat3 laang6) | High | 3, 21 | Descends from heaven to earth; preserve the earth-ward direction. |
| dwell / tabernacle | σκηνώσει (skēnōsei) | 同佢哋同住 (tung4 keoi5 dei6 tung4 zyu6) | Critical | 21 | Permanent presence, not episodic manifestation (avoid 化身/顯靈-adjacent framing). |
| no temple | ναὸν οὐκ εἶδον | 見唔到聖殿 (gin3 m4 dou2 sing3 din6) | High | 21 | Fulfillment/transcendence of worship, not its rejection; distinguish from 廟. |
| water of life | ὕδωρ τῆς ζωῆς | 生命水 (sang1 ming6 seoi2) | High | 21, 22 | Distinguish from Daoist immortality elixir (仙丹); a free gift by grace. |
| tree of life | ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς | 生命樹 (sang1 ming6 syu6) | High | 2, 22 | Distinguish from the immortality-peach mythology (蟠桃/仙桃). |
| no more curse | κατάρα | 咒詛 (zau3 zou3) | Medium | 22 | Distinguish from feng shui curse-removal practice (解咒, 化解). |
| see his face | τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ὄψονται | 佢哋將見到佢嘅面 | Medium-High | 22 | Reversal of Exodus 33:20; needs OT background gloss. |
| no more death/mourning/crying/pain | θάνατος, πένθος, κραυγή, πόνος | 死亡 / 哀傷 / 哭喊 / 痛苦 | Critical/Medium | 21 | Permanent, final removal — see Section 5 for 死亡. |
Section 7 — The Church as Bride of Christ
| Term | Greek (translit.) | Cantonese (Jyutping) | Risk | Chapters | Key distinction / risk note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bride | νύμφη (nymphē) | 新婦 (san1 fu5) | Critical | 19, 21, 22 | Corporate people of God in consummated covenant union; not a mere romantic metaphor or Chinese betrothal custom. |
| bridegroom | νυμφίος (nymphios) | 新郎 (san1 long4) | High | (implicit, 18:23; 19) | Christological title paired with bride. |
| marriage supper of the Lamb | γάμος τοῦ ἀρνίου | 羔羊嘅婚宴 (gou1 joeng4 ge3 fan1 jin2) | Critical | 19 | Combines Lamb + Bride doctrines; public, cosmic consummation of redemptive history. |
| adorned | κεκοσμημένην | 打扮好 (daa2 baan6 hou2) | Medium | 21 | Bride’s readiness given by God, not self-earned merit. |
| twelve gates / foundations | πύλαι / θεμέλιοι | 城門 / 根基 | Medium | 21 | Continuity of OT/NT people of God; connects to Unity of Jews and Gentiles doctrine. |
Section 8 — Worship of the Lamb
| Term | Greek (translit.) | Cantonese (Jyutping) | Risk | Chapters | Key distinction / risk note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lamb | ἀρνίον (arnion) | 羔羊 (gou1 joeng4) | Critical | 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21, 22 | Central Christological title (~28 occurrences); never generic livestock; distinct from zodiac-animal (羊) association. |
| worthy | ἄξιος (axios) | 配 / 配得 (pui3 / pui3 dak1) | Medium | 4, 5 | Exclusive divine worthiness. |
| worship | προσκυνέω (proskyneō) | 敬拜 (ging3 baai3) | Critical | 4, 5, 7, 9, 13, 14, 15, 19, 22 | Distinguish sharply from 拜神/拜佛/拜祖先 temple/ancestor practice; exclusive homage to God and the Lamb alone. |
| holy, holy, holy | ἅγιος ἅγιος ἅγιος | 聖哉、聖哉、聖哉 (sing3 zoi1 x3) | High | 4 | Reuses [BASELINE] holy root. |
| new song | ᾆσμα καινόν | 新歌 (san1 go1) | Low-Medium | 5, 14 | |
| incense (prayers of the saints) | θυμίαμα | 香 (hoeng1) | High | 5, 8 | Distinguish sharply from temple incense-burning ritual (燒香拜神/拜祖先); purely symbolic here, no ritual efficacy required. |
| Lion of Judah / Root of David | λέων / ῥίζα Δαυίδ | 獅子 / 大衛嘅根 | High | 5 | Distinguish 獅子 from lion-dance/guardian-lion imagery; “Root” affirms Christ’s pre-existence beyond mere descent. |
| every tribe, tongue, people, nation | φυλή, γλῶσσα, λαός, ἔθνος | 各支派、各方言、各民族、各邦國 | High | 5, 7, 14 | Retain full unqualified universality; resist clan/local-hierarchy framing. |
| redeemed / purchased | ἀγοράζω (agorazō) | 用血買贖咗 (jung6 hyut3 maai5 suk6 zo2) | High | 5, 14 | Never a temple vow-fulfillment framework (還神還願, already forbidden). |
| seal | σφραγίς / σφραγίζω | 印 / 封印 / 蓋印 | High | 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 | Distinguish from feng shui protective talismans (平安符). |
| Hallelujah | Ἁλληλουϊά | 哈利路亞 | Low | 19 | See Section 1. |
Section 9 — Symbolic and Apocalyptic Interpretation
| Term | Greek (translit.) | Cantonese (Jyutping) | Risk | Chapters | Key distinction / risk note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| dragon | δράκων (drakōn) | 龍 (lung4) | CRITICAL | 12, 13, 16, 20 | Single most severe collision in the book: 龍 is China’s preeminent auspicious symbol (imperial power, “descendants of the dragon,” dragon dance/boat festivals); text identifies this figure as Satan, wholly evil and doomed. Must repeatedly clarify this is the biblical text’s specific identification, not a verdict on Chinese cultural dragon symbolism generally. |
| ancient serpent / Satan / devil | ὄφις ὁ ἀρχαῖος / Σατανᾶς / διάβολος | 古蛇 / 撒但 / 魔鬼 | High | 12, 20 | Distinguish from generic 鬼 (ghost)/folk spirit-world entities; one specific, personal, defeated enemy. |
| accuser | κατήγορος (katēgoros) | 控告者 (hung3 gou3 ze2) | Medium | 12 | |
| woman (symbolic) | γυνή (gynē) | 婦人 (fu5 jan4) | Medium | 12 | Corporate/symbolic figure; avoid Marian-veneration framing. |
| great prostitute / harlot | πόρνη (pornē) | 大淫婦 (daai6 jam4 fu5) | High | 17 | Symbolic figure for a corrupt world-system, not any real ethnic group/city/individual. |
| Babylon the great | Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη | 大巴比倫 (daai6 baa1 bei2 leon4) | Medium-High | 14, 16, 17, 18 | Symbolic-apocalyptic name (likely coded for Rome); not a literal end-times prediction about modern Babylon/Iraq. |
| Armageddon | Ἁρμαγεδών | 哈米吉多頓 (haa1 mai5 gat1 do1 deon6) | Low-Medium | 16 | Symbolic staging-ground for God’s victory, not necessarily a literal battlefield identification. |
| thousand years (millennium) | χίλια ἔτη | 一千年 (jat1 cin1 nin4) | High | 20 | Interpretively contested (pre-/a-/postmillennial views); render literally, leave interpretation to teaching notes. |
| 144,000 / number of the beast (666) | — | 十四萬四千 / 六百六十六 | High / Medium-High | 7, 13, 14 | Symbolic numbers; teach as representative/symbolic per this doctrine, not bare arithmetic literalism. |
| abyss / bottomless pit | ἄβυσσος (abyssos) | 無底坑 / 深淵 (mou4 dai2 haang1 / sam1 jyun1) | High | 9, 11, 20 | Distinguish from Buddhist multi-tiered hell (十八層地獄) or folk yin-world (陰間) transit-for-souls concept. |
Section 10 — Assurance of God’s Final Victory over Evil
| Term | Greek (translit.) | Cantonese (Jyutping) | Risk | Chapters | Key distinction / risk note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| overcome (see also Section 4) | νικάω | 得勝 (dak1 sing3) | High | 2, 3, 5, 12, 15, 17, 21 | |
| ”It is done” | γέγονεν | 成咗 (sing4 zo2) | Medium | 16, 21 | |
| new / making all things new | καινός (kainos) | 新 / 更新 (san1 / gang1 san1) | Critical | 21 | Qualitative, cosmic renewal — anchors the book’s climactic hope. |
| water of life / without payment | ὕδωρ τῆς ζωῆς / δωρεάν | 生命水 / 免費 (min5 fai3) | Critical | 21, 22 | Directly reuses grace-not-merit logic from [BASELINE] grace entry; contrast with Wong Tai Sin transactional exchange. |
| blessed | μακάριος (makarios) | 有福嘅 (jau5 fuk1 ge3) | Medium | 1, 14, 16, 19, 20, 22 | Reuses 福 root already flagged for prosperity-culture collision (恭喜發財); eschatological covenant favor, not luck. |
| repentance | μετανοέω (metanoeō) | 悔改 (fui3 goi2) | Medium | 2, 3, 9, 16 | Genuine heart-turning, not superficial ritual regret. |
Section 11 — Proper Nouns and Transliterated Names
| Term | Greek (translit.) | Cantonese (Jyutping) | Risk | Chapters | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael | Μιχαήλ | 米迦勒 (mai5 kaa1 lak6) | Low | 12 | Archangel proper name. |
| Abaddon / Apollyon | Ἀβαδδών / Ἀπολλύων | 亞巴頓 / 亞波倫 | Low-Medium | 9 | Meaning “Destroyer”; needs gloss. |
| Gog and Magog | Γὼγ καὶ Μαγώγ | 歌革同瑪各 | Low | 20 | OT-derived symbolic hostile-nations names. |
| Armageddon | Ἁρμαγεδών | 哈米吉多頓 | Low-Medium | 16 | See Section 9. |
| Babylon | Βαβυλών | 巴比倫 / 大巴比倫 | Medium-High | 14, 16, 17, 18 | See Section 9. |
Cross-Reference Notes for Phase 2
- All terms marked [BASELINE] in Section 1 must load and match
translation_memory.jsonversion 1 exactly; no deviation permitted. - All Critical-tier new terms introduced here (Lamb 羔羊, Bride 新婦, dragon 龍, beast 獸, mark of the beast 獸嘅印記, book of life 生命冊, second death 第二次死, lake of fire 火湖, new heaven and new earth 新天新地, dwell/tabernacle 同佢哋同住, Alpha and Omega 阿拉法同俄梅嘎, Word of God 神嘅道, King of kings/Lord of lords 萬王之王萬主之主, “Come, Lord Jesus” 主耶穌啊你來, idolaters 拜偶像嘅人, sorcerers 行邪術嘅人, worship 敬拜) require human theologian review for every occurrence, per the same routing logic as the baseline
doctrine_risk_registry.json. - This glossary must be merged into an updated Revelation-specific
translation_memory.jsonanddoctrine_risk_registry.jsonin the next Phase 1 step, preserving all baseline entries unchanged and appending these new entries with incremented version numbering. - Every chapter of Revelation (1–22) is represented above by at least one term; no chapter was silently omitted.
Critical Risk Terms
God
Approved rendering: 神
Transliteration: san4
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 天主, 上帝, 老天爺
Original: θεός / אֱלֹהִים / יהוה
Category: God
[INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE] CRITICAL: this Language Package standardizes on 神 for Protestant curriculum consistency; never 天主 (Catholic) or 上帝. Revelation extension: the book stages a repeated worship contest between God/the Lamb and the dragon/beast (chs. 4-5, 13, 19); consistency of 神 across all 22 chapters is essential to keep that contrast unambiguous.
Jesus
Approved rendering: 耶穌
Transliteration: je4 sou1
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς / יֵשׁוּעַ
Category: Christology
[INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE] Standard transliteration shared with Mandarin written form, pronounced in Cantonese. Revelation extension: appears throughout (1, 12, 14, 17, 19, 22), climaxing in the church’s cry 主耶穌啊，你來 (22:20).
Christ
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, baseline key ‘messiah’] CRITICAL: never conflate with 彌勒 (Maitreya) or a wish-granting folk deity such as Wong Tai Sin. Revelation extension: applied to the one who returns as King of kings (17:14; 19:16) and whose kingdom the kingdoms of this world become (11:15).
Lord
Approved rendering: 主
Transliteration: zyu2
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 事頭, 老爺
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
[INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE] Avoid 事頭 (‘boss/proprietor’) and 老爺 (feudal honorific). Revelation extension: root of 萬王之王，萬主之主 (17:14; 19:16) and 主耶穌啊，你來 (22:20). Given Hong Kong’s sovereignty-sensitive political climate, every occurrence must stay doctrinal, never a political-loyalty statement.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: 聖靈
Transliteration: sing3 ling4
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: 問米嘅靈, 祖先靈
Original: πνεῦμα (τὸ ἅγιον)
Category: God
[INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE] Always the compound 聖靈; never 靈 alone. Revelation extension: speaks to the seven churches (chs. 2-3) and joins the church’s final invitation (22:17).
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] CRITICAL: never framed as reciprocal temple-vow favor (Wong Tai Sin’s ‘whatever you ask, you shall receive’). Revelation extension: frames the epistolary greeting (1:4) and underlies the free gift of the water of life (21:6; 22:17, paired with new term without_payment).
Resurrection
Approved rendering: 復活
Transliteration: fuk6 wut6
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 投胎轉世, 問米式嘅還魂
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
[INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE] Revelation extension: applied first to Christ (‘firstborn from the dead,’ 1:5), then to believers (new term first_resurrection, 20:5-6). Never 投胎轉世.
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] CRITICAL: never 解脫/超度 or Guanyin’s popular epithet. Revelation extension: celebrated in heavenly acclamation (7:10; 12:10; 19:1).
Righteousness
Approved rendering: 義
Transliteration: ji6
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: 道德, 善行
Original: δικαιοσύνη / δίκαιος
Category: Judgment
[INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE] CRITICAL: distinguish from 義氣 (loyalty-honor idiom). Revelation extension: applied to God’s own judgments (new term righteous_judgments_of_god, 16:7; 19:2) and to the saints’ garments (19:8); must retain forensic sense.
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] CRITICAL: never abbreviate to 神人 or equate with 天子. Revelation extension: self-designation to Thyatira (2:18); must be kept distinct from new terms son_of_man (人子, a separate Danielic title) and son_believer (兒子, believers’ derived adoptive sonship, 21:7) — never conflate these three.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: 道成肉身
Transliteration: dou6 sing4 juk6 san1
Doctrine: Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: 化身, 顯靈
[INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE] CRITICAL: never 化身/顯靈. Revelation extension: root 道 reused in new Critical-tier title term word_of_god_title (神嘅道, 19:13), continuing Johannine Logos-Christology.
Alpha And Omega
Approved rendering: 阿拉法同俄梅嘎，首先嘅同末後嘅
Transliteration: aa3 laai1 faat3 tung4 ngo4 mui4 gaa3, sau2 sin1 ge3 tung4 mut6 hau6 ge3
Doctrine: Deity and Eternality of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 單純翻譯做「開始同結束」而唔保留希臘字母音譯
Original: τὸ Ἄλφα καὶ τὸ Ὦ, ἡ ἀρχὴ καὶ τὸ τέλος
Category: Christology
Identical divine self-designation claimed by God (1:8) and Christ (22:13). Preserve the exact parallel wording at every occurrence without dilution — a direct assertion of Christ’s full deity.
Key Of Death And Hades
Approved rendering: 死亡同陰間嘅鑰匙
Transliteration: sei2 mong4 tung4 jam1 gaan1 ge3 jiu6 si4
Doctrine: Death and Hades Defeated
Rejected alternatives: 問米式嘅陰間打通
Original: αἱ κλεῖς τοῦ θανάτου καὶ τοῦ ᾅδου
Category: Christology
Christ’s sovereign authority over death, secured by his resurrection (1:18). 陰間 collides with the folk ancestral/underworld realm maintained through Ghost Festival (盂蘭節) offerings; teach as a temporary realm under Christ’s own authority, not a parallel spirit-world needing ritual maintenance.
Word Of God Title
Approved rendering: 神嘅道
Transliteration: san4 ge3 dou6
Doctrine: Deity and Eternality of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 神嘅話（保留作一般「神嘅信息」用法，如1:2、6:9、20:4）
Original: ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Personal Christological title for the returning rider on the white horse (19:13), continuing the Johannine Logos-Christology already established via baseline 道成肉身. Never rendered generically as 神嘅話 in this specific title context.
King Of Kings Lord Of Lords
Approved rendering: 萬王之王，萬主之主
Transliteration: maan6 wong4 zi1 wong4, maan6 zyu2 zi1 zyu2
Doctrine: The Return and Reign of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 帶政治忠誠色彩嘅譯法
Original: βασιλεὺς βασιλέων καὶ κύριος κυρίων
Category: Christology
Christ’s exclusive, cosmic authority at his return (17:14; 19:16). Given Hong Kong’s political sensitivities, must be taught as a purely doctrinal claim, never endorsing/opposing any earthly regime. Fixed idiom across virtually all Chinese Bible traditions; do not paraphrase.
Come Lord Jesus
Approved rendering: 主耶穌啊，你來
Transliteration: zyu2 je4 sou1 aa3, nei5 loi4
Doctrine: The Return and Reign of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 帶政治忠誠色彩嘅譯法
Original: Ἔρχου, κύριε Ἰησοῦ
Category: Christology
The church’s climactic prayer of hope (22:20). Parallels the baseline Romans 10:9 salvation confession in weight and required verbatim consistency; render with unqualified confidence, no political-loyalty overtone.
Lamb
Approved rendering: 羔羊
Transliteration: gou1 joeng4
Doctrine: Worship of the Lamb
Rejected alternatives: 一般化嘅「羊」冇titular形式, 生肖羊/未年式嘅聯想
Original: ἀρνίον
Category: Worship
Central Christological title (~28 occurrences), simultaneously slain and triumphant. Never diluted to generic livestock; retain definite reference as a divine title alongside 主/基督/神嘅兒子; never modified by livestock counters/classifiers.
Worship
Approved rendering: 敬拜
Transliteration: ging3 baai3
Doctrine: Worship of the Lamb
Rejected alternatives: 拜神, 拜佛, 拜祖先
Original: προσκυνέω
Category: Worship
The book’s central verb, contrasting worship of God/the Lamb with worship of the beast/dragon/idols. Must be sharply distinguished from Hong Kong temple-worship practice (incense, bowing, offerings at Wong Tai Sin, Man Mo Temple, household ancestor altars, Guanyin devotion); exclusive homage due to God and the Lamb alone.
Water Of Life
Approved rendering: 生命水
Transliteration: sang1 ming6 seoi2
Doctrine: Grace and the Free Gift in the New Creation
Rejected alternatives: 仙丹/長生不老藥（道教煉丹式長生藥）
Original: τὸ ὕδωρ τῆς ζωῆς
Category: Salvation
Eternal life given freely (21:6; 22:1,17). Distinguish from the Daoist alchemical immortality elixir sought through spiritual cultivation; a free gift received by faith, not an achievement.
Without Payment
Approved rendering: 免費 / 唔使錢
Transliteration: min5 fai3 / m4 sai2 cin2
Doctrine: Grace and the Free Gift in the New Creation
Rejected alternatives: 有求必應式嘅交換
Original: δωρεάν
Category: Salvation
Given without cost or exchange (21:6; 22:17). Must sharply contrast with the transactional vow-and-offering exchange modeled by Wong Tai Sin’s ‘whatever you ask, you shall receive.‘
New Heaven And New Earth
Approved rendering: 新天新地 / 更新萬物
Transliteration: san1 tin1 san1 dei6 / gang1 san1 maan6 mat6
Doctrine: The New Heaven and New Earth
Rejected alternatives: 蓬萊仙島/仙境式嘅逃離現世意象
Original: καινὸς οὐρανὸς καὶ καινὴ γῆ / καινός (making all things new)
Category: Eschatology
God’s qualitative re-creation of the cosmos (21:1,5). Distinguish from Daoist immortal-realm concepts, an escape to a separate ethereal paradise; this is a renewed, physical creation, not an ethereal escape.
Dwell Tabernacle
Approved rendering: 同佢哋同住
Transliteration: tung4 keoi5 dei6 tung4 zyu6
Doctrine: New Jerusalem and God’s Dwelling with His People
Rejected alternatives: 化身/顯靈式嘅間歇性顯現
Original: σκηνώσει (fut. of σκηνόω)
Category: Eschatology
Permanent, unmediated divine presence (21:3; cf. 7:15), the climax of the Immanuel promise. Never rendered with a term suggesting temporary manifestation; permanent covenantal presence, not a deity’s episodic shrine appearance.
Bride
Approved rendering: 新婦
Transliteration: san1 fu5
Doctrine: The Church as Bride of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 聘金/嫁妝式嘅婚俗經濟框架
Original: νύμφη
Category: Church
The corporate, redeemed people of God presented to Christ in consummated covenant union (19:7; 21:2,9; 22:17). Must not be reduced to a romantic metaphor or read through Chinese betrothal/dowry customs.
Marriage Supper Of The Lamb
Approved rendering: 羔羊嘅婚宴
Transliteration: gou1 joeng4 ge3 fan1 jin2
Doctrine: The Church as Bride of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 私人化嘅屬靈體驗
Original: ὁ γάμος τοῦ ἀρνίου
Category: Church
The climactic public consummation of Christ and his redeemed people (19:7,9). Combines Critical-tier 羔羊 and 新婦 doctrines; not a private mystical experience but the public celebration of redemptive history’s climax.
Death And Hades
Approved rendering: 死亡 / 陰間
Transliteration: sei2 mong4 / jam1 gaan1
Doctrine: Death and Hades Defeated
Rejected alternatives: 需要子孫拜祭維持嘅陰間/祖先靈界
Original: Θάνατος καὶ Ἅιδης
Category: Judgment
Personified enemies, defeated at Christ’s resurrection (1:18), finally destroyed (20:13-14). 陰間 collides sharply with the folk ancestor/underworld belief central to Ghost Festival and ancestral-hall veneration; these are defeated enemies to be destroyed, not deities to appease.
Second Death
Approved rendering: 第二次死
Transliteration: dai6 ji6 ci3 sei2
Doctrine: Judgment of the Wicked
Rejected alternatives: 投胎轉世式嘅輪迴框架
Original: ὁ θάνατος ὁ δεύτερος
Category: Judgment
The final, one-time, unrepeatable judgment of the unrepentant (2:11; 20:6,14; 21:8). Never framed through reincarnation-cycle logic; a final, non-cyclical verdict.
Lake Of Fire
Approved rendering: 火湖
Transliteration: fo2 wu4
Doctrine: Judgment of the Wicked
Rejected alternatives: 十八層地獄式嘅暫時/贖罪性地獄觀
Original: ἡ λίμνη τοῦ πυρός
Category: Judgment
The final, eternal destiny of the beast, false prophet, Death, Hades, and the unrepentant (19:20; 20:10,14-15; 21:8). Distinguish from the multi-layered, temporary/purgatorial Buddhist hell cosmology; final and non-cyclical, never a stage of purification.
Book Of Life
Approved rendering: 生命冊
Transliteration: sang1 ming6 caak3
Doctrine: Book of Life and Final Judgment
Rejected alternatives: 生死簿（可用賄賂/儀式/功過更改嘅陰司登記冊）
Original: τὸ βιβλίον τῆς ζωῆς
Category: Judgment
God’s record of those belonging to him, grounded in the Lamb’s redemptive work (3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:12,15; 21:27). Direct collision with the folk ‘register of life and death’ kept by underworld officials (判官, 閻羅王); God’s book cannot be bribed or ritually altered — entry is by grace through the Lamb’s blood.
Beast
Approved rendering: 獸
Transliteration: sau3
Doctrine: The Beast and False Worship
Rejected alternatives: 中性化嘅「怪獸」通俗解讀
Original: θηρίον
Category: Judgment
A monstrous, empowered end-time anti-Christian power given authority by the dragon and demanding worship (ch. 13; 17; 19:20; 20:10). Must not carry any positive/neutral ‘wild animal’ connotation nor be trivialized as generic monster-fiction.
Mark Of The Beast
Approved rendering: 獸嘅印記
Transliteration: sau3 ge3 jan3 gei3
Doctrine: The Beast and False Worship
Rejected alternatives: 護身符/符（幸運符聯想）
Original: χάραγμα
Category: Judgment
A mark of ownership/allegiance to the beast, the antithetical counterpart to God’s seal (13:16-17; 14:9; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4). Must be distinguished from feng shui talismans, temple amulets, or lucky charms.
Dragon
Approved rendering: 龍
Transliteration: lung4
Doctrine: Cosmic Conflict: the Dragon and Satan
Rejected alternatives: 任何淡化或迴避「龍」字嘅代替譯法
Original: δράκων
Category: Symbolic-Apocalyptic
Explicitly identified as ‘the ancient serpent… Satan’ (12:9), the ultimate cosmic enemy (chs. 12,13,16,20). The single most severe cultural collision in the curriculum: 龍 is China’s preeminent auspicious symbol (imperial authority, 龍的傳人, dragon dance/boat festivals). Must repeatedly and explicitly clarify this is the biblical text’s own identification of a specific cosmic enemy, not a verdict on Chinese cultural dragon symbolism generally; do not substitute a different word to avoid the collision — 龍 is the textually correct rendering of δράκων.
Kingdom Of The World Becomes Kingdom Of Christ
Approved rendering: 世上嘅國成為我哋主同佢基督嘅國
Transliteration: sai3 soeng6 ge3 gwok3 sing4 wai4 ngo5 dei6 zyu2 tung4 keoi5 gei1 duk1 ge3 gwok3
Doctrine: The Return and Reign of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 政權交接/移交（帶當代政治主權轉移色彩嘅詞彙）
Original: ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ κόσμου ἐγένετο τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ
Category: Kingdom
The seventh trumpet’s proclamation (11:15). Given Hong Kong’s sovereignty-sensitive political climate, must be taught as a purely doctrinal, exclusive claim about Christ’s cosmic reign at his return, never framed as endorsing or opposing any specific earthly political authority. Render the full clause literally, deliberately avoiding single-word political-transition terminology.
Sorcerers
Approved rendering: 行邪術嘅人
Transliteration: hang4 ce4 seot6 ge3 jan4
Doctrine: Occult Practice and Sorcery
Rejected alternatives: 將算命/睇風水/問米/求籤視為中性文化習俗嘅淡化譯法
Original: φαρμακός
Category: Judgment
Practitioners of occult/magical manipulation of spiritual power, excluded from the new creation (9:20-21; 18:23; 21:8; 22:15). Direct collision with widely practiced Hong Kong folk-religious/divinatory customs: fortune-telling, feng shui consultation, spirit-medium consultation, temple fortune-sticks. Requires careful, non-alarmist pastoral framing since many believers’ extended families practice these customs.
Idolaters
Approved rendering: 拜偶像嘅人
Transliteration: baai3 ngau5 zoeng6 ge3 jan4
Doctrine: Exclusivity of Worship and the Sin of Idolatry
Rejected alternatives: 淡化為只指異教徒而唔包括本地家庭崇拜實踐
Original: εἰδωλολάτρης
Category: Judgment
Those who worship images/idols instead of God, excluded from the consummated kingdom (9:20; 21:8; 22:15). Names worship (拜) offered to images (偶像), directly touching Hong Kong temple worship and household veneration of deity statues/ancestral tablets; must be taught with pastoral sensitivity given many believers’ extended family members practice this, without softening the text’s exclusion.
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] Distinguish from ancestor veneration. Revelation extension: source of the overcomer’s inheritance (21:7, see new term overcomer_heritage_inherit) and of Christ’s own authority received from him (2:27; 3:5, 21).
Faith
Approved rendering: 信心
Transliteration: seon3 sam1
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: 虔誠, 睇相算命式嘅相信
Original: πίστις / πιστός
Category: Faith
[INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE] Revelation extension: root also used negated for new term faithless (唔信嘅人, 21:8) and in the triad 蒙召嘅、被揀選嘅、忠心嘅 (17:14).
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] Revelation extension: root of 聖城 (holy city, 21:2), 聖哉、聖哉、聖哉 (4:8), and new term nothing_unclean_shall_enter (21:27).
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] Revelation extension: corporate designation for all believers, especially the persecuted whose prayers and blood are remembered before God (5:8; 8:3-4; 13:7,10; 17:6).
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] Revelation extension: compound with new term ark_of_the_covenant (約櫃, 11:19).
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] Revelation extension: the Lamb’s blood has ‘freed us’ from it (1:5); distinguish from karmic retribution (報應) throughout all judgment/plague language.
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] Revelation extension: part of the triad describing those loyal to the Lamb against Babylon’s seduction (17:14): 蒙召嘅、被揀選嘅、忠心嘅.
Election
Approved rendering: 揀選
Transliteration: gaan2 syun2
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: 命運, 八字注定
Original: ἐκλεκτός / ἐκλογή
Category: Salvation
[INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE] Revelation extension: same triad, 17:14. Never 八字注定.
Power Of God
Approved rendering: 神嘅大能
Transliteration: san4 ge3 daai6 nang4
Doctrine: Power of God for Salvation
Rejected alternatives: 法力, 風水嘅力量
Original: δύναμις θεοῦ
Category: God
[INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE] Revelation extension: acclaimed repeatedly in heavenly worship (7:12; 11:17; 12:10; 19:1); root of new title term almighty (全能者).
Sanctification
Approved rendering: 成聖
Transliteration: sing4 sing3
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: 修煉, 戒除惡習
[INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE] Revelation extension: the Bride’s purity/adornment (19:8; new term adorned) is Spirit-wrought and God-granted, not self-achieved cultivation.
Adoption
Approved rendering: 兒子嘅名分
Transliteration: ji4 zi2 ge3 ming4 fan6
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Rejected alternatives: 過繼, 認契仔
[INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE] Revelation extension: underlies the overcomer’s inheritance-rights language (new term overcomer_heritage_inherit, 21:7) and derived sonship (new term son_believer, 21:7).
Seed Of David
Approved rendering: 大衛嘅後裔
Transliteration: daai6 wai6 ge3 hau6 jeoi6
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
[INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE] Revelation extension: keep distinct from new term lion_of_judah_root_of_david (獅子 / 大衛嘅根, 5:5; 22:16) — ‘Root’ affirms pre-existence/deity beyond mere physical descent.
Almighty
Approved rendering: 全能者
Transliteration: cyun4 nang4 ze2
Doctrine: The Sovereignty of God over History
Rejected alternatives: 法力, 玉皇大帝式嘅至尊神
Original: παντοκράτωρ
Category: God
παντοκράτωρ, ruler of all (1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7,14; 19:6,15; 21:22). Must not be diluted to ‘a supreme deity among many,’ as with the Jade Emperor (玉皇大帝) atop the folk pantheon; names God’s exclusive, total rule.
Son Of Man
Approved rendering: 人子
Transliteration: jan4 zi2
Doctrine: Son of Man Christology
Rejected alternatives: 神嘅兒子（保留給神子）
Original: υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου
Category: Christology
Danielic messianic self-designation (1:13; 14:14; cf. Daniel 7:13). Keep visually and lexically distinct from 神嘅兒子 (Son of God); conflating the two either demotes Christ’s deity or flattens this title’s authority-in-human-form nuance.
Faithful And True
Approved rendering: 忠信同真實
Transliteration: zung1 seon3 tung4 zan1 sat6
Doctrine: Deity and Eternality of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 誠實（過於一般化）
Original: πιστὸς καὶ ἀληθινός
Category: Christology
Divine self-authentication formula (3:14; 19:11; 21:5). Must not be flattened to generic ‘honest’; a divine-guarantee formula tied to Christ’s own titles.
Lion Of Judah Root Of David
Approved rendering: 獅子 / 大衛嘅根
Transliteration: si1 zi2 / daai6 wai6 ge3 gan1
Doctrine: Covenant Continuity and Unity of God’s People
Rejected alternatives: 舞獅/石獅嘅守護獅意象
Original: ὁ λέων ὁ ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς Ἰούδα, ἡ ῥίζα Δαυίδ
Category: Christology
Messianic titles from Genesis 49:9-10 and Isaiah 11:1,10 (5:5; 22:16). ‘Root’ (not merely descendant) affirms Christ’s pre-existence/deity; keep distinct from baseline 大衛嘅後裔. 獅子 must be distinguished from lion-dance/guardian-lion imagery common at HK festivals.
Morning Star
Approved rendering: 晨星
Transliteration: san4 sing1
Doctrine: Deity and Eternality of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 占星式嘅星象吉兆
Original: ὁ ἀστὴρ ὁ πρωϊνός
Category: Christology
Christological self-designation (2:28; 22:16). Must not be read through the lens of astrological portents (占星), a common Hong Kong pop-culture practice.
Throne
Approved rendering: 寶座
Transliteration: bou2 zo6
Doctrine: The Sovereignty of God over History
Rejected alternatives: 龍椅（帝王象徵）
Original: θρόνος
Category: God
Seat of God’s/the Lamb’s sovereign rule (chs. 4-5, 20:11, 21:3, 22:1,3). Distinguish from the imperial ‘dragon throne’ (龍椅); consistently qualify with 神嘅/羔羊嘅 possessive markers, framed as cosmic, not this-worldly political, sovereignty.
Living Creatures
Approved rendering: 活物 / 四活物
Transliteration: wut6 mat6 / sei3 wut6 mat6
Doctrine: Worship of the Lamb
Rejected alternatives: 四象（中國方位守護神獸系統）
Original: τὰ ζῷα
Category: Worship
Heavenly worshipping beings from Ezekiel’s vision (ch. 4-5, 6:1-8, 15:7, 19:4). Potential visual echo with 四象 (青龍白虎朱雀玄武); requires a one-time explanatory gloss distinguishing the two at first occurrence.
Holy Holy Holy
Approved rendering: 聖哉、聖哉、聖哉
Transliteration: sing3 zoi1, sing3 zoi1, sing3 zoi1
Doctrine: Worship of the Lamb
Original: ἅγιος ἅγιος ἅγιος
Category: Worship
The living creatures’ unceasing acclamation of God’s holiness (4:8), echoing Isaiah 6:3; triple repetition intensifies rather than merely decorates.
Incense Prayers Of Saints
Approved rendering: 香
Transliteration: hoeng1
Doctrine: Prayer and Heavenly Worship Response
Rejected alternatives: 燒香拜神/拜祖先嘅儀式技法
Original: θυμίαμα, αἵ εἰσιν αἱ προσευχαὶ τῶν ἁγίων
Category: Worship
Symbolic incense explicitly identified as the prayers of the saints (5:8; 8:3-4). Distinguish sharply from temple incense-burning ritual practice where the smoke itself is believed to carry petitions; here it is purely symbolic, requiring no ritual mediation.
Seal
Approved rendering: 印 / 封印 / 蓋印
Transliteration: jan3 / fung1 jan3 / goi3 jan3
Doctrine: Symbolic and Apocalyptic Interpretation
Rejected alternatives: 平安符（風水/廟宇護身符）
Original: σφραγίς / σφραγίζω
Category: Symbolic-Apocalyptic
Mark of ownership/authentication/security securing the scroll (ch. 5-6) and later marking God’s own people (ch. 7, 9:4). Distinguish from feng shui/temple protective talismans; lean into the secular chop/official-seal association (binding, secure, unforgeable) rather than a magical charm.
Redeemed Purchased
Approved rendering: 用血買贖咗
Transliteration: jung6 hyut3 maai5 suk6 zo2
Doctrine: Worship of the Lamb
Rejected alternatives: 還神還願式嘅交換
Original: ἀγοράζω
Category: Salvation
A one-time, complete, costly purchase by Christ’s blood (5:9; 14:3-4). Must not collapse into a temple vow-fulfillment framework, nor a mere commercial transaction devoid of costly sacrifice.
Every Tribe Tongue People Nation
Approved rendering: 各支派、各方言、各民族、各邦國
Transliteration: gok3 zi1 paai3, gok3 fong1 jin4, gok3 man4 zuk6, gok3 bong1 gwok3
Doctrine: Covenant Continuity and Unity of God’s People
Rejected alternatives: 任何暗示地方/宗族等級嘅譯法
Original: πᾶσαν φυλὴν καὶ γλῶσσαν καὶ λαὸν καὶ ἔθνος
Category: Church
Universal scope of the redeemed multitude (5:9; 7:9; 14:6). Retain full unqualified universality without privileging any ethnic/linguistic group or importing clan/local-hierarchy framing.
Testimony Witness
Approved rendering: 見證 / 見證人
Transliteration: gin3 zing3 / gin3 zing3 jan4
Doctrine: Perseverance and Faithful Witness under Persecution
Rejected alternatives: 休閒式嘅個人見證分享
Original: μαρτυρία / μάρτυς
Category: Perseverance
Costly proclamation, sometimes unto death (1:2,9; 6:9; 12:11,17; 20:4). Must not collapse into casual HK church ‘personal testimony sharing’; carries the weight of costly, sometimes fatal, faithful proclamation.
Two Witnesses
Approved rendering: 兩個見證人
Transliteration: loeng5 go3 gin3 zing3 jan4
Doctrine: Perseverance and Faithful Witness under Persecution
Original: οἱ δύο μάρτυρες
Category: Perseverance
A representative prophetic pair who testify, are killed, and are vindicated by resurrection (11:3-13), paralleling Christ’s own pattern.
Overcome Conquer
Approved rendering: 得勝
Transliteration: dak1 sing3
Doctrine: Assurance of God’s Final Victory over Evil
Rejected alternatives: 武俠式自我修為得勝
Original: ὁ νικῶν / νικάω
Category: Perseverance
To prevail in faithful endurance (seven letters; 12:11; 21:7). Must be tied to Christ’s own victory (‘by the blood of the Lamb,’ 12:11), not read as a martial-arts-style self-achieved triumph.
Tribulation
Approved rendering: 患難
Transliteration: waan6 naan6
Doctrine: Perseverance and Faithful Witness under Persecution
Rejected alternatives: 命中注定嘅苦難
Original: θλῖψις
Category: Perseverance
Distress and persecution endured for Christ’s sake (1:9; 2:9-10; 7:14). Distinguish from fate-determined suffering.
Patience Of The Saints
Approved rendering: 忍耐
Transliteration: jan2 loi6
Doctrine: Vindication of the Saints
Rejected alternatives: 斯多噶式嘅忍/義氣自我修為
Original: ἡ ὑπομονή τῶν ἁγίων
Category: Perseverance
Hope-fueled perseverance rooted in Christ’s certain return (seven letters; 13:10; 14:12). Distinguish from stoic self-cultivation or face-saving endurance idiom.
Cowardly
Approved rendering: 膽怯嘅人
Transliteration: daam2 hip3 ge3 jan4
Doctrine: Perseverance and Faithful Witness under Persecution
Original: δειλός
Category: Perseverance
Failure to persevere under persecution/fear, the opposite of the overcomer (21:8); not a general character-flaw judgment.
Faithless
Approved rendering: 唔信嘅人
Transliteration: m4 seon3 ge3 jan4
Doctrine: Judgment of the Wicked
Original: ἄπιστος
Category: Faith
Those who do not trust/believe in Christ, excluded from the new creation (21:8). Reuses baseline 信心 root, negated.
Tree Of Life
Approved rendering: 生命樹
Transliteration: sang1 ming6 syu6
Doctrine: The New Heaven and New Earth
Rejected alternatives: 蟠桃/仙桃長生神話
Original: τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς
Category: Eschatology
Access to eternal life promised to the overcomer (2:7) and available in the new Jerusalem (22:2,14,19). Distinguish from the Queen Mother of the West’s immortality-peach mythology; God’s gift of restored fellowship, not a magical fruit.
New Jerusalem
Approved rendering: 新耶路撒冷
Transliteration: san1 je4 lou6 saat3 laang6
Doctrine: New Jerusalem and God’s Dwelling with His People
Original: Ἰερουσαλὴμ καινή
Category: Eschatology
The eschatological city of God, descending from heaven to renewed earth (3:12; 21:2,10). Must retain the downward direction, preserving Revelation’s earth-affirming eschatology against any escapist misreading.
No Temple
Approved rendering: 見唔到聖殿
Transliteration: gin3 m4 dou2 sing3 din6
Doctrine: New Jerusalem and God’s Dwelling with His People
Rejected alternatives: 廟（一般廟宇/神壇）
Original: ναὸν οὐκ εἶδον ἐν αὐτῇ
Category: Eschatology
God’s and the Lamb’s presence replaces any need for a temple building (21:22). Not a rejection of worship but its fulfillment/transcendence; distinct from 廟.
See His Face
Approved rendering: 佢哋將見到佢嘅面
Transliteration: keoi5 dei6 zoeng1 gin3 dou2 keoi5 ge3 min6
Doctrine: The New Heaven and New Earth
Rejected alternatives: 純比喻化嘅「經歷神」譯法
Original: τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ὄψονται
Category: Eschatology
The reversal of Exodus 33:20 (no one may see God’s face and live), in the consummated new creation (22:4). Needs an OT background gloss; must not be flattened to a merely figurative ‘experience God’s presence.‘
Bridegroom
Approved rendering: 新郎
Transliteration: san1 long4
Doctrine: The Church as Bride of Christ
Original: νυμφίος
Category: Church
Christ as the Bride’s husband in the consummated wedding image; keep consistent register with 新婦.
Great White Throne
Approved rendering: 白色嘅大寶座
Transliteration: baak6 sik1 ge3 daai6 bou2 zo6
Doctrine: Book of Life and Final Judgment
Original: θρόνος λευκὸς μέγας
Category: Judgment
The scene of final judgment of the dead (20:11). Reuses 寶座 root.
Judged According To Works
Approved rendering: 按住佢哋嘅行為
Transliteration: on3 zyu6 keoi5 dei6 ge3 hang4 wai4
Doctrine: Book of Life and Final Judgment
Rejected alternatives: 功德/善有善報惡有惡報式嘅業力帳簿框架
Original: κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν
Category: Judgment
Final judgment of the unbelieving dead, weighed against a record of deeds (20:12-13). Must be carefully distinguished from a karma/merit framework; describes final judgment of those outside Christ, not the believer’s justification by grace through faith.
Number Of The Beast
Approved rendering: 六百六十六
Transliteration: luk6 baak3 luk6 sap6 luk6
Doctrine: Symbolic and Apocalyptic Interpretation
Rejected alternatives: 六六大順式嘅「好意頭」數字解讀
Original: ὁ ἀριθμὸς τοῦ θηρίου, χξϛ
Category: Judgment
666, a symbolic number of imperfection falling short of God’s completeness (13:18). Given Cantonese numerology where 6 is normally an auspicious ‘smooth’ number, this constitutes a notable inversion that must be flagged explicitly, never read as a lucky number.
Ancient Serpent Satan Devil
Approved rendering: 古蛇 / 撒但 / 魔鬼
Transliteration: gu2 se4 / saat3 daan6 / mo1 gwai2
Doctrine: Cosmic Conflict: the Dragon and Satan
Rejected alternatives: 一般化嘅「鬼」（民間靈界統稱）
Original: ὁ ὄφις ὁ ἀρχαῖος / ὁ Σατανᾶς / ὁ διάβολος
Category: Symbolic-Apocalyptic
Three descriptive titles with an identical referent (12:9; 20:2). Must be distinguished sharply from generic 鬼, the broad folk category covering ancestral and wandering/hungry ghosts; these titles name one specific, personal, defeated arch-enemy.
Great Prostitute
Approved rendering: 大淫婦
Transliteration: daai6 jam4 fu5
Doctrine: Babylon and Worldly Systems
Rejected alternatives: 對任何真實族群/城市/個人嘅指控式解讀
Original: ἡ πόρνη ἡ μεγάλη
Category: Symbolic-Apocalyptic
OT prophetic imagery for covenant-unfaithfulness/idolatry applied to a corrupt world-system (ch. 17). Must not be read as commentary on any real ethnic group, city, or individual but as a symbolic figure, contrasted sharply with the faithful Bride.
Babylon The Great
Approved rendering: 大巴比倫
Transliteration: daai6 baa1 bei2 leon4
Doctrine: Babylon and Worldly Systems
Rejected alternatives: 對現代伊拉克/巴比倫嘅字面預言解讀
Original: Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη
Category: Symbolic-Apocalyptic
Symbolic name (likely coded for Rome originally) for the world-system opposed to God (14:8; ch. 17-18). Must not be taught as a literal end-times prediction about the ancient or modern city of Babylon/Iraq.
Abyss
Approved rendering: 無底坑 / 深淵
Transliteration: mou4 dai2 haang1 / sam1 jyun1
Doctrine: Symbolic and Apocalyptic Interpretation
Rejected alternatives: 十八層地獄/陰間式嘅靈魂中轉贖罪框架
Original: ἄβυσσος
Category: Symbolic-Apocalyptic
A subterranean prison for demonic beings and, later, Satan, pending final judgment (9:1-2,11; 11:7; 20:1,3). Distinguish from the multi-layered Buddhist hell realms or the folk yin-world transit-for-souls concept; a temporary confinement for demonic beings, not a purgatorial realm for human souls.
Sealed 144000
Approved rendering: 十四萬四千 / 蓋咗印嘅
Transliteration: sap6 sei3 maan6 sei3 cin1 / goi3 zo2 jan3 ge3
Doctrine: Symbolic and Apocalyptic Interpretation
Rejected alternatives: 字面人口普查式嘅數字解讀
Original: ἐσφραγισμένους / δώδεκα χιλιάδες
Category: Symbolic-Apocalyptic
A symbolic-apocalyptic number representing the complete, secure people of God (7:4-8; 14:1,3). Teach as representative/symbolic, not a literal census figure.
Wrath
Approved rendering: 忿怒
Transliteration: fan5 nou6
Doctrine: Judgment of the Wicked
Rejected alternatives: 報應（非人格化嘅因果報應）
Original: ὀργή / θυμός
Category: Judgment
God’s/the Lamb’s righteous judicial response to sin (6:16-17; 14:10,19; 15:1,7; 16:1; 19:15). Must be distinguished from impersonal karmic retribution; God’s personal, righteous, judicial response, satisfied only through Christ.
Plague
Approved rendering: 災難
Transliteration: zoi1 naan6
Doctrine: Judgment of the Wicked
Rejected alternatives: 報應/風水凶兆式嘅框架
Original: πληγή
Category: Judgment
A decisive divine affliction, climaxing in the seven bowl-plagues (ch. 9, 15-16, 21:9). Distinguish from karma and feng shui disaster-omen thinking; specific, sovereign, purposeful divine judgments, not impersonal fate.
Righteous Judgments Of God
Approved rendering: 你嘅審判係公義嘅
Transliteration: nei5 ge3 sam2 pun3 hai6 gung1 ji6 ge3
Doctrine: Judgment of the Wicked
Rejected alternatives: 義氣式嘅忠義聯想套用喺神身上
Original: δίκαιαι αἱ κρίσεις σου
Category: Judgment
Declaration that God’s judicial verdicts are righteous (16:7; 19:2). Reuses baseline 義 root; must retain forensic/right-standing sense as applied to God’s own judgments, distinct from the Confucian loyalty-and-honor idiom 義氣.
Synagogue Of Satan
Approved rendering: 撒但嘅會堂
Transliteration: saat3 daan6 ge3 wui6 tong4
Doctrine: Symbolic and Apocalyptic Interpretation
Rejected alternatives: 泛化為反猶太人嘅譯法
Original: συναγωγὴ τοῦ Σατανᾶ
Category: Symbolic-Apocalyptic
A polemical designation within a specific first-century Jewish-Christian dispute (2:9; 3:9). Must not be generalized into a blanket anti-Jewish reading.
Ark Of The Covenant
Approved rendering: 約櫃
Transliteration: joek3 gwai6
Doctrine: Covenant Continuity and Unity of God’s People
Original: ἡ κιβωτὸς τῆς διαθήκης
Category: Covenant
God’s covenant presence, seen in the opened heavenly temple (11:19). Reuses baseline 約 (covenant) root exactly.
Amen
Approved rendering: 阿們
Transliteration: aa3 mun4
Doctrine: Deity and Eternality of Christ
Original: ὁ Ἀμήν / Ἀμήν
Category: Worship
Established transliteration (follows the Romans package’s transliteration standard; no separate Romans TM entry existed, first added here). Liturgical closing word (1:7; 5:14; 7:12; 19:4; 22:20-21), but distinctively a personal title for Christ at Laodicea (3:14) — must retain that this names Christ himself as the guarantor of God’s promises when used titularly.
Robes Washed In Blood Of Lamb
Approved rendering: 用羔羊嘅血洗白咗嘅袍
Transliteration: jung6 gou1 joeng4 ge3 hyut3 sai2 baak6 zo2 ge3 pou4
Doctrine: Vindication of the Saints
Rejected alternatives: 淡化為一般潔淨衣物意象
Original: ἔπλυναν τὰς στολὰς αὐτῶν … ἐν τῷ αἵματι τοῦ ἀρνίου
Category: Salvation
The martyrs’ and saints’ purity, achieved entirely through Christ’s atoning blood (7:14). Must retain the sacrificial-atonement paradox (white made white BY blood), not softened to a generic purity-garment image.
Nothing Unclean Shall Enter
Approved rendering: 凡不潔嘅都唔可以入去
Transliteration: faan4 bat1 git3 ge3 dou1 m4 ho2 ji5 jap6 heoi3
Doctrine: Sanctification and Holiness of the Church
Rejected alternatives: 純儀式性嘅潁淨規範
Original: οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθῃ εἰς αὐτὴν πᾶν κοινόν
Category: Sanctification
The moral (not merely ritual) purity required to enter the new Jerusalem (21:27). Reuses baseline 聖潔 framework; moral, not ritual, purity is meant.
Thousand Years
Approved rendering: 一千年
Transliteration: jat1 cin1 nin4
Doctrine: The Millennium and Eschatological Timeline
Rejected alternatives: 將單一千禧年解釋框架植入譯文本身
Original: χίλια ἔτη
Category: Eschatology
A specific, numerically stated period associated with Satan’s binding and Christ’s reign, the subject of substantial interpretive debate (20:1-7). Render literally without embedding any single interpretive scheme (premillennial/amillennial/postmillennial); leave interpretation to teaching notes.
First Resurrection
Approved rendering: 頭一次復活
Transliteration: tau4 jat1 ci3 fuk6 wut6
Doctrine: The Millennium and Eschatological Timeline
Original: ἡ ἀνάστασις ἡ πρώτη
Category: Eschatology
The resurrection of those who reign with Christ for a thousand years (20:5-6). Reuses baseline 復活 root; connects to the millennium interpretive question.
Overcomer Heritage Inherit
Approved rendering: 承受
Transliteration: sing4 sau6
Doctrine: The Church as Bride of Christ
Original: κληρονομήσει
Category: Salvation
The overcomer’s full inheritance-rights standing before God (21:7). Connects to baseline adoption doctrine (兒子嘅名分); a full filial right, not a lesser or provisional status.
Son Believer
Approved rendering: 兒子
Transliteration: ji4 zi2
Doctrine: The Church as Bride of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 神嘅兒子（只保留予基督本身）
Original: υἱός
Category: Church
Believers’ filial status before God as adopted sons (21:7). Must be kept distinct from baseline 神嘅兒子 (Son of God, Critical, reserved exclusively for Christ’s unique eternal Sonship); here it names believers’ derived, adoptive sonship, consistent with baseline adoption doctrine.
Medium Risk Terms
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] Revelation extension: part of the opening greeting formula (1:4).
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] Revelation extension: addressed directly in chapters 1-3.
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] Revelation extension: ascribed to God and the Lamb in worship (1:6; 4:11; 5:12-13) and fills the new Jerusalem (21:11, 23-24).
Israel
Approved rendering: 以色列
Transliteration: ji5 sik1 lit6
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: יִשְׂרָאֵל
Category: Covenant
[INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE] Revelation extension: twelve tribes sealed (7:4-8) and named on the new Jerusalem’s gates (21:12).
David
Approved rendering: 大衛
Transliteration: daai6 wai6
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: דָּוִד
Category: Covenant
[INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE] Revelation extension: root of new terms lion_of_judah_root_of_david (5:5; 22:16) and baseline seed_of_david.
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] Revelation extension: appears as new term eternal_gospel (永遠嘅福音, 14:6). Root 福 still carries Hong Kong New Year prosperity-culture resonance; teach as authoritative announcement, not a fortune.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: 神嘅國
Transliteration: san4 ge3 gwok3
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Rejected alternatives: 天下, 王朝
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
[INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE] Revelation extension: compound form 國度 also used (1:6; 5:10; see new term kingdom_and_priests); elevated to Critical when combined with new term kingdom_of_the_world_becomes_kingdom_of_christ (11:15) — keep apolitical, spiritual framing given HK sensitivities.
Gentiles
Approved rendering: 外邦人
Transliteration: ngoi6 bong1 jan4
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: 外江佬, 鄉下人
Original: ἔθνη
Category: Church
[INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE] Revelation extension: also rendered 萬國 in universal-scope contexts (see new term every_tribe_tongue_people_nation).
Prophecy
Approved rendering: 預言
Transliteration: jyu6 jin4
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: 求籤, 睇風水擇日
Original: προφητεία / προφητεύω
Category: Covenant
[INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE] Revelation extension: the whole book is called ‘the words of the prophecy’ (1:3; 22:7,10,18-19); the two witnesses 講預言 (11:3,6).
Mission
Approved rendering: 宣教
Transliteration: syun1 gaau3
Doctrine: Mission to the Nations
Rejected alternatives: 洋教傳播
Original: ἀποστολή / πέμπω (cf. “eternal gospel” to every nation, 14:6)
Category: Church
[INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE] Revelation extension: the eternal gospel proclaimed to every nation, tribe, tongue, people (14:6).
Intercession
Approved rendering: 代求
Transliteration: doi6 kau4
Doctrine: Prayer and Intercession
Rejected alternatives: 求籤代辦, 問米
[INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE] Revelation extension: connects to new terms incense_prayers_of_saints (5:8; 8:3-4) and souls_under_the_altar (6:9-11).
Elders
Approved rendering: 長老
Transliteration: zoeng2 lou5
Doctrine: Prayer and Heavenly Worship Response
Rejected alternatives: 鄉紳/父老（宗族長老會）
Original: πρεσβύτεροι
Category: Worship
The twenty-four elders around the throne, representing the redeemed people of God. Distinguish from clan/village elder councils prominent in Pearl River Delta lineage culture.
Worthy
Approved rendering: 配 / 配得
Transliteration: pui3 / pui3 dak1
Doctrine: Worship of the Lamb
Original: ἄξιος
Category: Worship
Fitting right to receive honor, exclusive to God and the Lamb (4:11; 5:2,4,9,12).
New Song
Approved rendering: 新歌
Transliteration: san1 go1
Doctrine: Worship of the Lamb
Original: ᾆσμα καινόν
Category: Worship
A new hymn celebrating the Lamb’s redemptive worthiness (5:9) and the redeemed’s unique standing (14:3).
Scroll Book
Approved rendering: 書卷
Transliteration: syu1 gyun2
Doctrine: Symbolic and Apocalyptic Interpretation
Original: βιβλίον
Category: Symbolic-Apocalyptic
The sealed scroll of God’s redemptive purposes for history, opened only by the worthy Lamb (ch. 5). Distinct from 生命冊 (book of life).
Crown Of Life
Approved rendering: 生命嘅冠冕
Transliteration: sang1 ming6 ge3 gun3 min5
Doctrine: Vindication of the Saints
Rejected alternatives: 世俗/政治榮譽皇冠
Original: στέφανος τῆς ζωῆς
Category: Perseverance
A victor’s wreath, spiritualized as eternal life, for faithful endurance unto death (2:10). Distinguish from an earthly royal/imperial crown.
No More Curse
Approved rendering: 咒詛
Transliteration: zau3 zou3
Doctrine: The New Heaven and New Earth
Rejected alternatives: 解咒/化解（風水破解儀式）
Original: κατάρα
Category: Eschatology
Final removal of the Genesis 3 curse over creation (22:3). Distinguish from feng shui/folk curse-removal practices; accomplished by God, not warded off through ritual.
Adorned
Approved rendering: 打扮好
Transliteration: daa2 baan6 hou2
Doctrine: Sanctification and Holiness of the Church
Rejected alternatives: 自我裝身/自修式嘅預備
Original: κεκοσμημένην
Category: Church
The Bride’s readiness and beauty, given by God, not self-achieved (21:2; cf. 19:8). Must not suggest self-earned merit.
Twelve Gates Foundations
Approved rendering: 城門 / 根基
Transliteration: sing4 mun4 / gan1 gei1
Doctrine: Covenant Continuity and Unity of God’s People
Original: πύλαι / θεμέλιοι
Category: Church
Twelve gates named for the twelve tribes, twelve foundations named for the twelve apostles (21:12-14); signals Old-and-New-Covenant continuity.
Accuser
Approved rendering: 控告者
Transliteration: hung3 gou3 ze2
Doctrine: Cosmic Conflict: the Dragon and Satan
Original: ὁ κατήγορος
Category: Symbolic-Apocalyptic
Satan’s role accusing the saints before God, defeated by the Lamb’s blood (12:10).
Woman Symbolic
Approved rendering: 婦人
Transliteration: fu5 jan4
Doctrine: Cosmic Conflict: the Dragon and Satan
Rejected alternatives: 聖母敬禮式嘅個人化解讀
Original: γυνή
Category: Symbolic-Apocalyptic
A symbolic figure representing the faithful covenant community, from whom the Messiah comes and who is persecuted by the dragon (ch. 12). Must not be over-literalized nor imported into a Marian-veneration framework, consistent with this Protestant-oriented package.
Armageddon
Approved rendering: 哈米吉多頓
Transliteration: haa1 mai5 gat1 do1 deon6
Doctrine: Symbolic and Apocalyptic Interpretation
Rejected alternatives: 對現代地理戰場嘅字面指認
Original: Ἁρμαγεδών
Category: Symbolic-Apocalyptic
A symbolic staging-ground for the final battle of God’s victory (16:16). Functions symbolically rather than requiring identification with a literal modern battlefield.
Revelation Apocalypse
Approved rendering: 啟示
Transliteration: kai2 si6
Doctrine: Divine Inspiration and Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: 人類自行嘅「發現」或「領悟」
Original: ἀποκάλυψις
Category: Symbolic-Apocalyptic
God’s unveiling of end-time realities through Christ, the book’s title (1:1). Distinguish from generic human ‘insight’ or ‘discovery.‘
Mystery Of God
Approved rendering: 奧祕
Transliteration: ou3 bei3
Doctrine: The Sovereignty of God over History
Rejected alternatives: 術數/秘術式嘅占卜秘技
Original: μυστήριον τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Sovereignty
God’s previously hidden redemptive plan, disclosed at the seventh trumpet (10:7). Distinguish from esoteric occult ‘secrets’ associated with fortune-telling/Daoist esoteric practice.
Kingdom And Priests
Approved rendering: 國度 / 祭司
Transliteration: gwok3 dou6 / zai3 si1
Doctrine: Kingdom of God and Political Neutrality
Rejected alternatives: 道士/和尚式嘅儀式專職階層
Original: βασιλεία, ἱερεῖς
Category: Kingdom
Believers’ corporate royal-priestly identity constituted through Christ’s blood (1:6; 5:10). 祭司 must be distinguished from ritual-specialist castes such as Daoist priests or Buddhist monks; believers’ priesthood is direct access through Christ, without human ritual intermediation.
Souls Under The Altar
Approved rendering: 靈魂
Transliteration: ling4 wan4
Doctrine: Vindication of the Saints
Rejected alternatives: 孤魂野鬼（需要安撫嘅遊魂）
Original: αἱ ψυχαί … ὑποκάτω τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου
Category: Judgment
Martyrs’ souls consciously awaiting God’s justice (6:9-11). Distinguish from folk ‘wandering/hungry ghosts’ needing appeasement, a Ghost Festival (盂蘭節) concept; righteous martyrs at rest under God’s care.
Altar
Approved rendering: 祭壇
Transliteration: zai3 taan4
Doctrine: Prayer and Heavenly Worship Response
Rejected alternatives: 神枱/祖先神位（持續嘅廟宇/祖先祭壇）
Original: θυσιαστήριον
Category: Worship
The heavenly altar associated with the martyrs’ prayers and God’s judgments (6:9; 8:3-5; 9:13; 16:7). Distinguish from ongoing temple/ancestral altars; symbolizes the once-for-all efficacy of Christ’s sacrifice, not continuing propitiatory ritual.
Harvest Sickle Winepress
Approved rendering: 收割 / 鎌刀 / 神嘅忿怒嘅酒醡
Transliteration: sau1 got3 / lim4 dou1 / san4 ge3 fan5 nou6 ge3 zau2 zaa3
Doctrine: Judgment of the Wicked
Original: θερισμός, δρέπανον, ληνὸς τοῦ θυμοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Judgment
Vivid agricultural judgment imagery of final harvest (14:14-20); connects to the 忿怒 (wrath) entry.
Lukewarm Gold Refined
Approved rendering: 溫溫吞吞 / 用火煉淨嘅金
Transliteration: wan1 wan1 tan1 tan1 / jung6 fo2 lin6 zeng6 ge3 gam1
Doctrine: Sanctification and Holiness of the Church
Original: χλιαρός / χρυσίον πεπυρωμένον ἐκ πυρός
Category: Church
Laodicea’s spiritual complacency and Christ’s call to Spirit-refined faith (3:15-18).
Sword From Mouth
Approved rendering: 劍
Transliteration: gim3
Doctrine: The Return and Reign of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 武俠式嘅寶劍英雄意象
Original: ῥομφαία
Category: Christology
Symbolic of Christ’s authoritative, judging spoken word (1:16; 2:12,16; 19:15,21). Must be read symbolically, not literally, and not through wuxia-heroic sword imagery.
Repentance
Approved rendering: 悔改
Transliteration: fui3 goi2
Doctrine: Repentance amid Judgment
Rejected alternatives: 廟宇認罪/懺悔儀式
Original: μετανοέω
Category: Symbolic-Apocalyptic
Genuine change of heart and direction, the door of escape God offers even amid catastrophic judgment (2:5,16,21-22; 3:3,19; 9:20-21; 16:9-11). Distinguish from superficial regret or ritual confession practices at temples.
Blessed
Approved rendering: 有福嘅
Transliteration: jau5 fuk1 ge3
Doctrine: Thanksgiving and Eschatological Blessing
Rejected alternatives: 恭喜發財式嘅商業好運
Original: μακάριος
Category: Salvation
Eschatological covenant favor and joy, pronounced seven times over those who keep the words of this prophecy (1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7,14). Reuses the 福 root flagged for New Year prosperity-culture collision; must clarify eschatological covenant favor, not fortune/luck.
Coming Soon
Approved rendering: 快啲
Transliteration: faai3 di1
Doctrine: The Return and Reign of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 含糊化為「終有一日」而失去迫切感
Original: ταχύ
Category: Christology
Christ’s certain, imminent return (2:16; 3:11; 22:7,12,20). Must be handled with care given nearly two thousand years having passed, without diluting urgency or resorting to date-setting speculation.
Tabernacle Of Testimony
Approved rendering: 見證嘅帳幕
Transliteration: gin3 zing3 ge3 zoeng3 mok6
Doctrine: Prayer and Heavenly Worship Response
Original: ἡ σκηνὴ τοῦ μαρτυρίου
Category: Worship
The heavenly tabernacle from which the seven bowl-angels emerge (15:5); ties to the witness/testimony term family, OT tabernacle background requires a brief gloss.
Eternal Gospel
Approved rendering: 永遠嘅福音
Transliteration: wing5 jyun5 ge3 fuk1 jam1
Doctrine: Divine Inspiration and Prophecy
Original: εὐαγγέλιον αἰώνιον
Category: Salvation
The gospel proclaimed to every nation, tribe, tongue, people by the flying angel (14:6). Reuses baseline 福音 root; emphasize authoritative, unchanging, universal proclamation.
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] Revelation extension: the twelve apostles are named on the new Jerusalem’s twelve foundations (new term twelve_gates_foundations, 21:14).
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: 感恩
Transliteration: gam2 jan1
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Original: εὐχαριστέω
Category: Faith
[INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE] Revelation extension: voiced by the elders at the seventh trumpet (11:17).
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] Revelation extension: used of OT prophets (10:7; 22:9) and of the false prophet aligned with the beast (16:13; 19:20; 20:10) — a distinct antagonist figure, not this term’s normal referent.
Merchants
Approved rendering: 商人
Transliteration: soeng1 jan4
Doctrine: Babylon and Worldly Systems
Original: ἔμποροι
Category: Symbolic-Apocalyptic
Traders entangled with and mourning Babylon’s fall (ch. 18). Requires a sensitivity note given Hong Kong’s own strong commercial identity — the critique targets idolatrous commerce entangled with the beast’s system, not commerce as such.
Abaddon Apollyon
Approved rendering: 亞巴頓 / 亞波倫
Transliteration: aa3 baa1 deon6 / aa3 bo1 leon4
Doctrine: Symbolic and Apocalyptic Interpretation
Original: Ἀβαδδών / Ἀπολλύων
Category: Symbolic-Apocalyptic
Proper names meaning ‘Destroyer,’ king of the locust-demons (9:11); requires a brief gloss on meaning.
Gog And Magog
Approved rendering: 歌革同瑪各
Transliteration: go1 gaak3 tung4 maa5 gok3
Doctrine: The Millennium and Eschatological Timeline
Original: ὁ Γὼγ καὶ ὁ Μαγώγ
Category: Symbolic-Apocalyptic
OT-derived symbolic names for end-time hostile nations gathered against God’s people (20:8); needs a brief background gloss.
Michael
Approved rendering: 米迦勒
Transliteration: mai5 kaa1 lak6
Doctrine: Cosmic Conflict: the Dragon and Satan
Original: Μιχαήλ
Category: Symbolic-Apocalyptic
The archangel who leads heaven’s armies against the dragon (12:7); proper name, low ambiguity.
Hidden Manna
Approved rendering: 隱藏嘅嗎哪
Transliteration: jan2 cong4 ge3 maa5 naa5
Doctrine: Perseverance and Faithful Witness under Persecution
Original: τὸ μάννα τὸ κεκρυμμένον
Category: Perseverance
Reward image from the Exodus manna, promised to the overcomer at Pergamum (2:17); needs a brief OT gloss.
White Stone
Approved rendering: 白石
Transliteration: baak6 sek6
Doctrine: Perseverance and Faithful Witness under Persecution
Rejected alternatives: 玉石/護身符式嘅幸運聯想
Original: ψῆφος λευκή
Category: Perseverance
A symbol of secure personal acceptance from Christ (2:17). Clarify as acceptance, not a luck-charm, avoiding jade/stone amulet association.
Discipline Rebuke
Approved rendering: 責備 / 管教
Transliteration: zaak3 bei6 / gun2 gaau3
Doctrine: Sanctification and Holiness of the Church
Original: ἐλέγχω / παιδεύω
Category: Church
God’s fatherly correction of the churches (3:19); connects to baseline 父 (Father) doctrine.
Hallelujah
Approved rendering: 哈利路亞
Transliteration: haa1 lei6 lou6 aa3
Doctrine: Thanksgiving and Eschatological Blessing
Original: Ἁλληλουϊά
Category: Worship
Worship acclamation at the announcement of Babylon’s fall and the marriage of the Lamb (19:1,3,4,6). Established transliteration, following the Romans package’s transliteration standard; first added to this TM here.
Lords Day
Approved rendering: 主日
Transliteration: zyu2 jat6
Doctrine: Perseverance and Faithful Witness under Persecution
Original: κυριακὴ ἡμέρα
Category: Church
The day John received the vision (1:10). Standard church term, reuses baseline 主 root.
Great Multitude
Approved rendering: 一大群人
Transliteration: jat1 daai6 kwan4 jan4
Doctrine: Covenant Continuity and Unity of God’s People
Original: ὄχλος πολύς
Category: Church
The uncountable redeemed multitude from every nation, tribe, people, tongue (7:9).
Firstfruits
Approved rendering: 初熟嘅果子
Transliteration: co1 suk6 ge3 gwo2 zi2
Doctrine: Worship of the Lamb
Original: ἀπαρχή
Category: Salvation
The redeemed described as firstfruits to God and the Lamb (14:4); OT agricultural image requiring a brief gloss.
Millstone
Approved rendering: 磨石
Transliteration: mo6 sek6
Doctrine: Babylon and Worldly Systems
Original: μύλος
Category: Symbolic-Apocalyptic
Vivid judgment image for Babylon’s violent, decisive downfall (18:21).
Wormwood
Approved rendering: 苦艾
Transliteration: fu2 ngaai6
Doctrine: Judgment of the Wicked
Original: Ἄψινθος
Category: Symbolic-Apocalyptic
The name of the star that poisons a third of the waters (8:11); vivid judgment description, low doctrinal risk.
Referenced passages