Core Glossary
08 Core Glossary — Acts (English → Mandarin)
Curriculum: Acts 1–28
Core passage: Acts 2:1–41
Purpose: Consolidated, risk-tiered glossary of every load-bearing theological term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md, drawn from every chapter of Acts. Section 1 lists terms newly introduced by Acts (candidates for future addition to translation memory). Section 2 confirms exact reuse of terms already recorded in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json, citing the Acts chapters in which each occurs.
Section 1 — New Terms Introduced by Acts
| Term (English) | Original / Transliteration | Mandarin Rendering | Risk | Chapters | Risk Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pentecost | Πεντηκοστή / Pentēkostē | 五旬节 (Wǔxúnjié) | Medium | 2, 20:16 | Generic Chinese “festival” (节) reading may lose the OT Feast-of-Weeks covenant background. |
| wind (Spirit’s coming) | πνοή / pnoē | 风 (fēng) | High | 2 | Collides with 气 (qì, forbidden for God’s power in baseline) and 风水 (fengshui) cosmology; wind is a sign of, not identical to, the Spirit. |
| tongues (flame) | γλῶσσαι πυρός | 舌头 / 火焰 | Medium | 2 | Distinct referent from “tongues” as language; incense/ritual-fire associations must not be imported. |
| filled with the Holy Spirit | ἐπλήσθησαν Πνεύματος Ἁγίου | 被圣灵充满 (bèi Shènglíng chōngmǎn) | Critical | 2, 4, 9, 13 | Must be distinguished from folk-religious mediumistic spirit-possession (被灵附身/附体); personal, benevolent, non-coercive indwelling, not trance possession. |
| tongues (languages) | ἑτέραις γλώσσαις | 别国的话 (bié guó de huà) | High | 2 | Must not be replaced with generic 方言, which risks ecstatic/unintelligible or “regional dialect” misreadings; these are real, understood foreign languages. |
| devout / God-fearer | εὐλαβής / σεβόμενος τὸν Θεόν | 虔诚的 / 敬畏神的人 | Medium | 2, 10, 13, 16, 17, 18 | Generic devoutness term usable for any religion; context must anchor the referent to the one true God. |
| forgiveness (of sins) | ἄφεσις (τῶν) ἁμαρτιῶν | 罪得赦免 (zuì dé shèmiǎn) | Medium-High | 2, 5, 10, 13, 26 | Distinguish from Buddhist karmic-debt cancellation and ancestral-curse “release” rituals; judicial pardon by a personal God. |
| gift of the Holy Spirit | δωρεά τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος | 所赐的圣灵 (suǒ cì de Shènglíng) | Critical | 2, 8, 10, 11 | Must not be presented as an achievement, reward, or purchasable power (cf. Simon Magus, Ch. 8). |
| last days | ἔσχαται ἡμέραι | 末后的日子 (mòhòu de rìzi) | High | 2 | Chinese apocalyptic/millenarian new religious movements have exploited “end of the age” (末世) language for date-setting; anchor as an already-inaugurated era. |
| day of the Lord | ἡμέρα Κυρίου | 主的日子 (Zhǔ de rìzi) | Medium | 2 | Must not collapse into secular pop-culture “doomsday” (世界末日), losing the personal Lordship dimension. |
| exalted | ὑψωθείς / ὕψωσεν | 升为至高 / 被高举 | Medium | 2, 5 | Not a worldly rank-promotion or Mandate-of-Heaven-style ascension; unique cosmic enthronement of the divine Son. |
| definite plan and foreknowledge | ὡρισμένη βουλή καὶ πρόγνωσις | 神预定的计划和先见 | High | 2 | Distinguish from impersonal fatalistic 天意 (already forbidden under baseline providence entry); personal, purposive divine plan. |
| Holy One (title) | ὁ ὅσιος | 圣者 (shèngzhě) | High | 2, 3 | Same caution as baseline 圣洁: not ritual/meditative purity; Christ’s own inherent holiness. |
| Holy and Righteous One | ὁ ἅγιος καὶ δίκαιος | 那圣洁公义的一位 | Critical | 3 | Doubles baseline cautions on 圣洁 and 义; Christ’s intrinsic divine character, not cultivated virtue or ritual purity. |
| Author/Prince of life | ἀρχηγὸς τῆς ζωῆς / ἀρχηγὸς καὶ σωτήρ | 生命的创始者 / 君王和救主 | High | 3, 5 | Risk of assimilation to a venerated clan founding-ancestor (开山祖/始祖); Christ is living, ongoing Lord, not a departed founder. |
| boldness | παρρησία | 放胆 / 胆量 | Medium | 4, 9, 14, 19, 28 | Must not connote recklessness (莽撞); Spirit-given confidence for gospel proclamation. |
| held all things in common | ἅπαντα κοινά | 凡物公用 (fán wù gōngyòng) | High | 2, 4 | Modern Chinese political-economic vocabulary (公有, collectivization) risks anachronistic misreading; voluntary, Spirit-motivated, non-mandated generosity. |
| Sanhedrin/council | συνέδριον | 公会 (gōnghuì) | Medium | 4, 5, 6, 22, 23 | Distinguish from modern secular trade guild/association sense of 公会. |
| lying to the Holy Spirit | ψεύσασθαι τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον | (uses 圣灵 + 说谎/欺骗) | Critical | 5 | Narrative assertion of the Spirit’s full personhood and deity; not merely “breaking a community rule.” |
| serve tables (deacon function) | διακονεῖν ταῖς τραπέζαις | 办理 / 服事 | Low-Medium | 6 | Spirit-qualified practical service, not a lesser administrative role. |
| Son of Man | ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου | 人子 (rénzǐ) | Critical | 7 | Must never be flattened to “a human being’s son”; carries the same divine-authority weight as Son of God. |
| sorcery/magic | μαγεία / μάγος | 邪术 (xiéshù) | Critical | 8, 13, 19 | Chinese folk category of accepted ritual practitioners (法术) may not register as evil; must mark condemned, false power vs. true 神的大能. |
| laying on of hands | ἐπιτίθημι τὰς χεῖρας | 按手 (ànshǒu) | Medium | 6, 8, 9, 13, 19, 28 | Must not be presented as a transferable, purchasable power (cf. Simon Magus). |
| the Way (Christian movement) | ἡ ὁδός | 这道 / 信奉这道的人 | Critical | 9, 19, 22, 24 | Direct collision with Daoist 道 (the Way/cosmic principle) and generic “one path among many” readings; must be anchored as exclusive allegiance to the risen Lord Jesus. |
| persecution | διωγμός / διώκω | 逼迫 (bīpò) | Medium | 8, 9, 11, 13 and throughout | Distinguish from generic suffering/hardship (苦难); hostility specifically because of faith in Christ. |
| clean/unclean (food) | κοινός / καθαρός | 俗物 / 洁净 | High | 10, 11, 15 | Distinguish from ongoing Chinese folk dietary-purity practice; symbolizes abolition of the Jew-Gentile ceremonial barrier, not a general statement on food. |
| no partiality | οὐκ ἔστιν προσωπολήμπτης | 不偏待人 (bù piān dài rén) | Medium | 10 | Reinforces baseline’s unity_of_jews_and_gentiles doctrine against Hua-Yi civilizational-hierarchy framing. |
| Christian (name) | Χριστιανός | 基督徒 (Jīdūtú) | Low | 11 | Standard modern term; low risk. |
| angel (of the Lord) | ἄγγελος Κυρίου | 主的使者 / 天使 | Low-Medium | 5, 8, 10, 12, 27 | Distinguish from folk deity-messenger spirits (神差/仙使). |
| synagogue | συναγωγή | 会堂 (huìtáng) | Low | 13, 14, 17, 18, 19 | Distinct from baseline’s 教会 (church); the Jewish assembly-building. |
| foreordained to eternal life | τεταγμένοι εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον | reuses 拣选 | High | 13 | Full inheritance of baseline’s election entry; not impersonal fate (命运/缘分). |
| Zeus / Hermes (idol identification) | Δίας / Ἑρμῆς | 丢斯 / 希耳米 | High | 14 | Human-deification pattern (人成神) has strong Chinese cultural resonance; apostles’ refusal of worship must be preserved. |
| yoke (of the law) | ζυγός | 轭 (è) | Low | 15 | Standard biblical metaphor. |
| spirit of divination | πνεῦμα Πύθωνα | 占卜的灵 (zhānbo de líng) | High | 16 | Same collision as baseline prophecy entry’s caution against 占卜/占卦; counterfeit power, not legitimate alternate prophecy. |
| household (salvation reference) | ὁ οἶκός σου / πανοικί | 你和你的全家 | Medium | 16 | Must not imply automatic collective salvation apart from each member’s own faith; guard against family/lineage-unit religious-identity assumption. |
| Areopagus | Ἄρειος Πάγος | 亚略巴古 (Yàluè Bāgǔ) | Low | 17 | Proper noun. |
| unknown god | ἄγνωστος θεός | 未识之神 (wèi shí zhī shén) | High | 17 | Must not be read as endorsing folk propitiation of unnamed/“ownerless” spirits (無主孤魂); Paul immediately names the true God exclusively. |
| Artemis/Diana of Ephesus | Ἄρτεμις | 亚底米 (Yàdǐmǐ) | Medium | 19 | Structural (not substantive) parallel to economically entrenched local deity cults (e.g., Mazu, Guanyin); deities themselves not equated. |
| elder / overseer / shepherd | πρεσβύτερος / ἐπίσκοπος / ποιμαίνω | 长老 / 监督 / 牧养 | Low-Medium | 11, 14, 15, 20, 21 | One office described three ways; 长老 also disambiguated from Jewish-council sense (Ch.4-5, 22-23). |
| vow (Nazirite) | εὐχή | 拿细耳人的愿 / 许愿 | High | 18, 21 | 许愿 usually denotes a transactional bargain with a deity/idol; Paul’s vow is cultural accommodation, not leverage for divine favor or bearing on his justification. |
| Roman citizen | Ῥωμαῖος | 罗马公民 (Luómǎ gōngmín) | Low | 16, 22, 23, 25 | Historical-legal term; models legitimate engagement with governing authority. |
| judgment to come | τὸ κρίμα τὸ μέλλον | 将来的审判 (jiānglái de shěnpàn) | Medium | 24 | Distinguish from impersonal karmic retribution (报应, flagged under baseline’s sin entry); personal, forensic divine judgment. |
| appeal to Caesar | Καίσαρα ἐπικαλοῦμαι | 上告于凯撒 | Low | 25 | Historical-legal procedural term. |
| heavenly vision | ἡ οὐράνιος ὀπτασία | 从天上来的显现/异象 | Medium | 26 | Reinforces baseline’s High-risk “calling” entry; a specific divine summons, not generic mysticism. |
| they thought he was a god | ἔλεγον αὐτὸν εἶναι θεόν | (uses baseline 神) | High | 14, 28 | Same human-deification pattern as Zeus/Hermes; narrative is corrective, not affirming. |
| unhindered | ἀκωλύτως | 没有人禁止 (méiyǒu rén jìnzhǐ) | Low | 28 | Book’s climactic final word; triumphant, open gospel advance — pastorally significant despite low lexical risk. |
| casting lots | κλῆρος | 抽签 (chōuqiān) | Medium | 1 | Same verb as drawing a temple fortune-stick (求签); bounded, one-time use trusting providence, not a normative divinatory method. |
| ascension / taken up | ἀνελήμφθη | 被接上升 (bèi jiē shàngshēng) | High | 1 | Must not be assimilated to Daoist immortal-ascension-through-cultivation (成仙升天); exaltation of the unique divine Son. |
| to the end of the earth | ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς | 直到地极 (zhídào dìjí) | Medium | 1 | Must not echo 天下 (unified political dominion, forbidden under baseline kingdom_of_god entry); spread of a saving message, not territorial rule. |
Section 2 — Baseline Romans Terms Reused Exactly in Acts
The following terms are already recorded in the baseline translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json. Their Mandarin renderings, risk tiers, and forbidden-alternative lists are reused exactly with no modification. This table cites the Acts chapters where each is theologically load-bearing.
| Term (English) | Mandarin (baseline) | Baseline Risk | Acts Chapters (representative) |
|---|---|---|---|
| God | 神 | Critical | 1–28 (pervasive) |
| Jesus | 耶稣 | Critical | 1–28 (pervasive) |
| Lord | 主 | Critical | 2, 4, 9, 10, 16, 25, 28 |
| Holy Spirit | 圣灵 | Critical | 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, 19, 20 |
| Messiah/Christ | 基督 | Critical | 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 17, 18, 26 |
| Son of God | 神的儿子 | Critical | 9, 13 |
| Resurrection | 复活 | Critical | 1, 2, 3, 4, 17, 23, 24, 26 |
| Salvation | 救恩 | Critical | 2, 4, 11, 13, 16, 27, 28 |
| Grace | 恩典 | Critical | 4, 11, 13, 14, 15, 18, 20 |
| Righteousness | 义 | Critical | 3, 13, 17, 22, 24 |
| Justification | 称义 | Critical | 13, 15 |
| Sanctification | 成圣 | Critical | 20, 26 |
| Apostle | 使徒 | Low | 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 14, 15, 16 |
| Called / Calling | 蒙召的 / 呼召 | High | 1, 2, 9, 13, 26 |
| Holy | 圣洁 | High | 3, 6, 7 |
| Saints | 圣徒 | High | 9, 26 |
| Church | 教会 | Medium | 2, 5, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 20 |
| Kingdom of God | 神的国 | Medium | 1, 8, 14, 19, 20, 28 |
| Law | 律法 | High | 6, 7, 13, 15, 18, 21, 22, 23, 25 |
| Sin | 罪 | High | 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 13, 26 |
| Gentiles | 外邦人 | Medium | 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 18, 21, 22, 26, 28 |
| Glory | 荣耀 | Medium | 3, 7, 12 |
| Faith | 信心 | High | 3, 6, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, 24, 26 |
| Election | 拣选 | High | 1, 13 |
| Providence | 神的护理 | High | 2, 5, 12, 27, 28 |
| Power of God | 神的大能 | High | 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 10 |
| Prophet / Prophecy | 先知 / 预言 | Low/Medium | 2, 3, 7, 11, 13, 15, 21, 26, 28 |
| Israel | 以色列 | Medium | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 13, 21, 28 |
| David | 大卫 | Low | 1, 2, 4, 7, 13, 15 |
| Fellowship | 团契 | Low | 2 |
| Thanksgiving | 感恩 | Low | 27, 28 |
| Spiritual Gifts | 属灵恩赐 | Medium | 6, 8 |
| Peace | 平安 | Medium | 9, 10, 24 |
| Father | 父 | High | 1, 2 |
| Intercession | 代求 | Medium | 8, 12 |
| Exhort | 劝勉 | Low | 2, 11, 14, 15, 16, 20, 27 |
| Mission | 宣教 | Medium | 1, 13, 14, 22, 26 |
Note: baseline terms not represented in Acts (e.g., Abba, Adoption, Imputed Righteousness, Seed of David as a standalone phrase, Incarnation as a standalone doctrinal term) are confirmed reviewed and found not independently load-bearing in Acts; where Acts touches adjacent ground (e.g., Ch. 1’s ascension vs. baseline’s incarnation), this is noted in 07_semantic_analysis.md rather than forcing an artificial reuse.
Cross-Reference Notes for Phase 2 Preparation
- Highest-density Critical/High risk chapters requiring priority theologian review in Phase 2: 2 (Pentecost core passage), 3 (Holy and Righteous One, Author of life), 5 (lying to the Holy Spirit), 7 (Son of Man), 8/13/19 (sorcery vs. true power), 9 (the Way; conversion of Paul), 10 (clean/unclean, no partiality — Gospel to Jews and Gentiles), 13/15 (justification apart from the law), 16 (spirit of divination; household salvation).
- “The Way” (道) requires the same standing translator caution already on file for 道成肉身 in the baseline — flag every occurrence (9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22) for consistency review across documents.
- “Filled with the Holy Spirit” and “spirit of divination”/“unclean spirit” together define the single most pastorally urgent syncretism-risk cluster in this curriculum, given Chinese folk-religious mediumship and spirit-possession practice; both terms should be flagged for combined doctrinal-cultural review, not treated as independent low-context vocabulary items.
- “Held all things in common” (凡物公用) requires an explicit anti-anachronism teaching note in every Phase 2 document where it appears, given the term’s collision with 20th-century Chinese political-economic vocabulary.
This glossary extends, and does not contradict, translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json from the baseline Romans Language Package. All baseline term entries remain governing; this document adds only what Acts newly requires.
Critical Risk Terms
Grace
Approved rendering: 恩典
Transliteration: ēndiǎn
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: 功德, 造化, 福气, 阴德
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
CRITICAL: NEVER use 功德 (gōngdé) — Buddhist accumulated merit earned through good deeds, transferable and quantifiable. NEVER use 阴德 (hidden merit that secretly accrues to descendants). 恩典 must be taught as unearned favor given apart from merit-accounting, directly countering the merit-ledger worldview common in Chinese folk Buddhism. In Acts, Simon Magus’s attempt to purchase the Spirit’s gift (8:18-20) and the Jerusalem Council’s ruling (15:11) make this contrast narratively concrete. (Inherited from Romans package.)
Righteousness
Approved rendering: 义
Transliteration: yì
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: 道德, 善行
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
CRITICAL: 义 is also one of the Confucian Five Constant Virtues (仁义礼智信) — a social-ethical duty of rightness cultivated by moral effort. Biblical righteousness (义) is a right standing before God received through faith, not a Confucian virtue achieved by moral cultivation. In Acts, appears in the Christological title ‘the Holy and Righteous One’ (3:14) and Paul’s address to Felix (24:25); every use in a justification or Christological context requires a distinguishing note. (Inherited from Romans package.)
Justification
Approved rendering: 称义
Transliteration: chēngyì
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: 修成正果, 赎罪
Original: δικαίωσις / δικαιοῦται
Category: Salvation
CRITICAL: established CUV compound, literally ‘called/reckoned righteous’ — a forensic declaration, not a process. NEVER use 修成正果. In Acts, explicitly previewed at 13:39 (‘everyone who believes is justified’) and formally settled at the Jerusalem Council (Ch. 15). (Inherited from Romans package.)
Salvation
Approved rendering: 救恩
Transliteration: jiùēn
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: 解脱, 超度, 得道
Original: σωτηρία
Category: Salvation
CRITICAL: NEVER use 解脱 (Buddhist liberation from samsara) or 超度 (posthumous rite for the dead). In Acts, central to 4:12, 16:30-31 (the jailer’s question), and 27:34 (used loosely of physical rescue — context must distinguish). (Inherited from Romans package.)
Sanctification
Approved rendering: 成圣
Transliteration: chéngshèng
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: 修身, 修炼
Original: ἁγιασμός
Category: Sanctification
CRITICAL: 成圣 is a direct borrowing of the Neo-Confucian technical term for self-cultivation into sagehood. Every occurrence requires a clarifying note: biblical sanctification is the Spirit’s work in an already-justified believer, not self-achieved moral perfection. In Acts, implicit at 20:32 and 26:18. (Inherited from Romans package.)
Resurrection
Approved rendering: 复活
Transliteration: fùhuó
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 轮回, 投胎, 还魂
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
CRITICAL: NEVER use 轮回, 投胎, or 还魂. In Acts, the central content of nearly every apostolic sermon (2:24-32; 3:15; 13:32-37; 17:31-32; 23:6-8; 26:23), repeatedly a point of controversy with Sadducees and Greco-Roman hearers alike. (Inherited from Romans package.)
Lord
Approved rendering: 主
Transliteration: zhǔ
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 主人, 老爷
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Established term. Must not be softened toward 主人 or 老爷. In Acts, central to 2:21, 36 (‘call on the name of the Lord’; ‘God has made him… Lord’) and 16:31. (Inherited from Romans package.)
Son Of God
Approved rendering: 神的儿子
Transliteration: Shén de érzi
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 天子, 神人
Original: υἱὸς θεοῦ
Category: Christology
CRITICAL: NEVER use 天子 (‘Son of Heaven’). In Acts, proclaimed by Paul immediately after his conversion (9:20) and defended at 13:33. (Inherited from Romans package.)
Messiah
Approved rendering: 基督
Transliteration: Jīdū
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Rejected alternatives: 弥勒, 救世主式泛称
CRITICAL: NEVER conflate with 弥勒 (Maitreya). In Acts, central to every apostolic sermon (2:36; 3:18; 5:42; 8:5; 9:22; 17:3; 18:5, 28). (Inherited from Romans package.)
Jesus
Approved rendering: 耶稣
Transliteration: Yēsū
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
CUV standard transliteration. In Acts, pervasive throughout, including as the object of the confession ‘in the name of Jesus’ central to baptism, healing, and exorcism. (Inherited from Romans package.)
God
Approved rendering: 神
Transliteration: Shén
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 上帝, 天, 老天爷
Original: θεός
Category: God
CRITICAL: this Language Package standardizes on 神 (神版). NEVER use 天 or 老天爷 alone. In Acts, note especially the corrective narrative function against human-deification at 14:11-15 and 28:6. (Inherited from Romans package.)
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: 圣灵
Transliteration: Shènglíng
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: 祖灵, 灵
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
CRITICAL: always use the compound 圣灵; NEVER use 灵 alone or 祖灵. In Acts, the single most theologically load-bearing term in the book, given Pentecost (1:8; 2:1-4; 4:31; 8:14-17; 10:44-46; 13:2; 15:28; 19:1-6). (Inherited from Romans package.)
Filled With The Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: 被圣灵充满
Transliteration: bèi Shènglíng chōngmǎn
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: 被灵附身, 被灵附体
Original: ἐπλήσθησαν Πνεύματος Ἁγίου
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
CRITICAL: NEVER present as equivalent to mediumistic spirit-possession vocabulary (被灵附身/附体), used of mediums (灵媒, 童乩) entered by a spirit in a trance. Must be taught as the personal, benevolent, non-coercive indwelling of the one true divine Spirit upon willing believers for coherent, meaningful proclamation (Acts 2:4; 4:8, 31; 9:17; 13:9, 52).
Gift Of The Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: 所赐的圣灵
Transliteration: suǒ cì de Shènglíng
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: ἡ δωρεὰ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
CRITICAL: the Holy Spirit himself, given freely — not merely spiritual benefits — to every believer who repents and is baptized (Acts 2:38; 8:20; 10:45; 11:17). Must never be presented as an achievement, reward, or purchasable power; Simon’s attempted purchase (8:18-20) makes the gratuity of the Spirit’s gift a live narrative issue.
Holy And Righteous One
Approved rendering: 那圣洁公义的一位
Transliteration: nà shèngjié gōngyì de yī wèi
Doctrine: Sonship and Deity of Christ in Acts
Original: τὸν ἅγιον καὶ δίκαιον
Category: Sonship and Deity of Christ in Acts
CRITICAL: a concentrated double Christological title (Acts 3:14) combining Christ’s moral purity and forensic righteousness. Doubles the existing cautions on 圣洁 (not ritual/meditative purity) and 义 (not the Confucian social virtue); both together describe Christ’s own intrinsic divine character, not an achieved or cultivated state.
Lying To The Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: 欺骗圣灵
Transliteration: qīpiàn Shènglíng
Doctrine: Deity and Personhood of the Holy Spirit
Original: ψεύσασθαί σε τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον
Category: Deity and Personhood of the Holy Spirit
CRITICAL: Peter’s rebuke to Ananias, equating lying to the Holy Spirit with lying to God himself (Acts 5:3-4). The narrative itself establishes the Spirit’s full personal deity; translation must not flatten this into merely ‘lying to the community’ or ‘breaking a community rule.‘
Son Of Man
Approved rendering: 人子
Transliteration: rénzǐ
Doctrine: Sonship and Deity of Christ in Acts
Original: τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου
Category: Sonship and Deity of Christ in Acts
CRITICAL: a specific Christological title (Daniel 7:13) denoting the exalted, glorified, divine-messianic figure at God’s right hand, seen by the dying Stephen (Acts 7:56). Must never be flattened to a literal, generic ‘a man’s son’ reading; carries the same divine-authority weight as 神的儿子.
Sorcery
Approved rendering: 邪术
Transliteration: xiéshù
Doctrine: False Religion and Counterfeit Spiritual Power
Rejected alternatives: 法术, 魔术
Original: μαγεία
Category: False Religion and Counterfeit Spiritual Power
CRITICAL: occult ritual practice claiming supernatural power, condemned in Scripture (Simon, Acts 8:9, 11; Elymas/Bar-Jesus, 13:6, 8). Chinese folk religion’s accepted category of ritual practitioners (法术) may not automatically register as evil; 邪术 must mark condemned, false spiritual power, never softened to neutral ‘magic show’ (魔术).
The Way
Approved rendering: 这道
Transliteration: zhè dào
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Rejected alternatives: 道教式的道, 一条路/一种方法
Original: ἡ ὁδός
Category: Conversion of Paul
CRITICAL: the earliest Christian movement’s self-designation as a distinct way of life and belief centered on the risen Lord Jesus (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). 道 is the central term of Daoist metaphysics and Confucian ethical discourse; every occurrence must be anchored by context naming exclusive allegiance to the risen Lord Jesus, never an impersonal cosmic principle or one path among many.
High Risk Terms
Faith
Approved rendering: 信心
Transliteration: xìnxīn
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: 虔诚, 迷信, 信仰
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Personal trust placed in Christ specifically; object of faith must be stated in context. 虔诚 (qiánchéng, generic piety/devoutness) describes an attitude toward any deity and is too broad. 信仰 (xìnyǎng, ‘a belief system/religion’) is acceptable as a noun for ‘the faith’ but not as the verb-like trust. In Acts, the instrument of healing (3:16) and justification (13:39). (Inherited from Romans package.)
Called
Approved rendering: 蒙召的
Transliteration: méngzhào de
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: 受命于天, 天命所归
Original: κλητός
Category: Salvation
NEVER use 天命所归. In Acts, Paul’s Damascus-road summons (Ch. 9, 22, 26) instantiates this personal, relational sense; never an impersonal cosmic endorsement. (Inherited from Romans package.)
Calling
Approved rendering: 呼召
Transliteration: hūzhào
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: 天命, 命运
Original: κλῆσις
Category: Salvation
NEVER use 天命 alone. In Acts, Paul’s repeated retelling of his own calling (Ch. 22, 26) is the primary data point. (Inherited from Romans package.)
Holy
Approved rendering: 圣洁
Transliteration: shèngjié
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: 清净, 圣人般的
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
圣洁 = set apart for God and morally pure. Avoid 清净 (Daoist/Buddhist ritual/meditative purity). In Acts, underlies ‘Holy Spirit’ throughout and the title ‘the Holy and Righteous One’ (3:14). (Inherited from Romans package.)
Saints
Approved rendering: 圣徒
Transliteration: shèngtú
Doctrine: Sainthood
Rejected alternatives: 圣人, 高僧
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
圣人 (Confucian sage category) must never be used. In Acts, used of the Jerusalem believers Saul persecuted (9:13, 32, 41; 26:10). (Inherited from Romans package.)
Law
Approved rendering: 律法
Transliteration: lǜfǎ
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: 礼, 道德规范, 法律
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
NEVER equate with 礼 or use 法律. In Acts, the central point of contention at the Jerusalem Council (Ch. 15) and in charges against Stephen (6:13) and Paul (21:28; 25:8). (Inherited from Romans package.)
Sin
Approved rendering: 罪
Transliteration: zuì
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: 报应, 罪犯式的罪
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Clarify sin as moral offense against a personal God, not karmic retribution (报应). In Acts, central to ‘repentance for the forgiveness of sins’ (2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18). (Inherited from Romans package.)
Power Of God
Approved rendering: 神的大能
Transliteration: Shén de dà néng
Doctrine: Power of God for Salvation
Rejected alternatives: 气, 法力
Original: δύναμις θεοῦ
Category: God
NEVER use 气 or 法力. In Acts, part of the ‘signs and wonders’ triad throughout (2:22; 3:12; 4:33; 10:38); sharply distinguished from 邪术 (sorcery). (Inherited from Romans package.)
Election
Approved rendering: 拣选
Transliteration: jiǎnxuǎn
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: 天命, 命运, 缘分
Original: ἐκλογή
Category: Salvation
NEVER use 天命, 命运, or 缘分. In Acts, underlies 13:48 (‘foreordained to eternal life’). (Inherited from Romans package.)
Providence
Approved rendering: 神的护理
Transliteration: Shén de hùlǐ
Doctrine: Providence
Rejected alternatives: 天意, 命运
Original: πρόνοια
Category: God
NEVER use 天意 alone. In Acts, grounds 2:23’s ‘definite plan and foreknowledge,’ Gamaliel’s counsel (5:38-39), and Paul’s shipwreck assurance (27:22-25). (Inherited from Romans package.)
Father
Approved rendering: 父
Transliteration: fù
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Rejected alternatives: 祖先, 老天爷
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
NEVER use 祖先 or 老天爷 for God the Father. In Acts, named as the source of the promised Spirit (1:4, 7); note 7:2’s ‘our fathers’ is a distinct ancestral sense requiring contextual disambiguation. (Inherited from Romans package.)
Wind Of The Spirit
Approved rendering: 风
Transliteration: fēng
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: 气, 风水式的风
Original: πνοή
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
The sound like a mighty rushing wind accompanying the Spirit’s descent (Acts 2:2). Collides with 气 (qì, forbidden for God’s power in the baseline) and with 风水 (fengshui) geomancy; teaching must state explicitly that wind is a sign accompanying the Spirit’s arrival, not an impersonal cosmic force and not the Spirit itself.
Tongues Other Languages
Approved rendering: 别国的话
Transliteration: bié guó de huà
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: 方言
Original: ἑτέραις γλώσσαις
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Real, intelligible foreign human languages the Pentecost speakers had not learned (Acts 2:4, 6, 8, 11). NEVER substitute the generic modern Christian term 方言, which risks importing unintelligible-ecstatic-speech connotations from 1 Corinthians 12-14, or being read as mere ‘regional dialect.’ Must also be distinguished from folk-religious mediums’ trance utterances, which hearers do not understand as any real language.
Forgiveness Of Sins
Approved rendering: 罪得赦免
Transliteration: zuì dé shèmiǎn
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: 消业, 解冤释怨
Original: ἄφεσις τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν
Category: Repentance and Baptism
God’s judicial pardon and cancellation of a believer’s guilt, received through repentance and baptism in Jesus’ name (Acts 2:38; 5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18). Must be distinguished from Buddhist karmic-debt cancellation through merit or ritual and from ancestral-curse ‘release’ rituals; this is God’s judicial pardon of moral guilt against himself, granted through Christ.
Last Days
Approved rendering: 末后的日子
Transliteration: mòhòu de rìzi
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy in Acts
Rejected alternatives: 末世
Original: ἐν ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις
Category: Fulfillment of Prophecy in Acts
The eschatological era inaugurated by the Spirit’s outpouring at Pentecost (Acts 2:17). The compound 末世 (‘end of the age’) has been used by various Chinese apocalyptic/millenarian new religious movements for date-setting and manipulation; anchor ‘the last days’ as an already-inaugurated era, not a still-future countdown.
Call On The Name Of The Lord
Approved rendering: 求告主名
Transliteration: qiúgào Zhǔ míng
Doctrine: Lordship Confession and Salvation by Faith
Original: ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου
Category: Lordship Confession and Salvation by Faith
To invoke, appeal to, and publicly identify oneself with the Lord’s name and authority as the universal condition for salvation (Acts 2:21). A key universal-scope-of-gospel verse; the ‘everyone’ (凡/所有) must remain fully unqualified, resisting any softened or civilizationally graded reading.
Definite Plan And Foreknowledge
Approved rendering: 神预定的计划和先见
Transliteration: Shén yùdìng de jìhuà hé xiānjiàn
Doctrine: Divine Sovereignty and Providence in Mission
Rejected alternatives: 天意
Original: τῇ ὡρισμένῃ βουλῇ καὶ προγνώσει τοῦ Θεοῦ
Category: Divine Sovereignty and Providence in Mission
God’s sovereign, purposive decision and foreknowledge concerning the crucifixion of Christ (Acts 2:23; cf. 4:28). Must be kept distinct from the impersonal fatalistic 天意 already forbidden under the baseline’s providence entry; this is the personal God’s specific, purposive plan, not cosmic inevitability.
Holy One
Approved rendering: 圣者
Transliteration: shèngzhě
Doctrine: Sonship and Deity of Christ in Acts
Original: ὁ ὅσιος
Category: Sonship and Deity of Christ in Acts
A messianic title (Psalm 16, quoted Acts 2:27) guaranteeing that Christ’s body would not undergo ordinary decay. As with 圣洁, must not be read through the lens of Daoist/Buddhist ‘purity through practice’ or ritual undefilement.
Author Of Life
Approved rendering: 生命的创始者
Transliteration: shēngmìng de chuàngshǐzhě
Doctrine: Sonship and Deity of Christ in Acts
Rejected alternatives: 开山祖, 始祖
Original: τὸν ἀρχηγὸν τῆς ζωῆς
Category: Sonship and Deity of Christ in Acts
Christ as the unique originator and ruling head of resurrection life (Acts 3:15; cf. 5:31, ‘Prince and Savior’). ἀρχηγός could be misread through the lens of a revered clan founding-ancestor (开山祖/始祖) venerated in ancestor-worship ritual; Christ’s headship must be taught as unique, living, ongoing lordship, not a venerated-but-departed founder-ancestor.
Repent
Approved rendering: 悔改
Transliteration: huǐgǎi
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: 忏悔
Original: μετανοέω
Category: Repentance and Baptism
A decisive, God-directed reorientation of mind and life away from sin (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 17:30; 26:20). NEVER use 忏悔 (chànhuǐ), a Buddhist ritual-confession term for reducing accumulated karmic consequence; 悔改 must be a genuine, Spirit-enabled turning toward God, inseparable from faith in Christ.
Baptize
Approved rendering: 受洗 / 洗礼
Transliteration: shòu xǐ / xǐlǐ
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Original: βαπτίζω / βάπτισμα
Category: Repentance and Baptism
Ritual immersion marking Christian initiation, performed in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38, 41; 8:12-13, 36-38; 9:18; 10:47-48; 16:33; 19:5). Must not be read as a generic ceremonial-defilement wash; Acts contains three distinguishable baptisms (John’s, Christian, Spirit-baptism) that must be disambiguated by context, not collapsed into one washing rite.
Held All Things In Common
Approved rendering: 凡物公用
Transliteration: fán wù gōngyòng
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: 公有, 集体所有
Original: ἦν αὐτοῖς ἅπαντα κοινά
Category: Church as Community
The voluntary, Spirit-motivated sharing of possessions within the believing community (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-35). Modern Mandarin readers will readily hear this through 20th-century Chinese political-economic vocabulary (公有, collectivization); teaching must make explicit this is voluntary, Spirit-motivated, temporary and local generosity, not a mandate for collective property ownership.
Clean Unclean
Approved rendering: 俗物 / 洁净
Transliteration: sú wù / jiéjìng
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: 斋戒吃素积德式的洁净
Original: κοινὸν ἢ ἀκάθαρτον
Category: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
OT ceremonial dietary-purity categories, declared abolished by direct divine revelation to Peter (Acts 10:14-15, 28; 11:8-9; 15:9). Must be distinguished from ongoing Chinese folk dietary-purity/merit practices; the vision’s real subject is not food but the abolition of the Jew-Gentile ceremonial barrier.
Foreordained To Eternal Life
Approved rendering: 蒙拣选得永生
Transliteration: méng jiǎnxuǎn dé yǒngshēng
Doctrine: Divine Sovereignty and Providence in Mission
Rejected alternatives: 天命, 命运, 缘分
Original: ἦσαν τεταγμένοι εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον
Category: Divine Sovereignty and Providence in Mission
Those whom God had appointed for eternal life believed the gospel at Antioch in Pisidia (Acts 13:48). Fully inherits the baseline election entry; must never be rendered with 天命, 命运, or 缘分.
Zeus And Hermes
Approved rendering: 丢斯 / 希耳米
Transliteration: Diūsī / Xī’ěrmǐ
Doctrine: False Religion and Counterfeit Spiritual Power
Original: Δίας / Ἑρμῆς
Category: False Religion and Counterfeit Spiritual Power
Chief Greek deities of the Lystran pagan pantheon; the crowd identifies Barnabas as Zeus and Paul as Hermes (Acts 14:12-15). Must be explained as specific pagan Greek deities, not to be confused with any Chinese deity name; the apostles’ emphatic refusal of worship must be preserved with full force given the live cultural pattern of apotheosizing extraordinary humans (人成神).
Spirit Of Divination
Approved rendering: 占卜的灵
Transliteration: zhānbo de líng
Doctrine: False Religion and Counterfeit Spiritual Power
Rejected alternatives: 预言的灵式的中性化
Original: πνεῦμα Πύθωνα
Category: False Religion and Counterfeit Spiritual Power
A spiritual power enabling fortune-telling for profit, cast out by Paul as a demonic/unclean spirit (Acts 16:16-18). Must not be presented neutrally as a fortune-telling ‘gift’; a counterfeit, spiritually harmful power expelled in Jesus’ name, distinct from biblical prophecy and folk/temple divination (占卜/占卦).
Unknown God
Approved rendering: 未识之神
Transliteration: wèi shí zhī shén
Doctrine: False Religion and Counterfeit Spiritual Power
Rejected alternatives: 無主孤魂式的泛神论
Original: ΑΓΝΩΣΤΩ ΘΕΩ / ὃν ἀγνοοῦντες εὐσεβεῖτε
Category: False Religion and Counterfeit Spiritual Power
An Athenian altar inscription to an unidentified deity, used rhetorically by Paul as a bridge to proclaim the true, named God (Acts 17:23). Must not be misread as endorsing propitiation of unnamed/‘ownerless’ spirits (無主孤魂); Paul immediately names the true God exclusively.
Vow
Approved rendering: 许愿
Transliteration: xǔyuàn
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: εὐχή
Category: Justification apart from the Law
A voluntary OT ritual pledge that Paul submits to for cultural sensitivity, not personal justification (Acts 18:18; 21:23-26). 许愿 in Chinese folk-religious usage typically denotes a transactional bargain with a deity; must clarify Paul is not leveraging a ritual bargain for divine favor, entirely apart from his justification, which rests on grace through faith alone.
Deification Of Men
Approved rendering: 以为他是神
Transliteration: yǐwéi tā shì shén
Doctrine: False Religion and Counterfeit Spiritual Power
Original: ἔλεγον αὐτὸν εἶναι θεόν
Category: False Religion and Counterfeit Spiritual Power
The Maltese islanders’ conclusion that Paul must be a god after surviving a viper bite unharmed (Acts 28:6; cf. 14:11-13). The same human-deification impulse has strong resonance with Chinese apotheosis of extraordinary humans (人成神, e.g. Guan Gong, Mazu); Luke’s narration is implicitly corrective and this must not be lost in translation.
Ascension
Approved rendering: 被接上升
Transliteration: bèi jiē shàngshēng
Doctrine: Ascension and Enthronement of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 成仙升天
Original: ἀνελήμφθη
Category: Ascension and Enthronement of Christ
Christ’s bodily, visible departure into heaven forty days after his resurrection (Acts 1:9-11). Must not be assimilated to Daoist/folk-religious accounts of a sage or immortal’s bodily ascent to the heavens through cultivation (成仙升天); this is the exaltation of the unique divine Son, not an adept’s reward.
Medium Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: 福音
Transliteration: fúyīn
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: 好消息, 喜讯
Established CUV term, literally ‘blessing-news’. Because 福 (fú, fortune/blessing) is the same root used in folk fortune-seeking language, teaching must make explicit that 福音 announces salvation through Christ, not an omen of coming luck. 好消息/喜讯 are generic and lose the technical theological weight. (Inherited from Romans package.)
Peace
Approved rendering: 平安
Transliteration: píng’ān
Doctrine: Peace with God
Rejected alternatives: 安宁, 平安符式的平安
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
平安 is also the everyday amulet/greeting word. In Acts, marks the church’s growth seasons (9:31) and Peter’s Gentile-mission summary (10:36). (Inherited from Romans package.)
Spiritual Gifts
Approved rendering: 属灵恩赐
Transliteration: shǔlíng ēncì
Doctrine: Spiritual Gifts
Rejected alternatives: 法力, 神通
Original: χαρίσματα
Category: Church
NEVER use 神通 or 法力. In Acts, underlies the Seven’s Spirit-and-wisdom qualification (6:3, 5). (Inherited from Romans package.)
Church
Approved rendering: 教会
Transliteration: jiàohuì
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: 庙, 寺, 道观
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
NEVER use 庙, 寺, or 道观. In Acts, central to 2:47; 5:11; 8:1, 3; 9:31; 11:26; 12:1, 5; 14:23, 27; 15:3-4, 22, 41; 20:17, 28. (Inherited from Romans package.)
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: 神的国
Transliteration: Shén de guó
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Rejected alternatives: 天下, 王朝
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Avoid 天下 and 王朝. In Acts, bookends the entire narrative (1:3, 6 and 28:23, 31). (Inherited from Romans package.)
Gentiles
Approved rendering: 外邦人
Transliteration: wàibāngrén
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: 夷人, 外国人
Original: ἔθνη
Category: Church
NEVER use 夷人. In Acts, central to the entire second half of the book, especially Ch. 10-11, 13-15. (Inherited from Romans package.)
Glory
Approved rendering: 荣耀
Transliteration: róngyào
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 面子, 光宗耀祖
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Avoid 面子 and 光宗耀祖. In Acts, appears at Stephen’s vision (7:55) and Paul’s Damascus-road light (22:11). (Inherited from Romans package.)
Prophecy
Approved rendering: 预言
Transliteration: yùyán
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: 算卦, 占卜
Original: προφητεία
Category: Covenant
Distinguish from 算卦/占卜. In Acts, Joel’s prophecy fulfilled at Pentecost (2:16-21) and Agabus’s prophecies (11:28; 21:10-11); must also be distinguished from 占卜的灵 (the counterfeit spirit of divination, 16:16). (Inherited from Romans package.)
Intercession
Approved rendering: 代求
Transliteration: dàiqiú
Doctrine: Prayer and Intercession
Rejected alternatives: 求签, 问卜
Original: ἔντευξις / προσευχή ὑπέρ
Category: Faith
Distinguish from 求签/问卜. In Acts, the church’s united prayer for Peter’s release (12:5, 12) is a key data point. (Inherited from Romans package.)
Mission
Approved rendering: 宣教
Transliteration: xuānjiào
Doctrine: Mission to the Nations
Rejected alternatives: 洋教传播
Original: ἀποστολή / πέμπω
Category: Church
Avoid framing that reinforces the ‘foreign import’ stigma of 洋教. In Acts, the organizing structural theme of the whole book, from 13:1-3 to 28:16-31. (Inherited from Romans package.)
David
Approved rendering: 大卫
Transliteration: Dàwèi
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
CUV standard proper name form. In Acts, cited in Peter’s Pentecost sermon (2:25-31, 34) and Paul’s Antioch sermon (13:22, 34-36). (Inherited from Romans package.)
Israel
Approved rendering: 以色列
Transliteration: Yǐsèliè
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: Ἰσραήλ
Category: Covenant
Proper name; CUV established form. In Acts, addressed directly by Peter (2:36; 3:12) and central to Stephen’s speech (Ch. 7) and Paul’s synagogue preaching (13:16-24). (Inherited from Romans package.)
Pentecost
Approved rendering: 五旬节
Transliteration: Wǔxúnjié
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: Πεντηκοστή
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
The Jewish Feast of Weeks/Shavuot, fifty days after Passover. 节 (jié, ‘festival’) is the generic Chinese word for any festival, including folk and ancestor-veneration festivals; teaching must supply the OT harvest-feast and covenant background so 五旬节 is not absorbed into a generic ‘festival day’ void of covenant meaning.
Tongues Of Fire
Approved rendering: 如火的舌头
Transliteration: rú huǒ de shétou
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: γλῶσσαι ὡσεὶ πυρός
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Divided flame-shapes resembling tongues resting individually on each believer (Acts 2:3). Must be distinguished from the different Greek referent in v.4 (spoken languages); incense/ritual offering-fire associations (烧香, 火供) must not be imported — this fire is a theophanic sign, not a ritual offering.
Devout
Approved rendering: 虔诚的
Transliteration: qiánchéng de
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: εὐλαβής
Category: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Careful, scrupulous piety toward God, particularly of diaspora Jews faithful to temple observance (Acts 2:5). 虔诚 is a generic devoutness term usable of any religion’s adherent; context must keep the referent to the one true God clear.
God Fearer
Approved rendering: 敬畏神的人
Transliteration: jìngwèi Shén de rén
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: φοβούμενος/σεβόμενος τὸν Θεόν
Category: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
A Gentile sympathetic to and observant of Jewish monotheistic worship without full conversion (Cornelius, 10:2, 22; Lydia, 16:14). 敬畏 must convey reverence, not servile terror; must not be confused with a full proselyte or a Christian convert — gloss on first use per document.
Pour Out The Spirit
Approved rendering: 浇灌
Transliteration: jiāoguàn
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: ἐκχεῶ
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
The abundant, generous outpouring of the Holy Spirit promised through Joel and fulfilled at Pentecost (Acts 2:17-18, 33). Must retain the sense of a generous, sovereign divine gift, not a fee-for-service or merit-triggered release, reinforcing the grace-versus-merit caution against 功德/阴德.
Day Of The Lord
Approved rendering: 主的日子
Transliteration: Zhǔ de rìzi
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy in Acts
Rejected alternatives: 世界末日
Original: ἡμέρα Κυρίου
Category: Fulfillment of Prophecy in Acts
The OT prophetic term for God’s decisive, climactic act of judgment and deliverance, quoted by Peter from Joel (Acts 2:20). Must not collapse into the secular pop-culture idiom 世界末日 (‘doomsday’), which strips the term of its personal, relational Lordship dimension.
Signs And Wonders
Approved rendering: 神迹奇事
Transliteration: shénjì qíshì
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: 法力, 法术
Original: δυνάμεις καὶ τέρατα καὶ σημεῖα
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
The recurring triad of God’s attesting supernatural acts performed through Jesus and, in his name, through the apostles (Acts 2:22, 43; 4:30; 5:12; 14:3; 15:12). Must be kept sharply distinct from 邪术 and from the folk category of ritual-practitioner power (法力/法术).
Boldness
Approved rendering: 放胆
Transliteration: fàngdǎn
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Rejected alternatives: 莽撞
Original: παρρησία
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
Fearless, unrestrained public speech before hostile authority, given by the Spirit (Acts 4:13, 29, 31; 9:27-29; 14:3; 19:8; 28:31). Must not connote recklessness or insubordinate defiance (莽撞); Spirit-produced confidence, not natural bravado.
Sanhedrin
Approved rendering: 公会
Transliteration: gōnghuì
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: τὸ συνέδριον
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
The supreme Jewish religious-legal ruling body in Jerusalem (Acts 4:15; 5:21, 34; 6:12; 22:30; 23:1). Modern Chinese 公会 can also denote a secular trade guild/professional association; context must always specify this is the Jewish supreme religious-legal council.
Serve Tables
Approved rendering: 服事
Transliteration: fúshì
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: διακονεῖν ταῖς τραπέζαις
Category: Church as Community
Practical, Spirit-qualified service meeting the physical needs of the community, the narrative root of the later formal office of deacon (Acts 6:1-6). Clarify this is Spirit-qualified ministry (the Seven are chosen for being ‘full of the Spirit and of wisdom,’ 6:3), not a lesser administrative role.
Laying On Of Hands
Approved rendering: 按手
Transliteration: ànshǒu
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: ἐπέθηκαν τὰς χεῖρας
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
A gesture of impartation, commissioning, blessing, or healing accompanied by prayer (Acts 6:6; 8:17; 9:17; 13:3; 19:6; 28:8). Simon’s attempt to purchase this ‘gift’ (8:18-20) requires the translation to make unmistakably clear that laying on of hands conveys the Spirit’s gift through prayer, never a transferable, purchasable power.
Persecution
Approved rendering: 逼迫
Transliteration: bīpò
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Rejected alternatives: 苦难
Original: διωγμός / διώκω
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
Targeted hostility directed at someone specifically because of identification with Christ or the Way (Acts 8:1; 9:4; 11:19; 13:50). Must be distinguished from generic suffering/hardship (苦难); Acts 9:4 uniquely has Christ personally identify with his persecuted church.
No Partiality
Approved rendering: 不偏待人
Transliteration: bù piān dài rén
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: οὐκ ἔστιν προσωπολήμπτης ὁ Θεός
Category: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
God does not judge or favor based on external status, ethnicity, or appearance (Acts 10:34). Must retain full force against any Hua-Yi (华夷) civilizational-hierarchy reading.
Angel Of The Lord
Approved rendering: 主的使者
Transliteration: Zhǔ de shǐzhě
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: 神差, 仙使
Original: ἄγγελος Κυρίου
Category: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
A personal, created heavenly being sent by God to deliver a message or act on his behalf (Acts 5:19; 8:26; 10:3; 12:7-11, 23; 27:23). Distinguish from Chinese folk religion’s messenger/attendant spirits of a deity (神差, 仙使).
Household Salvation
Approved rendering: 你和你的全家
Transliteration: nǐ hé nǐ de quánjiā
Doctrine: Lordship Confession and Salvation by Faith
Original: ὁ οἶκός σου / πανοικί
Category: Lordship Confession and Salvation by Faith
The Philippian jailer’s whole household hearing the gospel and believing together with him (Acts 16:31, 34). Must clarify household solidarity does not mean automatic collective salvation apart from each member’s own faith; guard against the Chinese cultural expectation that religious identity is a family-unit/lineage matter.
Artemis
Approved rendering: 亚底米
Transliteration: Yàdǐmǐ
Doctrine: False Religion and Counterfeit Spiritual Power
Original: Ἄρτεμις
Category: False Religion and Counterfeit Spiritual Power
The great mother/fertility goddess of Ephesus, whose temple and silver-shrine industry tied civic economic interest to idol devotion (Acts 19:24-35). Structural parallel to locally beloved Chinese deity temple-cult economies (e.g. Mazu) noted for teaching purposes only, without equating the deities.
Elder Overseer Shepherd
Approved rendering: 长老 / 监督 / 牧养
Transliteration: zhǎnglǎo / jiāndū / mùyǎng
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: πρεσβύτερος / ἐπίσκοπος / ποιμαίνω
Category: Church as Community
Three descriptive angles on a single pastoral-governing church office (Acts 14:23; 20:17, 28). Clarify these describe one office, not three ranks; 长老 must be disambiguated from its use for Jewish council elders (Ch. 4-5, 22-23).
Judgment To Come
Approved rendering: 将来的审判
Transliteration: jiānglái de shěnpàn
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Rejected alternatives: 报应
Original: τοῦ κρίματος τοῦ μέλλοντος
Category: Justification apart from the Law
The future divine judgment Paul warns Felix of, alongside righteousness and self-control (Acts 24:25). Must be distinguished from impersonal karmic retribution (报应); a personal, forensic divine judgment.
Heavenly Vision
Approved rendering: 从天上来的异象
Transliteration: cóng tiānshàng lái de yìxiàng
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Original: τῇ οὐρανίῳ ὀπτασίᾳ
Category: Conversion of Paul
Paul’s own summary term for his Damascus-road encounter, describing his lifelong obedience to that specific divine commissioning (Acts 26:19). Consistent with the baseline’s High-risk ‘calling’ entry; must be framed as obedience to a personal divine summons, not generic mysticism.
Casting Lots
Approved rendering: 抽签
Transliteration: chōuqiān
Doctrine: Prayer and the Holy Spirit’s Guidance
Original: κλῆρος
Category: Prayer and the Holy Spirit’s Guidance
The method used to choose Matthias as the twelfth apostle, trusting God’s sovereign providence in a specific, bounded decision (Acts 1:26). Shares its verb with drawing a temple fortune-stick (求签); must be taught as bounded and non-normative, contrasted with the Spirit’s direct guidance from Acts 13 onward.
To The End Of The Earth
Approved rendering: 直到地极
Transliteration: zhídào dìjí
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Rejected alternatives: 天下
Original: ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς
Category: Great Commission Fulfilled
The complete geographic scope of gospel witness set out by Christ as the programmatic outline for the whole book (Acts 1:8). Must avoid framing gospel expansion as parallel to 天下 (‘all under heaven’), already forbidden framing under the baseline’s kingdom_of_god entry.
Promise
Approved rendering: 应许
Transliteration: yīngxǔ
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy in Acts
Original: ἡ ἐπαγγελία
Category: Fulfillment of Prophecy in Acts
God’s covenant pledge of the Spirit, made through the prophets and confirmed in Christ, extended to ‘you and your children and all who are far off’ (Acts 2:39). Aligned with the baseline’s covenant (约) family; must retain the sense of a gracious divine pledge, not a negotiated commercial agreement.
Witness
Approved rendering: 见证 / 作证
Transliteration: jiànzhèng / zuòzhèng
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Rejected alternatives: 分享见证式的泛化
Original: μαρτυρέω / μάρτυς
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
Authoritative, eyewitness legal-style testimony to the resurrected Christ (Acts 1:8; 2:32, 40; 7:58-60; 22:20). Must retain authoritative eyewitness sense, not the softer modern secular sense of ‘sharing a personal testimony/experience’ (分享见证).
Exalted
Approved rendering: 被高举
Transliteration: bèi gāojǔ
Doctrine: Ascension and Enthronement of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 升官, 受封
Original: ὑψωθείς / ὕψωσεν
Category: Ascension and Enthronement of Christ
Christ’s elevation to supreme honor, authority, and enthronement at God’s right hand following his resurrection (Acts 2:33; 5:31). Must not be read merely as a worldly rank-promotion (升官/受封) or a Mandate-of-Heaven-style ascension; a unique, cosmic enthronement of the divine-human Christ.
Servants Menservants Maidservants
Approved rendering: 仆人和使女
Transliteration: púrén hé shǐnǚ
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: 助手/帮手式的泛化
Original: δούλους … δούλας
Category: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
The lowest social/legal class in the Greco-Roman world, specified in Joel’s prophecy as also receiving the outpoured Spirit without regard to status (Acts 2:18). Must not be softened into a generic, higher-status ‘helper/assistant’ term that loses the deliberate social-status contrast.
Low Risk Terms
Apostle
Approved rendering: 使徒
Transliteration: shǐtú
Doctrine: Apostleship
Rejected alternatives: 宗师, 大师
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Established CUV term; no significant folk-religion collision. In Acts, the reconstituted Twelve (1:26) and Barnabas/Paul (14:4, 14) both bear this title. (Inherited from Romans package.)
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: 感恩
Transliteration: gǎn’ēn
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Original: εὐχαριστία
Category: Faith
Standard term. Present in Paul’s shipboard thanksgiving (27:35). (Inherited from Romans package.)
Fellowship
Approved rendering: 团契
Transliteration: tuánqì
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: 交情, 结拜
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
Avoid 结拜 (sworn-brotherhood pact). In Acts, named among the four marks of the early church (2:42). (Inherited from Romans package.)
Prophet
Approved rendering: 先知
Transliteration: xiānzhī
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: 算命先生
Original: προφήτης
Category: Covenant
Distinguish from 算命先生. In Acts, Joel (2:16), Moses (3:22; 7:37), and Agabus (11:28; 21:10) all bear this title. (Inherited from Romans package.)
Exhort
Approved rendering: 劝勉
Transliteration: quànmiǎn
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Original: παρακαλέω
Category: Faith
Standard term. In Acts, used of Peter’s Pentecost appeal (2:40), Barnabas’s encouragement at Antioch (11:23), and Paul’s farewell exhortations (14:22; 15:32; 16:40; 20:1-2). (Inherited from Romans package.)
Proselyte
Approved rendering: 归化犹太教的人
Transliteration: guīhuà Yóutàijiào de rén
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: προσήλυτος
Category: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
A Gentile convert who has fully adopted Judaism, including circumcision (Acts 2:11; 6:5; 13:43). Must not be confused with a full Christian convert.
Christian
Approved rendering: 基督徒
Transliteration: Jīdūtú
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: Χριστιανός
Category: Church as Community
The name first applied to believers at Antioch, built on ‘Christ’ (Acts 11:26; 26:28). Established modern standard term; low collision risk.
Synagogue
Approved rendering: 会堂
Transliteration: huìtáng
Doctrine: The Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: συναγωγή
Category: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
The Jewish assembly building/community where Paul characteristically began preaching (Acts 13:5, 14; 14:1; 17:1, 10; 18:4; 19:8). Distinct from 教会 (church).
Yoke
Approved rendering: 轭
Transliteration: è
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: ζυγόν
Category: Justification apart from the Law
A metaphor for the unbearable legal-ritual burden of the law, invoked by Peter at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:10). Standard biblical metaphor; low collision risk.
Areopagus
Approved rendering: 亚略巴古
Transliteration: Yàluè Bāgǔ
Doctrine: False Religion and Counterfeit Spiritual Power
Original: Ἄρειος Πάγος
Category: False Religion and Counterfeit Spiritual Power
The Athenian council and hill where Paul addressed the philosophers of Athens (Acts 17:19, 22). Proper noun; low collision risk.
Roman Citizen
Approved rendering: 罗马公民
Transliteration: Luómǎ gōngmín
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: Ῥωμαῖος
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
A specific, legally-defined civic status carrying rights, invoked by Paul (Acts 16:37; 22:25-29; 23:27). Purely historical/legal term; a model of legitimate engagement with governing authority.
Appeal To Caesar
Approved rendering: 上告于凯撒
Transliteration: shànggào yú Kǎisā
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: Καίσαρα ἐπικαλοῦμαι
Category: Persecution and Bold Witness
A formal Roman legal procedure allowing a citizen to have his case heard by the emperor (Acts 25:11). Historical-legal term; the narrative mechanism by which Paul reaches Rome.
Unhindered
Approved rendering: 没有人禁止
Transliteration: méiyǒu rén jìnzhǐ
Doctrine: The Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: ἀκωλύτως
Category: Great Commission Fulfilled
The book’s final Greek word, describing Paul’s continued, open proclamation of the kingdom of God in Rome, under guard yet unstopped (Acts 28:31). Pastorally and structurally significant despite low lexical risk.
Added To The Number
Approved rendering: 加添 / 添了
Transliteration: jiātiān / tiān le
Doctrine: The Church as Community
Original: προσετέθησαν
Category: Church as Community
Incorporation of the newly baptized into the existing, defined community of believers (Acts 2:41, 47; 5:14; 11:24). Salvation is not merely individual; anticipates the church-as-community doctrine developed in 2:42-47.
Cut To The Heart
Approved rendering: 觉得扎心
Transliteration: juéde zhāxīn
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Original: κατενύγησαν τὴν καρδίαν
Category: Repentance and Baptism
A vivid idiom for the sudden, sharp conviction produced in Peter’s Pentecost hearers, the necessary precursor to repentance (Acts 2:37). Should be taught as Spirit-produced conviction of guilt before God, not merely emotional discomfort.
Referenced passages