Core Glossary
08 Core Glossary — James — English → Mandarin
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing theological term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md, spanning James 1-5. Terms already recorded in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json are marked [BASELINE — REUSED EXACTLY] and must never be altered. New terms required for James are marked [NEW] and are proposed here for entry into translation memory (subject to Phase 1 Step 8 confirmation), using the same Critical/High/Medium/Low risk framework as the baseline doctrine_risk_registry.json.
| # | English Term | Greek (Translit.) | Mandarin Rendering | Status | Risk | Doctrine | Chapter(s) | Notes / Rejected Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Faith | πίστις (pistis) | 信心 (xìnxīn) | BASELINE — REUSED | High | Faith and Works | 1:3,6; 2:1,14-26; 5:15 | Object of faith must be recoverable from context, esp. 2:14-26 where “faith” ranges from bare assent to full trust |
| 2 | Works | ἔργα (erga) | 行为 (xíngwéi) | NEW | Critical | Faith and Works | 2:14-26 | High collision risk with Buddhist merit-accounting worldview (功德/阴德, cf. baseline Grace entry); must always be taught as evidence/fruit of faith, never as merit earning or supplementing salvation |
| 3 | Justification (vindication sense) | δικαιόω / ἐδικαιώθη (dikaioō) | 称义 (chēngyì) | BASELINE — REUSED w/ EXTENDED NOTE | Critical | Faith and Works | 2:21,24,25 | Same baseline term as Romans’ forensic justification, but James applies it to vindication/demonstration of already-imputed righteousness through works, not a second forensic ground; mandatory note required every occurrence to prevent an apparent Paul-James contradiction |
| 4 | Imputed righteousness | ἐλογίσθη εἰς δικαιοσύνην (elogisthē eis dikaiosynēn) | 算为义 (suàn wéi yì) | BASELINE — REUSED EXACTLY | Critical | Faith and Works | 2:23 | Direct Genesis 15:6 citation shared with Romans 4:3; must render identically across the curriculum per baseline cross-document consistency rule |
| 5 | Righteousness | δικαιοσύνη (dikaiosynē) | 义 (yì) | BASELINE — REUSED | Critical | Faith and Works; Wisdom from Above | 2:23; 3:18 | Never allowed to stand alone as the Confucian virtue of the same name; distinguishing note required per baseline |
| 6 | Dead (of faith) | νεκρός (nekros) | 死的 (sǐ de) | NEW | High | Faith and Works | 2:17,26 | Categorical, not gradational — “faith without works” is not lesser faith but no saving faith; must not resonance with reincarnation-cycle imagery |
| 7 | Save/Saved | σῴζω (sōzō) | 救 (jiù) | BASELINE-ADJACENT (verbal root of 救恩) | Critical | Faith and Works; Prayer and Healing | 2:14; 5:15,20 | Retain soteriological weight from 救恩; in 5:15 dual physical/spiritual register requires care not to imply a guaranteed-healing formula |
| 8 | Trial | πειρασμός (peirasmos, trial sense) | 试炼 (shìliàn) | NEW | High | Trials and the Testing of Faith | 1:2,12 | Disambiguated from 试探 (temptation sense); note the shared Greek root and deliberate wordplay lost in Mandarin |
| 9 | Temptation | πειρασμός/πειράζω (peirasmos/peirazō, enticement sense) | 试探 (shìtàn) | NEW | High | Trials and the Testing of Faith | 1:13-14 | Never originates from God (1:13); must be kept distinct from 试炼 |
| 10 | Testing/Proving | δοκίμιον (dokimion) | 试验 (shìyàn) | NEW | Medium | Trials and the Testing of Faith | 1:3 | Purposive divine proving process, not a neutral experiment |
| 11 | Endurance/Perseverance | ὑπομονή (hypomonē) | 忍耐 (rěnnài) | NEW | Medium | Trials and the Testing of Faith | 1:3-4,12; 5:11 | Same Mandarin term also used for μακροθυμία (#31); note distinct nuance (enduring pressure vs. waiting patiently) |
| 12 | Double-minded | δίψυχος (dipsychos) | 心怀二意 (xīnhuái èryì) | NEW | Medium | Trials and the Testing of Faith | 1:8; 4:8 | Standard CUV idiom; minimal collision risk |
| 13 | Wisdom | σοφία (sophia) | 智慧 (zhìhuì) | NEW | Medium | Wisdom from Above | 1:5; 3:13-17 | Distinguish from worldly cleverness (聪明) and occult/divinatory “wisdom” traditions |
| 14 | Wisdom from Above | σοφία ἄνωθεν (sophia anōthen) | 从上头来的智慧 (cóng shàngtou lái de zhìhuì) | NEW | High | Wisdom from Above | 3:15,17 | Gift from God received by faith, evidenced by ethical fruit — not attained via meditative/ascetic practice as in Buddhist/Daoist traditions |
| 15 | Earthly / Soulish / Demonic (false wisdom) | ἐπίγειος / ψυχικός / δαιμονιώδης | 属地的 / 属情欲的 / 属鬼魔的 | NEW | High | Wisdom from Above | 3:15 | ψυχικός requires a note distinguishing “wisdom sourced in mere natural self-interest” from any claim that the human soul/ψυχή itself is inherently corrupt |
| 16 | Desire/Lust | ἐπιθυμία (epithymia) | 私欲 (sīyù) | NEW | Medium | Trials; Worldliness | 1:14-15; 4:1-2 | Disordered, self-serving craving; distinguish from neutral desire |
| 17 | Word (of truth) / Implanted Word | λόγος (logos), ἔμφυτος λόγος | 真道 / 所栽种的道 (zhēn dào / suǒ zāizhòng de dào) | NEW | High | Faith and Works (foundation) | 1:18,21-22 | Reuses 道 already Critical in baseline under Incarnation for Daoist collision; requires the same clarifying note — personal message, not impersonal cosmic Way |
| 18 | Doer of the Word | ποιητὴς λόγου (poiētēs logou) | 行道的人 (xíng dào de rén) | NEW | High | Faith and Works | 1:22-25 | Shares 行-root with 行为 (#2); same merit-theology caution applies |
| 19 | Religion (practice) | θρησκεία (thrēskeia) | 虔诚 (qiánchéng) | NEW | Medium | Favoritism/Purity | 1:26-27 | Distinct Greek word from πίστις; does not conflict with baseline’s rejection of 虔诚 for faith specifically |
| 20 | Pure/Undefiled | καθαρός / ἀμίαντος | 清洁 / 没有玷污 | NEW | Medium | (supports Favoritism doctrine) | 1:27 | Ethical-relational purity, not ritual purification |
| 21 | Widow/Orphan | χήρα / ὀρφανός | 孤儿寡妇 (gū’ér guǎfù) | NEW | Low | Favoritism and the Poor | 1:27 | Standard, low collision |
| 22 | World/Worldliness | κόσμος (kosmos) | 世俗 (shìsú) / 世界 (shìjiè) | NEW | Medium | Worldliness vs. Friendship with God | 1:27; 4:4 | Track 世俗 (corrupting social-moral system) vs. neutral 世界 (created world) consistently |
| 23 | Favoritism / Partiality | προσωπολημψία (prosōpolēmpsia) | 按外貌待人 / 偏待人 (àn wàimào dài rén) | NEW | Medium | Favoritism and the Poor | 2:1,9 | Anchor concretely to rich/poor seating scenario, not a vague platitude |
| 24 | Royal Law / Law of Liberty | νόμος βασιλικός / ἐλευθερίας | 至尊的律法 / 使人自由的律法 | NEW | High | Favoritism and the Poor; Law | 1:25; 2:8,12 | Built on baseline 律法; distinguish from Confucian 礼 and from legalistic law opposed to grace |
| 25 | Law | νόμος (nomos) | 律法 (lǜfǎ) | BASELINE — REUSED | High | Favoritism and the Poor | 2:9-11; 4:11 | Never equate with 礼 or 法律, per baseline |
| 26 | Mercy | ἔλεος (eleos) | 怜恤 (liánxù) | NEW | Medium | Favoritism and the Poor | 2:13 | Distinguish from Buddhist compassion (慈悲) tied to merit-generation |
| 27 | Neighbor | πλησίον (plēsion) | 邻舍 (línshè) | NEW | Low | Favoritism and the Poor | 2:8 | Standard term |
| 28 | Tongue | γλῶσσα (glōssa) | 舌头 (shétou) | NEW | Low | Taming the Tongue | 1:26; 3:1-12 | Concrete, no collision |
| 29 | Bridle/Control | χαλιναγωγέω (chalinagōgeō) | 勒住 (lēzhù) | NEW | Low | Taming the Tongue | 1:26; 3:2-3 | Vivid horse-control image |
| 30 | Hell/Gehenna | γέεννα (geenna) | 地狱 (dìyù) | NEW | Medium | Taming the Tongue | 3:6 | Distinguish from folk/Buddhist multi-level purgatorial underworld (超度-adjacent concepts already rejected in baseline) |
| 31 | Patience/Longsuffering | μακροθυμία (makrothymia) | 忍耐 (rěnnài) | NEW | Medium | Patience and the Lord’s Return | 5:7-8,10 | Same Mandarin term as ὑπομονή (#11); distinguish “waiting for a promised event” nuance |
| 32 | The Lord’s Coming / Parousia | παρουσία τοῦ κυρίου (parousia tou kyriou) | 主来 / 主的降临 | NEW | Critical | Patience and the Lord’s Return | 5:7-8 | Must not be conflated with Maitreya (弥勒)-style future-savior expectation already forbidden in baseline under Messianic Promise; Christ’s own definite, promised, singular return |
| 33 | Lord of Hosts/Sabaoth | κύριος σαβαώθ (kyrios sabaōth) | 万军之主 (wànjūn zhī zhǔ) | NEW | High | Patience and the Lord’s Return; Favoritism | 5:4 | Builds on baseline Critical 主; retain full divine-military-sovereign force |
| 34 | Lord (general) | κύριος (kyrios) | 主 (zhǔ) | BASELINE — REUSED | Critical | (cross-cutting) | throughout | Never softened to 主人/老爷 per baseline |
| 35 | Judge | κριτής (kritēs) | 审判的主 / 审判者 | NEW | Medium | Patience and the Lord’s Return | 5:9 | Retain both comfort and accountability senses |
| 36 | Establish/Strengthen (hearts) | στηρίζω (stērizō) | 坚固 (jiāngù) | NEW | Low | Patience and the Lord’s Return | 5:8 | Standard term |
| 37 | Friendship with the World | φιλία τοῦ κόσμου (philia tou kosmou) | 与世俗为友 (yǔ shìsú wéi yǒu) | NEW | High | Worldliness vs. Friendship with God | 4:4 | Direct antonym of 神的朋友 (#40); retain exclusivity |
| 38 | Enmity with God | ἔχθρα τοῦ θεοῦ (echthra tou theou) | 与神为敌 (yǔ Shén wéi dí) | NEW | Medium | Worldliness vs. Friendship with God | 4:4 | Retain binary force, no middle ground |
| 39 | Adulteress (spiritual) | μοιχαλίς (moichalis) | 淫乱的人 (yínluàn de rén) | NEW | Medium | Worldliness vs. Friendship with God | 4:4 | Covenant-betrayal metaphor, not generic unfaithfulness |
| 40 | Friend of God | φίλος θεοῦ (philos theou) | 神的朋友 (Shén de péngyou) | NEW | Medium | Faith and Works; Worldliness | 2:23 | Positive counterpart to #37; covenant intimacy, not casual friendship |
| 41 | Grace | χάρις (charis) | 恩典 (ēndiǎn) | BASELINE — REUSED | Critical | Worldliness vs. Friendship with God | 4:6 | Never 功德/阴德/造化, per baseline; here contrasted with pride rather than works |
| 42 | Humble / Proud | ταπεινός / ὑπερήφανος | 谦卑的人 / 骄傲的人 | NEW | Medium | Worldliness vs. Friendship with God | 4:6,10; 1:9-10 | Distinguish from Confucian ritual-deference etiquette (谦让/礼) |
| 43 | Devil | διάβολος (diabolos) | 魔鬼 (móguǐ) | NEW | Medium | Worldliness vs. Friendship with God | 4:7 | Distinguish from generic folk ghosts/spirits (鬼/邪灵) |
| 44 | Judge (verb)/Speak against | κρίνω / καταλαλέω | 论断 / 说…的闲话 | NEW | Low-Medium | Taming the Tongue | 4:11-12 | Standard terms |
| 45 | Lawgiver | νομοθέτης (nomothetēs) | 设立律法的 (shèlì lǜfǎ de) | NEW | Low | Favoritism and the Poor (law) | 4:12 | Standard |
| 46 | If the Lord wills | Ἐὰν ὁ κύριος θελήσῃ | 主若愿意 (zhǔ ruò yuànyì) | NEW | High | (Providence, cross-reference to baseline) | 4:15 | Must not flatten into impersonal 天意 fatalism already warned against in baseline Providence entry |
| 47 | Wages | μισθός (misthos) | 工价 (gōngjià) | NEW | Low | Favoritism and the Poor | 5:4 | Standard |
| 48 | Oath/Swear | ὅρκος / ὄμνυμι | 誓言 / 起誓 (qǐshì) | NEW | Medium | Taming the Tongue | 5:12 | Note folk-religious oath-ritual resonance (incense/blood oaths, temple vows) for teaching context |
| 49 | Elders of the Church | πρεσβύτεροι τῆς ἐκκλησίας | 教会的长老 (jiàohuì de zhǎnglǎo) | NEW | Medium | Prayer and Healing | 5:14 | Distinguish ecclesial office from secular clan/village-elder seniority |
| 50 | Anoint with Oil | ἀλείφω ἐλαίῳ (aleiphō elaiō) | 用油抹 (yòng yóu mǒ) | NEW | High | Prayer and Healing | 5:14 | Must be distinguished from folk/Daoist ritual-oil or talisman practices; efficacy is in prayer “in the name of the Lord,” not the oil itself |
| 51 | Prayer of Faith | εὐχὴ τῆς πίστεως (euchē tēs pisteōs) | 出于信心的祷告 | NEW | High | Prayer and Healing | 5:15 | Avoid a mechanical faith-guarantees-healing (prosperity-gospel) reading |
| 52 | Raise Up (from sickness) | ἐγείρω (egeirō) | 叫他起来 (jiào tā qǐlái) | NEW | Medium-High | Prayer and Healing | 5:15 | Must NOT be rendered 复活 (baseline’s exclusive resurrection-from-death term) |
| 53 | Confess (sins) | ἐξομολογέομαι (exomologeomai) | 彼此认罪 (bǐcǐ rèn zuì) | NEW | Medium | Confession and Restoration | 5:16 | Mutual/voluntary among believers, not sacramental-priestly or folk public-shaming |
| 54 | Prayer/Petition, effective | δέησις … ἐνεργουμένη | 祈祷…大有功效 (dà yǒu gōngxiào) | NEW | High | Confession and Restoration; Prayer and Healing | 5:16 | 功效 shares 功-root with 功德 (Critical baseline concern); clarify ordinary “efficacy,” not merit-accumulation |
| 55 | Soul (from death) | ψυχή ἐκ θανάτου (psychē ek thanatou) | 灵魂 (línghún) | NEW | High | Confession and Restoration | 5:20 | Distinguish from a transmigrating soul-substance subject to 轮回 (already forbidden in baseline) |
| 56 | Cover a Multitude of Sins | καλύψει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν | 遮盖许多的罪 (zhēgài xǔduō de zuì) | NEW | High | Confession and Restoration | 5:20 | Must be taught as the result of gospel-driven restoration/forgiveness, NOT a merit-transaction offsetting a sin-debt ledger (功德/阴德 logic) |
| 57 | Turn Back / Restore | ἐπιστρέφω (epistrephō) | 使…回转 (huízhuǎn) | NEW | Medium | Confession and Restoration | 5:19-20 | Repentance/restoration to the gospel community, not folk ritual reconciliation |
| 58 | Peace (interpersonal/social) | εἰρήνη (eirēnē, ch.3 sense) | 和平 (hépíng) | NEW | Medium | Wisdom from Above | 3:18 | Distinct from baseline’s 平安 (peace with God); do not conflate |
| 59 | Peace (with God) | εἰρήνη (eirēnē, general sense) | 平安 (píng’ān) | BASELINE — REUSED | Medium | (cross-cutting) | 2:16; 3:18 (ironic use) | Standard baseline term; 2:16 use is an ironic, hollow blessing exposed as insufficient without deeds |
| 60 | Spirit (human, in body/spirit analogy) | πνεῦμα (pneuma, non-Holy-Spirit sense) | 灵魂/灵 (línghún/líng) | NEW | High | Faith and Works | 2:26 | NOT 圣灵 (reserved exclusively for Holy Spirit per baseline); this is the human animating spirit/breath |
| 61 | Holy Spirit | πνεῦμα ἅγιον | 圣灵 (Shènglíng) | BASELINE — REUSED | Critical | Worldliness vs. Friendship with God | 4:5 | Never 灵 alone or 祖灵, per baseline |
| 62 | Glory/Glorious | δόξα (doxa) | 荣耀 (róngyào) | BASELINE — REUSED | Medium | Favoritism and the Poor | 2:1 | ”the glorious Lord Jesus Christ” — retain divine radiance sense, not 面子/social face |
| 63 | Prophet | προφήτης (prophētēs) | 先知 (xiānzhī) | BASELINE — REUSED | Low | Patience and the Lord’s Return | 5:10 | Standard baseline term |
| 64 | Sin | ἁμαρτία (hamartia) | 罪 (zuì) | BASELINE — REUSED | High | Confession and Restoration; Faith and Works | throughout | Never merely legal infraction or karmic retribution, per baseline |
| 65 | Father | πατήρ (patēr) | 父 (fù) | BASELINE — REUSED | High | (God’s unchanging character) | 1:17,27; 3:9 | Never 祖先/老天爷, per baseline |
| 66 | Body | σῶμα (sōma) | 身体 (shēntǐ) | NEW | Low | Faith and Works | 2:26 | Standard, no collision |
| 67 | Fruit of Righteousness | καρπὸς δικαιοσύνης (karpos dikaiosynēs) | 义的果子 (yì de guǒzi) | NEW | High | Wisdom from Above | 3:18 | Inherits 义’s Critical status; ethical fruit of right-standing, not Confucian virtue-cultivation fruit |
Risk Tier Summary (James-Specific New Terms)
| Risk | Count of NEW terms | Representative terms |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 2 | Works (行为), The Lord’s Coming/Parousia (主来) |
| High | 16 | Justification-as-vindication (称义 extended note), Dead/faith (死的), Trial/Temptation pair (试炼/试探), Word/Implanted Word (道), Doer of the Word (行道的人), Royal Law (至尊的律法), Lord of Hosts (万军之主), Friendship with the World (与世俗为友), If the Lord Wills (主若愿意), Anoint with Oil (用油抹), Prayer of Faith (出于信心的祷告), Prayer…effective (大有功效), Soul from death (灵魂), Cover a multitude of sins (遮盖许多的罪), Human spirit vs. Holy Spirit (灵魂/灵), Fruit of Righteousness (义的果子) |
| Medium | 22 | (see table above) |
| Low | 12 | (see table above) |
Cross-Reference to Baseline Terms Reused Exactly
信心, 恩典, 义, 称义 (extended), 救恩 (verbal root 救), 律法, 罪, 主, 神, 圣灵, 父, 平安, 先知, 算为义, 荣耀 — all governed by their original baseline entries in translation_memory.json and doctrine_risk_registry.json; no baseline rendering is altered by this glossary.
This glossary is submitted for Phase 1 Step 8 (Core Glossary confirmation) and subsequent incorporation into an updated translation_memory.json version for the James curriculum.
Critical Risk Terms
Grace
Approved rendering: 恩典
Transliteration: ēndiǎn
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Rejected alternatives: 功德, 造化, 福气, 阴德
Original: χάρις
Category: Worldliness
Inherited from Romans package. In James 4:6 grace is contrasted with pride rather than works, a related but distinct application of the same unmerited-favor principle already Critical in the baseline; NEVER 功德/阴德/造化.
Righteousness
Approved rendering: 义
Transliteration: yì
Doctrine: Faith and Works; Wisdom from Above
Rejected alternatives: 道德, 善行
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Faith and Works
Inherited from Romans package. Never allowed to stand alone as the Confucian virtue of the same name; James 2:23 (imputed righteousness) and 3:18 (fruit of righteousness) both require the baseline’s distinguishing note.
Justification
Approved rendering: 称义
Transliteration: chēngyì
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Rejected alternatives: 修成正果, 赎罪
Original: δικαιόω / ἐδικαιώθη
Category: Faith and Works
Inherited from Romans package, EXTENDED for James. In James 2:21,24,25, δικαιόω/称义 names the vindication/demonstration, before observers, of a righteousness already reckoned by faith (Genesis 15:6, quoted James 2:23) — not a second, works-based forensic ground of standing before God. Mandatory note on every occurrence in James 2:14-26: James 2:24’s ‘not by faith alone’ negates an isolated, workless profession, not the sola fide principle Romans establishes. This is the highest-risk sentence in the curriculum for producing an apparent Paul-James contradiction.
Imputed Righteousness
Approved rendering: 算为义
Transliteration: suàn wéi yì
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Rejected alternatives: 修成正果的义, 自义
Original: ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην
Category: Faith and Works
Inherited from Romans package. James 2:23 quotes the identical Genesis 15:6 text cited in Romans 4:3; must render identically to any Romans 4:3 occurrence elsewhere in the curriculum family per the baseline’s cross-document consistency rule. This verse is the interpretive key proving James affirms, not contradicts, justification by faith.
Salvation
Approved rendering: 救恩
Transliteration: jiùēn
Doctrine: Faith and Works; Prayer and Healing
Rejected alternatives: 解脱, 超度, 得道
Inherited from Romans package. Not directly lexicalized as a noun in James’s Greek text but retained here as the governing doctrinal anchor for the verbal root 救 (see save_salvation_root) used in James 2:14 and 5:15,20. NEVER 解脱 or 超度.
Lord
Approved rendering: 主
Transliteration: zhǔ
Doctrine: (cross-cutting; Lordship of Christ; Patience and the Lord’s Return)
Rejected alternatives: 主人, 老爷
Original: κύριος
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package. Applied throughout James to both God the Father and Jesus Christ (1:1; 5:7-8,14-15). Never softened to 主人 (ordinary master) or 老爷 (feudal honorific).
God
Approved rendering: 神
Transliteration: Shén
Doctrine: (cross-cutting)
Rejected alternatives: 上帝, 天, 老天爷
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. This package standardizes on 神 (Shen edition) rather than 上帝; never 天 or 老天爷 alone.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: 圣灵
Transliteration: Shènglíng
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Rejected alternatives: 祖灵, 灵
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: Worldliness
Inherited from Romans package. James 4:5 (‘the Spirit he caused to dwell in us’). Always use the compound 圣灵; never 灵 alone or 祖灵. Must be kept lexically distinct from James 2:26’s human 灵/灵魂 (see human_spirit).
Jesus
Approved rendering: 耶稣
Transliteration: Yēsū
Doctrine: (Christology, cross-cutting)
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. CUV standard transliteration; James 1:1 and 2:1.
Christ Messiah
Approved rendering: 基督
Transliteration: Jīdū
Doctrine: Patience and the Lord’s Return
Rejected alternatives: 弥勒, 救世主式泛称
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. James 1:1 and 2:1 (‘the Lord Jesus Christ’). Never conflated with 弥勒 (Maitreya); this restriction is doubly load-bearing in James because of 5:7-8’s parousia language (see lords_coming_parousia).
Resurrection
Approved rendering: 复活
Transliteration: fùhuó
Doctrine: Prayer and Healing (forbidden-substitution anchor)
Rejected alternatives: 轮回, 投胎, 还魂
Inherited from Romans package, retained here specifically as a FORBIDDEN SUBSTITUTION ANCHOR: James 5:15’s ἐγείρω (‘the Lord will raise him up’ from sickness, rendered 叫他起来) must NEVER be translated with 复活, which remains reserved exclusively for bodily resurrection from death (see raise_up_from_sickness). Never 轮回/投胎/还魂 in either context.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: 成圣
Transliteration: chéngshèng
Doctrine: Wisdom from Above (cross-reference)
Rejected alternatives: 修身, 修炼
Inherited from Romans package, retained here as a cross-reference anchor: James 2:22’s τελειόω (‘faith was made complete/perfected through works,’ rendered 成全) must NOT be assimilated to 成圣’s Neo-Confucian self-cultivation-into-sagehood resonance already Critical in the baseline. Faith reaching its intended, mature expression through action is not self-achieved moral perfection.
Works
Approved rendering: 行为
Transliteration: xíngwéi
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Rejected alternatives: 功德, 阴德, 修成正果
Original: ἔργα
Category: Faith and Works
NEW. James 2:14-26. Sits directly inside the live Buddhist merit-accounting worldview (功德/阴德) the baseline flags Critical under Grace. ‘Faith without 行为 is dead’ (2:17,26) is acutely vulnerable to being heard as ‘faith plus merit-earning deeds = salvation,’ the exact reverse of Romans 4/Ephesians 2:8-9. Mandatory note on every occurrence: 行为 = the inevitable fruit/evidence genuine faith produces, never a supplement that earns or completes salvation. Also underlies 行道的人 (doer of the word, 1:22-25) via the shared 行-root.
Save Salvation Root
Approved rendering: 救
Transliteration: jiù
Doctrine: Faith and Works; Prayer and Healing
Rejected alternatives: 解脱, 超度
Original: σῴζω
Category: Salvation
NEW. Verbal root of the baseline’s Critical noun 救恩. James 2:14 (rhetorical: can bare verbal faith save?) and James 5:15,20 (dual physical-restoration/spiritual-rescue register). Must retain full soteriological weight; in 5:15 requires a note preventing a guaranteed-healing formula and preventing readers from inferring a separate ‘healing salvation’ doctrine distinct from 救恩.
Lords Coming Parousia
Approved rendering: 主来 / 主的降临
Transliteration: zhǔ lái / zhǔ de jiànglín
Doctrine: Patience and the Lord’s Return
Rejected alternatives: 弥勒下生, 帕鲁西亚（音译）
Original: παρουσία (τοῦ κυρίου)
Category: Eschatology
NEW. James 5:7-8 (παρουσία τοῦ κυρίου). CRITICAL: sits directly beside the baseline’s Critical messianic_promise entry forbidding conflation of Christ with 弥勒 (Maitreya), the future Buddha expected in Chinese Buddhist eschatology to appear in a coming age, historically invoked by Chinese millenarian folk movements. Every occurrence requires a mandatory note: this is Christ’s own promised, singular, definite, already-identified return, not an as-yet-unidentified future world-savior, and not a cyclical (治乱循环) eschatology.
High Risk Terms
Faith
Approved rendering: 信心
Transliteration: xìnxīn
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Rejected alternatives: 虔诚, 迷信, 信仰
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. In James 2:14-19 the referent narrows to a self-professed but unverified/verbal-only claim of faith, and in 2:19 to bare monotheistic assent shared even by demons; context must make clear which sense is active so readers do not conclude living, saving faith itself is being devalued.
Law
Approved rendering: 律法
Transliteration: lǜfǎ
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Rejected alternatives: 礼, 道德规范, 法律
Original: νόμος
Category: Favoritism
Inherited from Romans package. Used in James 2:9-11 (the whole law kept/broken as one) and 4:11 (the law one presumes to judge). NEVER equate with 礼 (Confucian ritual propriety) or 法律 (secular civil law).
Sin
Approved rendering: 罪
Transliteration: zuì
Doctrine: Confession and Restoration; Faith and Works
Rejected alternatives: 报应, 罪犯式的罪
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Restoration
Inherited from Romans package. Used throughout James (1:15; 2:9; 4:17; 5:15-16,20). Never merely a legal infraction or a cause of karmic retribution (报应).
Father
Approved rendering: 父
Transliteration: fù
Doctrine: (God’s unchanging character)
Rejected alternatives: 祖先, 老天爷
Original: πατήρ
Category: Worldliness
Inherited from Romans package. James 1:17 (Father of lights, giver of every good gift) and 3:9 (Father of all humanity in creation). Never 祖先 (ancestors) or 老天爷 (colloquial impersonal Heaven).
Providence
Approved rendering: 神的护理
Transliteration: Shén de hùlǐ
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God (cross-reference)
Rejected alternatives: 天意, 命运
Inherited from Romans package, retained here as the governing cross-reference for James 4:15’s 主若愿意 (‘if the Lord wills’). Never 天意 alone — God’s providence in James 4 is a personal Lord’s will actively submitted to, not an impersonal cosmic will passively accepted.
Dead Faith
Approved rendering: 死的
Transliteration: sǐ de
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Rejected alternatives: 不完全的信心, 有缺陷的信心
Original: νεκρός (of πίστις)
Category: Faith and Works
NEW. James 2:17,26. Categorical, not gradational: ‘faith without works’ is not a lesser or partial faith but no saving faith at all. Must not resonate with the baseline’s resurrection/reincarnation-cycle imagery; this is a distinct, ethical, non-eschatological use of ‘dead.‘
Trial
Approved rendering: 试炼
Transliteration: shìliàn
Doctrine: Trials and the Testing of Faith
Rejected alternatives: 报应
Original: πειρασμός (trial sense)
Category: Trials
NEW. James 1:2,12. God-permitted, faith-maturing external hardship. Disambiguated from 试探 (temptation sense of the same Greek root πειρασμός); a note is required at 1:2-4 explaining the shared Greek root and lost wordplay, and that 试炼 must never be conflated with 试探 (which never originates from God, 1:13).
Temptation
Approved rendering: 试探
Transliteration: shìtàn
Doctrine: Trials and the Testing of Faith
Original: πειρασμός / πειράζω (enticement sense)
Category: Trials
NEW. James 1:13-14. Inward enticement toward sin arising from one’s own ἐπιθυμία (私欲), never from God. Must never be interchanged with 试炼; rendering both identically would imply God tempts people to sin, directly contradicting 1:13.
Wisdom From Above
Approved rendering: 从上头来的智慧
Transliteration: cóng shàngtou lái de zhìhuì
Doctrine: Wisdom from Above
Rejected alternatives: 悟, 修身而得的智慧
Original: σοφία ἄνωθεν
Category: Wisdom
NEW. James 3:15,17 (σοφία ἄνωθεν). Fixed technical compound, treated as a unit, not a free paraphrase. Must not be assimilated to Buddhist/Daoist wisdom attained through meditative practice or enlightenment; this is a gift given by God, received by asking in faith (cf. 1:5), evidenced by ethical fruit.
False Wisdom Triad
Approved rendering: 属地的 / 属情欲的 / 属鬼魔的
Transliteration: shǔ dì de / shǔ qíngyù de / shǔ guǐmó de
Doctrine: Wisdom from Above
Original: ἐπίγειος / ψυχικός / δαιμονιώδης
Category: Wisdom
NEW. James 3:15 (ἐπίγειος / ψυχικός / δαιμονιώδης). Three escalating descriptors of false wisdom’s corrupted source. 属情欲的 (ψυχικός) requires a note clarifying this describes wisdom whose source is merely natural human self-interest, unaided by the Spirit — not a claim that the human soul itself is inherently evil, which would collide with folk soul-concepts or Buddhist anatta discussions.
Word Of Truth
Approved rendering: 真道 / 所栽种的道
Transliteration: zhēn dào / suǒ zāizhòng de dào
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Original: λόγος (ἀληθείας) / ἔμφυτος λόγος
Category: Faith and Works
NEW. James 1:18,21-22 (λόγος ἀληθείας / ἔμφυτος λόγος). Reuses 道 (dào), already Critical in the baseline under Incarnation for its Daoist metaphysical-principle resonance. Every occurrence requires the same clarifying note as the baseline’s incarnation entry: this is God’s personal, spoken/written saving message, not an impersonal cosmic Way.
Doer Of The Word
Approved rendering: 行道的人
Transliteration: xíng dào de rén
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Original: ποιητὴς λόγου
Category: Faith and Works
NEW. James 1:22-25 (ποιητὴς λόγου). One who acts on and obeys God’s message, in contrast to a hearer only. Shares the 行-root with 行为 (works); this thematic linkage is doctrinally appropriate but requires the same merit-theology caution — obedience here is the fruit of a faith already given, not a merit-earning supplement.
Royal Law Liberty
Approved rendering: 至尊的律法 / 使人自由的律法
Transliteration: zhìzūn de lǜfǎ / shǐ rén zìyóu de lǜfǎ
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Rejected alternatives: 礼
Original: νόμος βασιλικός / νόμος ἐλευθερίας
Category: Favoritism
NEW. James 1:25; 2:8,12 (νόμος βασιλικός / νόμος ἐλευθερίας). Built on the baseline’s High-risk 律法, but requires a note distinguishing this Jamesian ‘law of liberty’ from both the Confucian ritual-propriety code 礼 (already rejected in the baseline for νόμος) and from a legalistic, works-based law contradicting grace; ‘law’ here names the moral heart of God’s will (love), fulfilled in freedom.
Lord Of Hosts
Approved rendering: 万军之主
Transliteration: wànjūn zhī zhǔ
Doctrine: Patience and the Lord’s Return; Favoritism and the Poor
Original: κύριος σαβαώθ
Category: Eschatology
NEW. James 5:4 (κύριος σαβαώθ). OT covenant title, God as commander of heaven’s armies who hears the cry of exploited laborers. Builds on the baseline’s Critical 主; must retain full divine-military-sovereign force, never abbreviated toward a generic honorific.
Friendship With World
Approved rendering: 与世俗为友
Transliteration: yǔ shìsú wéi yǒu
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Original: φιλία τοῦ κόσμου
Category: Worldliness
NEW. James 4:4 (φιλία τοῦ κόσμου). Direct antonym of 神的朋友 (2:23), forming a deliberate inclusio across the letter. Must retain the exclusivity language of 4:4 (‘whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God’) without softening into a both/and compromise.
If The Lord Wills
Approved rendering: 主若愿意
Transliteration: zhǔ ruò yuànyì
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Rejected alternatives: 天意, 顺其自然
Original: Ἐὰν ὁ κύριος θελήσῃ
Category: Worldliness
NEW. James 4:13-15 (Ἐὰν ὁ κύριος θελήσῃ). Reuses the baseline’s Critical 主. Must not flatten into the impersonal, fatalistic 天意 (‘heaven’s intention’) the baseline already warns against under Providence — active submission to a personal Lord’s will, not passive resignation to blind cosmic fate.
Anoint With Oil
Approved rendering: 用油抹
Transliteration: yòng yóu mǒ
Doctrine: Prayer and Healing
Rejected alternatives: 施油礼, 符油
Original: ἀλείφω ἐλαίῳ
Category: Prayer
NEW. James 5:14 (ἀλείφω ἐλαίῳ). Must be carefully distinguished from folk-religious/Daoist ritual-oil, talisman-oil (符油), or exorcistic anointing practices operating on an independent ritual-power/merit logic; efficacy derives from prayer offered ‘in the name of the Lord’ combined with ordinary medicinal care, not from the oil itself. Do not adopt a more ritual-sounding alternative such as 施油礼.
Prayer Of Faith
Approved rendering: 出于信心的祷告
Transliteration: chūyú xìnxīn de dǎogào
Doctrine: Prayer and Healing
Original: εὐχὴ τῆς πίστεως
Category: Prayer
NEW. James 5:15 (εὐχὴ τῆς πίστεως). Must avoid teaching a mechanical ‘faith formula guarantees healing’ reading (a health-and-wealth-gospel risk) while still affirming genuine confidence that God hears and may heal.
Raise Up From Sickness
Approved rendering: 叫他起来
Transliteration: jiào tā qǐlái
Doctrine: Prayer and Healing
Rejected alternatives: 复活
Original: ἐγείρω
Category: Prayer
NEW. James 5:15 (ἐγείρω). Physical restoration from a sickbed, distinct from the resurrection-from-death word-family (ἀνάστασις), though etymologically related in Greek. MUST NOT be rendered with 复活 (baseline’s exclusive resurrection-from-death term) under any circumstance; added to the curriculum’s forbidden-substitution list.
Prayer Effective
Approved rendering: 大有功效
Transliteration: dà yǒu gōngxiào
Doctrine: Confession and Restoration
Original: δέησις δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη
Category: Restoration
NEW. James 5:16 (δέησις δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη). 功效 shares the 功-root with 功德 (merit), already Critical in the baseline under Grace. Mandatory note clarifying 功效 here means ordinary secular ‘effectiveness,’ not merit-accumulation, preventing readers from hearing ‘effective prayer’ as a merit-generating spiritual technique.
Soul From Death
Approved rendering: 灵魂
Transliteration: línghún
Doctrine: Confession and Restoration
Rejected alternatives: 轮回中的灵魂
Original: ψυχή (ἐκ θανάτου)
Category: Restoration
NEW. James 5:20 (ψυχή ἐκ θανάτου). The person’s inner/eternal life, facing a single, final destiny (death or life). Must be distinguished from a transmigrating soul-substance subject to 轮回 (reincarnation), already forbidden in the baseline under Resurrection.
Cover Multitude Of Sins
Approved rendering: 遮盖许多的罪
Transliteration: zhēgài xǔduō de zuì
Doctrine: Confession and Restoration
Original: καλύψει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν
Category: Restoration
NEW. James 5:20 (καλύψει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν). Must be taught strictly as the result of gospel-driven repentance and forgiveness in Christ, never as a merit-transaction in which the act of restoring a wandering sinner itself functions as an offsetting good deed on a karmic ledger — the same 功德/阴德 logic already Critical in the baseline under Grace.
Human Spirit
Approved rendering: 灵魂 / 灵
Transliteration: línghún / líng
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Rejected alternatives: 圣灵, 祖灵
Original: πνεῦμα (non-Holy-Spirit sense)
Category: Faith and Works
NEW. James 2:26 (πνεῦμα, non-Holy-Spirit sense). The human animating spirit/breath of life in the body-spirit analogy for faith and works. Must NOT use 圣灵 (reserved exclusively for the Holy Spirit) and must avoid unqualified 灵 alone without a clarifying note, given its folk-religious resonance with ancestral/nature spirits (祖灵).
Fruit Of Righteousness
Approved rendering: 义的果子
Transliteration: yì de guǒzi
Doctrine: Wisdom from Above
Original: καρπὸς δικαιοσύνης
Category: Wisdom
NEW. James 3:18 (καρπὸς δικαιοσύνης). Inherits 义’s baseline Critical status; must retain the note that 义 here is Christian righteousness/right-standing bearing ethical fruit, cultivated through peacemaking, not the Confucian virtue of 义 cultivated as a social duty through moral effort.
Medium Risk Terms
Peace With God
Approved rendering: 平安
Transliteration: píng’ān
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Rejected alternatives: 安宁, 平安符式的平安
Original: εἰρήνη (general sense)
Category: Faith and Works
Inherited from Romans package. In James 2:16, this is an ironic, hollow verbal blessing exposed as insufficient without concrete deeds — James is critiquing empty, words-only piety, exploiting the same everyday well-wishing sense the baseline already flags as colliding with folk amulet-blessing usage (平安符), not endorsing 平安 as sufficient on its own.
Glory
Approved rendering: 荣耀
Transliteration: róngyào
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Rejected alternatives: 面子, 光宗耀祖
Original: δόξα
Category: Favoritism
Inherited from Romans package. James 2:1 (‘our glorious Lord Jesus Christ’) grounds the rejection of favoritism in Christ’s divine radiance, not human social status. Must not collapse into 面子 or 光宗耀祖.
Church
Approved rendering: 教会
Transliteration: jiàohuì
Doctrine: Prayer and Healing
Rejected alternatives: 庙, 寺, 道观
Inherited from Romans package. Foundational for James 5:14’s 教会的长老 (elders of the church). Never 庙/寺/道观.
Testing Proving
Approved rendering: 试验
Transliteration: shìyàn
Doctrine: Trials and the Testing of Faith
Rejected alternatives: 实验
Original: δοκίμιον
Category: Trials
NEW. James 1:3 (δοκίμιον). The purposive, divine-proving process by which trial demonstrates faith’s genuineness, like refining metal. Avoid a neutral/scientific ‘experiment’ register (实验) that would strip the process of its God-directed purpose.
Endurance
Approved rendering: 忍耐
Transliteration: rěnnài
Doctrine: Trials and the Testing of Faith
Original: ὑπομονή
Category: Trials
NEW. James 1:3-4,12; 5:11 (ὑπομονή). Steadfast perseverance under present pressure, produced by successfully undergone trial. Same Mandarin term also renders μακροθυμία (see patience_longsuffering); a clarifying gloss distinguishing ‘enduring under pressure’ from ‘waiting for a promised future event’ is required at first occurrence in each register.
Double Minded
Approved rendering: 心怀二意
Transliteration: xīnhuái èryì
Doctrine: Trials and the Testing of Faith
Original: δίψυχος
Category: Trials
NEW. James 1:8; 4:8 (δίψυχος). Inward division between trust in God and worldly self-reliance. Standard CUV idiom; minimal collision risk.
Wisdom
Approved rendering: 智慧
Transliteration: zhìhuì
Doctrine: Wisdom from Above
Rejected alternatives: 聪明, 般若
Original: σοφία
Category: Wisdom
NEW. James 1:5; 3:13-17 (σοφία). Practical, God-given skill for righteous living. Requires a first-occurrence note (1:5) distinguishing this gift, given by a personal God in response to simple undoubting prayer, from generic cleverness (聪明) and from Buddhist/Daoist wisdom (般若/悟) attained through meditative or ascetic practice.
Desire Lust
Approved rendering: 私欲
Transliteration: sīyù
Doctrine: Trials and the Testing of Faith; Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Original: ἐπιθυμία
Category: Trials
NEW. James 1:14-15; 4:1-2 (ἐπιθυμία). Disordered, self-originated craving that gives birth to sin and interpersonal conflict. Distinguish from neutral desire/wants; distinguish from δοκίμιον/πειρασμός’s God-originated testing purpose.
Religion Practice
Approved rendering: 虔诚
Transliteration: qiánchéng
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Original: θρησκεία
Category: Favoritism
NEW. James 1:26-27 (θρησκεία). A different Greek word from πίστις (always 信心); does not conflict with the baseline’s rejection of 虔诚 for faith specifically, but translators must not confuse the two words or import generic multi-deity folk-piety connotations into θρησκεία’s Jamesian, ethically-defined sense of religious practice.
Pure Undefiled
Approved rendering: 清洁 / 没有玷污
Transliteration: qīngjié / méiyǒu diànwū
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Rejected alternatives: 斋戒, 洁净仪式
Original: καθαρός / ἀμίαντος
Category: Favoritism
NEW. James 1:27 (καθαρός / ἀμίαντος). Ethical-relational purity — active compassion plus moral non-contamination by the world — not ritual cleanliness. Avoid ritual-purification (斋戒/洁净仪式) folk-religious framing.
World Worldliness
Approved rendering: 世俗 / 世界
Transliteration: shìsú / shìjiè
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Original: κόσμος
Category: Worldliness
NEW. James 1:27; 4:4 (κόσμος). 世俗 (the corrupting social-moral system) must be tracked distinctly from a neutral geographic/created-order sense of ‘world’ (世界), so this term consistently connects to the Worldliness-versus-Friendship-with-God doctrine wherever the fallen-system sense is intended.
Favoritism
Approved rendering: 按外貌待人 / 偏待人
Transliteration: àn wàimào dài rén / piān dài rén
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Original: προσωπολημψία / προσωπολημπτέω
Category: Favoritism
NEW. James 2:1,9 (προσωπολημψία). Named as sin, not a minor social lapse. Must be anchored concretely to the rich/poor seating scenario (2:2-4) so it is not moralized into a vague ‘don’t judge’ platitude.
Mercy
Approved rendering: 怜恤
Transliteration: liánxù
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Rejected alternatives: 慈悲
Original: ἔλεος
Category: Favoritism
NEW. James 2:13 (ἔλεος). ‘Mercy triumphs over judgment.’ Must be distinguished from Buddhist compassion (慈悲), often understood in folk practice as merit-generating for the giver; biblical mercy flows from God’s own character and is unearned.
Hell Gehenna
Approved rendering: 地狱
Transliteration: dìyù
Doctrine: Taming the Tongue
Rejected alternatives: 超度
Original: γέεννα
Category: Speech
NEW. James 3:6 (γέεννα). Must be distinguished from the Buddhist/folk conception of a multi-level, often purgatorial underworld through which souls may pass and later be released by ritual intervention (超度-adjacent concepts already rejected in the baseline under Salvation); James names hell as the tongue’s final, personal, corrupting source, not a way-station.
Oath Swear
Approved rendering: 起誓 / 誓言
Transliteration: qǐshì / shìyán
Doctrine: Taming the Tongue
Original: ὄμνυμι / ὅρκος
Category: Speech
NEW. James 5:12 (ὄμνυμι / ὅρκος). Carries cultural resonance with folk incense-oaths, blood-oaths, and temple vows (许愿) sworn before deities or ancestors with quasi-magical binding force. Note (not forbidden substitution): James’s concern is transparent, simple, trustworthy speech needing no external guarantor, not a targeted polemic against a specific folk ritual.
Patience Longsuffering
Approved rendering: 忍耐
Transliteration: rěnnài
Doctrine: Patience and the Lord’s Return
Original: μακροθυμία / μακροθυμέω
Category: Trials
NEW. James 5:7-8,10 (μακροθυμία). Same Mandarin term as ὑπομονή (see endurance); flag the distinct nuance — here patience is specifically oriented toward waiting for a future certain event (the Lord’s return), modeled by the farmer awaiting harvest, not merely enduring present pressure.
Judge Title
Approved rendering: 审判的主 / 审判者
Transliteration: shěnpàn de zhǔ / shěnpàn zhě
Doctrine: Patience and the Lord’s Return
Original: κριτής
Category: Eschatology
NEW. James 5:9 (κριτής). ‘The Judge is standing at the door.’ Reuses the baseline’s 主 concept; must retain both comfort (patience doctrine) and urgency (accountability) senses without collapsing either.
Enmity With God
Approved rendering: 与神为敌
Transliteration: yǔ Shén wéi dí
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Original: ἔχθρα τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Worldliness
NEW. James 4:4 (ἔχθρα τοῦ θεοῦ). The stark alternative to friendship with God, with no neutral middle ground. Must retain binary force.
Adulteress Spiritual
Approved rendering: 淫乱的人
Transliteration: yínluàn de rén
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Original: μοιχαλίς
Category: Worldliness
NEW. James 4:4 (μοιχαλίς). Applies OT prophetic marriage-covenant imagery (Hosea, Ezekiel) to worldliness. Retain the covenantal-betrayal force; avoid softening to generic ‘unfaithful.‘
Friend Of God
Approved rendering: 神的朋友
Transliteration: Shén de péngyou
Doctrine: Faith and Works; Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Original: φίλος θεοῦ
Category: Worldliness
NEW. James 2:23 (φίλος θεοῦ). Abraham’s unique OT designation, presented as the fruit of a faith that acted; positive antonym of 与世俗为友 (4:4), forming a deliberate inclusio. Distinguish from a merely social/casual ‘friendship’ register — this is covenant intimacy.
Humble Proud
Approved rendering: 谦卑的人 / 骄傲的人
Transliteration: qiānbēi de rén / jiāo’ào de rén
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Rejected alternatives: 谦让
Original: ταπεινός / ὑπερήφανος
Category: Worldliness
NEW. James 4:6,10; 1:9-10 (ταπεινός / ὑπερήφανος). Posture of dependence on God versus self-exalting self-sufficiency. Must avoid collapsing into a Confucian ritual-deference etiquette (谦让/礼) detached from dependence on God specifically.
Devil
Approved rendering: 魔鬼
Transliteration: móguǐ
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Rejected alternatives: 邪灵, 鬼
Original: διάβολος
Category: Worldliness
NEW. James 4:7 (διάβολος). ‘Resist the devil and he will flee from you.’ Distinguish from generic folk-religious ‘evil spirits/ghosts’ (邪灵/鬼) as the singular, personal chief adversary of biblical demonology.
Elders Of Church
Approved rendering: 教会的长老
Transliteration: jiàohuì de zhǎnglǎo
Doctrine: Prayer and Healing
Original: πρεσβύτεροι τῆς ἐκκλησίας
Category: Prayer
NEW. James 5:14 (πρεσβύτεροι τῆς ἐκκλησίας). 长老 could carry secular clan/village-elder-council connotations (age-based social hierarchy, ancestral clan governance) distinct from an appointed spiritual office; a clarifying note distinguishing the ecclesial office from secular seniority is warranted.
Confess Sins
Approved rendering: 彼此认罪
Transliteration: bǐcǐ rènzuì
Doctrine: Confession and Restoration
Original: ἐξομολογέομαι (τὰς ἁμαρτίας)
Category: Restoration
NEW. James 5:16 (ἐξομολογέομαι τὰς ἁμαρτίας). Mutual, voluntary confession among believers for the purpose of healing/restoration and effective intercessory prayer. Not a formal priestly/sacramental confession to a clerical mediator, and not folk-ritual public shaming.
Turn Back Restore
Approved rendering: 使…回转
Transliteration: shǐ…huízhuǎn
Doctrine: Confession and Restoration
Original: ἐπιστρέφω
Category: Restoration
NEW. James 5:19-20 (ἐπιστρέφω). To turn a wandering sinner back to repentance and the gospel community. Should be taught as repentance/restoration to the gospel community, not a folk-ritual reconciliation or social face-saving mediation.
Peace Interpersonal
Approved rendering: 和平
Transliteration: hépíng
Doctrine: Wisdom from Above
Original: εἰρήνη (ch.3 sense) / εἰρηνικός
Category: Wisdom
NEW. James 3:18 (εἰρήνη / εἰρηνικός, interpersonal-harmony sense). Distinct from the baseline’s 平安 (peace with God, Romans 5:1); a note must flag that 和平 = interpersonal/social peace and peacemaking, while 平安 = the believer’s relational standing of peace with God, so translators do not treat the two as interchangeable.
Low Risk Terms
Prophet
Approved rendering: 先知
Transliteration: xiānzhī
Doctrine: Patience and the Lord’s Return
Rejected alternatives: 算命先生
Original: προφήτης
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package. James 5:10 holds up the prophets as a model of patient suffering while speaking in the Lord’s name.
Widow Orphan
Approved rendering: 孤儿寡妇
Transliteration: gū’ér guǎfù
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Original: χήρα / ὀρφανός
Category: Favoritism
NEW. James 1:27. The socially and economically vulnerable, an OT covenant-care category named as the concrete content of ‘pure religion.’ Standard term, low collision risk.
Neighbor
Approved rendering: 邻舍
Transliteration: línshè
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Original: πλησίον
Category: Favoritism
NEW. James 2:8 (πλησίον). Any person in proximity, without ethnic/social restriction. Standard term, no significant collision risk.
Tongue
Approved rendering: 舌头
Transliteration: shétou
Doctrine: Taming the Tongue
Original: γλῶσσα
Category: Speech
NEW. James 1:26; 3:1-12 (γλῶσσα). The physical organ; metonym for speech. Concrete, no collision.
Bridle Control
Approved rendering: 勒住
Transliteration: lēzhù
Doctrine: Taming the Tongue
Original: χαλιναγωγέω
Category: Speech
NEW. James 1:26; 3:2-3 (χαλιναγωγέω). Horse-control imagery for self-control of speech. Vivid, concrete image; no collision.
Judging Speaking Against
Approved rendering: 论断 / 说…的闲话
Transliteration: lùndùn / shuō…de xiánhuà
Doctrine: Taming the Tongue
Original: κρίνω / καταλαλέω
Category: Speech
NEW. James 4:11-12 (κρίνω / καταλαλέω). Slanderous speech about, and presumptuous judgment of, a fellow believer. Standard terms, low collision risk.
Establish Strengthen
Approved rendering: 坚固
Transliteration: jiāngù
Doctrine: Patience and the Lord’s Return
Original: στηρίζω
Category: Eschatology
NEW. James 5:8 (στηρίζω). ‘Establish your hearts’ in light of the Lord’s near coming. Standard term, no collision risk.
Lawgiver
Approved rendering: 设立律法的
Transliteration: shèlì lǜfǎ de
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Original: νομοθέτης
Category: Worldliness
NEW. James 4:12 (νομοθέτης). God alone holds this office, grounding the prohibition on judging one’s neighbor. Standard term, low risk.
Wages
Approved rendering: 工价
Transliteration: gōngjià
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Original: μισθός
Category: Favoritism
NEW. James 5:4 (μισθός). Withheld wages of exploited laborers ‘cry out’ against oppressive rich landowners. Standard term, no collision risk.
Body
Approved rendering: 身体
Transliteration: shēntǐ
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Original: σῶμα
Category: Faith and Works
NEW. James 2:26 (σῶμα). The physical human body, used in the body-spirit analogy: a body without spirit/breath is dead, as faith without works is dead. Standard term, no collision risk.
Abraham
Approved rendering: 亚伯拉罕
Transliteration: Yàbólāhǎn
Doctrine: Faith and Works
NEW proper name entry (not present as a dedicated entry in the baseline Romans package despite Romans 4’s extensive use of this figure). Added here for James 2:21-23 and for cross-document consistency going forward. CUV standard form.
Rahab
Approved rendering: 喇合
Transliteration: Lǎhé
Doctrine: Faith and Works
NEW proper name. James 2:25. Standard CUV form; retain the text’s bluntness in identifying her as 妓女 (the prostitute) per pastoral framing notes in 07_semantic_analysis.md — this is a second witness alongside Abraham that genuine faith, not moral pedigree, is what James’s argument turns on.
Job
Approved rendering: 约伯
Transliteration: Yuēbó
Doctrine: Trials and the Testing of Faith; Patience and the Lord’s Return
NEW proper name. James 5:11, held up as a model of endurance/patience. Standard CUV form.
Elijah
Approved rendering: 以利亚
Transliteration: Yǐlìyà
Doctrine: Prayer and Healing
NEW proper name. James 5:17, example of the effective prayer of a righteous person. Standard CUV form.
James Book
Approved rendering: 雅各书
Transliteration: Yǎgè Shū
Doctrine: (book title)
NEW proper name / book title. Standard CUV form for the book of James. Note for teaching context only: 雅各 also renders Jacob the patriarch (a different Ἰάκωβος/יַעֲקֹב referent); CUV resolves both identically, which is not a translation risk but should be flagged orally in teaching so students do not confuse the author with the patriarch.
Referenced passages