Core Glossary
08 Core Glossary — Titus (English → Mandarin)
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing term identified in analysis/07_semantic_analysis.md, covering Titus 1:1–3:15 in full. Terms marked [BASELINE] are already fixed in the Romans translation_memory.json and are reused exactly, with no new decision required. Terms marked [NEW] are proposed for the first time in this package and must be added to translation memory before Phase 2 processing of any Titus segment.
Risk tiers and review routing follow the baseline’s four-tier framework: Critical/High → Human theologian review; Medium → Native speaker review; Low → Automated review.
Category A: Salvation, Grace, and Justification
| English Term | Greek / Transliteration | Mandarin Rendering | Status | Risk | Chapter(s) | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grace | χάρις / charis | 恩典 | [BASELINE] | Critical | 1:4, 2:11, 3:7, 3:15 | Reuse exactly; never 功德/阴德/造化. |
| Salvation (verb: saved) | σωτηρία, σώζω / sōtēria, sōzō | 救恩 (noun) / 拯救 (verb) | [BASELINE] | Critical | 3:5 | Never 解脱/超度. |
| Savior | σωτήρ / sōtēr | 救主 | [NEW] | Critical | 1:3, 1:4, 2:10, 2:13, 3:4, 3:6 | Applied to both Father (1:3, 3:4) and Son (2:13, 3:6) — Trinitarian teaching note required. Must not conflate with Maitreya (弥勒) or generic folk-deliverer figures (baseline messiah-entry logic extends here). |
| Righteousness | δικαιοσύνη / dikaiosynē | 义 | [BASELINE] | Critical | 3:5 | Reuse exactly; distinguishing note from Confucian virtue required every occurrence, especially 3:5’s explicit negation of “works of righteousness.” |
| Justification (justified) | δικαιόω / dikaioō | 称义 | [BASELINE] | Critical | 3:7 | Reuse exactly; single explicit occurrence in Titus, teach in direct continuity with Romans 3-5. |
| Imputed/credited righteousness concept | (cf. Rom 4:3 pattern) | 算为义 | [BASELINE — cross-reference only] | Critical | (conceptual link to 3:5-7) | Not directly quoted in Titus but the underlying doctrine (righteousness credited, not earned) is identical; cross-teach with Romans. |
| Mercy | ἔλεος / eleos | 怜悯 | [NEW] | Medium | 3:5 | Distinguish from 恩典 (grace): compassion toward misery vs. favor toward unworthiness — complementary, not identical. |
| Redeem / redemption | λυτρόω / lytroō | 救赎 | [NEW] | High | 2:14 | Must not be framed as repaying an impersonal karmic/merit debt (cf. baseline’s 功德/阴德 warnings). |
| Regeneration (“washing of regeneration”) | παλιγγενεσία / palingenesia | 重生的洗 (compound with 洗) | [NEW] | Critical | 3:5 | Inherits baseline’s resurrection forbidden-substitution logic: NEVER 轮回 (reincarnation cycle) or 投胎 (rebirth into new womb). Once-for-all, this-life event, not a repeating cycle. |
| Renewing / renewal | ἀνακαίνωσις / anakainōsis | 更新 | [NEW] | Medium | 3:5 | Ongoing Spirit-work, complements once-for-all regeneration; parallels 成圣 (sanctification, baseline Critical). |
| Heirs / inheritance | κληρονόμος / klēronomos | 后嗣 / 承受产业的人 | [NEW] | High | 3:7 | Teach alongside baseline’s adoption doctrine (儿子的名分); distinguish from 过继 (clan-continuation adoption) and from purely material inheritance. |
| Eternal life / hope of eternal life | ζωὴ αἰώνιος / zōē aiōnios | 永生 | [BASELINE-aligned reuse pattern] | Medium | 1:2, 3:7 | Distinguish from Daoist longevity-cultivation (长生不老) and Buddhist cyclical-existence framework. |
| Works of righteousness (negated) | ἔργα ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ / erga en dikaiosynē | 所行的义 | [NEW — compound of BASELINE 义] | Critical | 3:5 | THE central proof-text for “Salvation by Grace not Works”; direct parallel to Romans 3:20, 4:4-5. |
Category B: Good Works, Sound Doctrine, and Christian Character
| English Term | Greek / Transliteration | Mandarin Rendering | Status | Risk | Chapter(s) | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good works | καλὰ/ἀγαθὰ ἔργα / kala/agatha erga | 善行 / 行善 | [NEW] | Critical | 1:16, 2:7, 2:14, 3:1, 3:8, 3:14 | Recurs 7x across the letter — the letter’s single most repeated theological phrase. Sits directly inside the Chinese Buddhist merit-accumulation worldview (功德, already Critical in baseline). MUST always be taught as fruit flowing FROM prior grace/redemption, never as the ground or cause of salvation. Every occurrence requires this contextual anchor. |
| Sound doctrine / sound in the faith / sound speech | διδασκαλία ὑγιαίνουσα, ὑγιαίνων / didaskalia hygiainousa | 纯正的教义 (canonical noun form); 纯正的言语 (speech variant) | [NEW] | High | 1:9, 1:13, 2:1, 2:2, 2:8 | Recurring “healthy teaching” medical metaphor; CUV varies wording across occurrences (道理/教训/言语) — this package standardizes rendering and requires a cross-reference note tying all occurrences together as one theme. |
| Training (grace “trains”) | παιδεύω / paideuō | 训练 / 塑造 | [NEW] | High | 2:12 | Deliberately NOT rendered 教训, to avoid collapsing with διδασκαλία (sound doctrine) above; grace forms character over time, distinct from conveying propositional content. Central verb of “Grace That Trains for Godly Living” doctrine. |
| Godliness / godly | εὐσέβεια, εὐσεβῶς / eusebeia | 敬虔 | [NEW] | Medium | 1:1, 2:12 | Distinguish from generic 虔诚 (devoutness directed at any deity, already Medium-flagged under baseline’s faith entry); here specifically reverence for the God revealed in Christ. |
| Elder | πρεσβύτερος / presbyteros | 长老 | [NEW] | High | 1:5 | Central to “Qualifications for Elders” doctrine. Collision risk: 长老 also names a senior Buddhist monk and is a formal Chinese Presbyterian office-title; must be taught as a congregational leader qualified by character/doctrine, not monastic seniority. |
| Overseer / bishop | ἐπίσκοπος / episkopos | 监督 | [NEW] | Medium | 1:7 | Used interchangeably with 长老 in this passage (same office). Collision risk: ordinary secular word for a supervisor/inspector; requires clear ecclesial framing. |
| Steward of God | οἰκονόμος θεοῦ / oikonomos theou | 神的管家 | [NEW] | Medium | 1:7 | Household-manager metaphor for the elder’s derived, not owned, authority. |
| Blameless | ἀνέγκλητος / anenklētos | 无可指责 | [NEW] | Low | 1:6, 1:7 | Not open to valid accusation; not sinless perfection. |
| Holy / devout (elder virtue, distinct Greek word from ἅγιος) | ὅσιος / hosios | 圣洁 (same rendering as ἅγιος) | [NEW — flagged variant of BASELINE] | Medium | 1:8 | Distinct Greek word from ἅγιος (baseline’s “holy”); Chinese convention collapses both into 圣洁, risking loss of the “devout/pious toward God” vs. “set apart” nuance — flag for teaching note. |
| Self-controlled | ἐγκρατής / egkratēs | 节制 | [NEW] | Low | 1:8 | |
| Slave / servant / bondservant | δοῦλος / doulos | 仆人 (contextual: 神的仆人 for Paul; 仆人 for household slaves) | [NEW] | High | 1:1, 2:9, 3:3 (verb form) | Deliberate threefold wordplay across the letter (Paul’s willing service to God / household slavery / former slavery to sin). Requires teaching note distinguishing pastoral address to an existing Greco-Roman institution from any endorsement of slavery as such. |
| Master (of slaves) | δεσπότης / despotēs | 主人 | [NEW] | Critical | 2:9 | MUST NEVER be rendered 主 — that character is reserved exclusively for Christ’s exclusive divine Lordship (κύριος) per baseline. CUV already distinguishes these; this package requires the distinction be maintained without exception. |
| Submission / subject to | ὑποτάσσω / hypotassō | 顺服 | [NEW] | High | 2:5, 2:9, 3:1 | Central to “Submission to Authority” doctrine, recurring for wives, slaves, and citizens. Must be distinguished from Confucian fixed hierarchical duty-obedience (三纲); biblical submission here is a freely chosen, gospel-motivated, gospel-protecting posture (cf. 2:5’s purpose clause), not an unconditional status-based debt. |
| Obey (civil authority) | πειθαρχέω / peitharcheō | 服从 / 遵从 | [NEW] | Medium | 3:1 | |
| Rulers and authorities | ἀρχαί καὶ ἐξουσίαι / archai kai exousiai | 执政的、掌权的 | [NEW] | High | 3:1 | Contemporary political sensitivity elevates this beyond baseline’s general government/authority Medium flag; requires careful, non-absolutizing framing. |
| Ministerial authority (Titus’s mandate) | ἐπιταγή / epitagē | 权柄 | [NEW] | Medium | 2:15 | Distinct from civil ἐξουσία (3:1) — pastoral, not political, authority; keep the two clearly separated in teaching. |
| Rebuke / reprove | ἐλέγχω / elenchō | 责备 / 指正 | [NEW] | Medium | 1:9, 1:13, 2:15 | Corrective, aimed at repentance; cultural sensitivity re: public correction and 面子 (“face”) noted but doctrine must not be softened away. |
| Kindness (divine) | χρηστότης / chrēstotēs | 恩慈 | [NEW] | Medium | 3:4 | Distinguish from 恩典 (the gift) — this names God’s kind disposition; also distinguish from Buddhist compassion-term 慈悲 (Guanyin-associated, different soteriological framework). |
| Love for mankind (divine) | φιλανθρωπία / philanthrōpia | 慈爱 | [NEW] | Medium | 3:4 | Same 慈 root caution as 恩慈 above. |
| Adorn (the doctrine) | κοσμέω / kosmeō | 尊荣 (CUV pattern) | [NEW] | Medium | 2:10 | CUV softens the “beautify/adorn” imagery into “honor”; acceptable for tradition-continuity but note the lost adornment nuance in teaching. |
Category C: Christology and the Godhead (High/Critical — inherits baseline Christology terms)
| English Term | Greek / Transliteration | Mandarin Rendering | Status | Risk | Chapter(s) | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| God | θεός / theos | 神 | [BASELINE] | Critical | throughout | Reuse exactly. |
| Jesus | Ἰησοῦς / Iēsous | 耶稣 | [BASELINE] | Critical | 1:1, 1:4, 2:13, 3:6 | Reuse exactly. |
| Christ | Χριστός / Christos | 基督 | [BASELINE] | Critical | 1:1, 1:4, 2:13, 3:6 | Reuse exactly; never conflate with 弥勒 (Maitreya). |
| Lord (reserved, exclusive) | κύριος / kyrios | 主 | [BASELINE — reservation reinforced] | Critical | (implicit throughout; contrast with δεσπότης 2:9) | Reuse exactly; NEVER applied to human masters/despotēs — see Category B δεσπότης entry. |
| ”Great God and our Savior Jesus Christ” (Sharp’s rule construction) | τοῦ μεγάλου θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ | 我们至大的神和救主耶稣基督 | [NEW — Critical Deity-of-Christ text] | Critical | 2:13 | Single Greek article governs both “great God” and “Savior” — one referent (Jesus Christ), not two. Mandarin word order must preserve single-referent reading. Escalate per baseline’s Deity-of-Christ theologian-review rule. |
| Holy Spirit | Πνεῦμα Ἅγιον / Pneuma Hagion | 圣灵 | [BASELINE] | Critical | 3:5 | Reuse exactly; never 灵 alone or 祖灵. |
| Epiphany / appeared / appearing | ἐπιφαίνω, ἐπιφάνεια / epiphainō, epiphaneia | 显现 / 显明 | [NEW] | High | 2:11, 2:13, 3:4 | Recurring three-point structure across core passage. MUST NEVER use 显灵 (folk-temple deity-manifestation term for an efficacious answered-prayer sign) — flag every occurrence. |
Category D: Faith, Hope, and Blessing
| English Term | Greek / Transliteration | Mandarin Rendering | Status | Risk | Chapter(s) | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faith | πίστις / pistis | 信心 | [BASELINE] | High | 1:1, 1:4, 1:13, 2:2, 2:10, 3:15 | Reuse exactly; note 2:10’s πίστις is used in an everyday-trustworthiness sense (仆人的忠诚), distinct register from saving faith — flag for translator awareness only, not a different rendering decision. |
| Election / God’s elect | ἐκλεκτοί θεοῦ / eklektoi theou | 神所拣选的人 | [BASELINE root 拣选] | High | 1:1 | Reuse 拣选 exactly; never 天命/命运/缘分. |
| Blessed hope | μακαρία ἐλπίς / makaria elpis | 有福的盼望 | [NEW] | Medium | 2:13 | 福 root carries folk fortune-seeking risk (cf. baseline gospel note); teach as hope in Christ’s return, not an omen of luck. |
| Hope | ἐλπίς / elpis | 盼望 | [NEW] | Low-Medium | 1:2, 2:13, 3:7 | |
| Promise / promised | ἐπαγγέλλομαι / epangellomai | 应许 | [NEW] | Low | 1:2 | Connects to baseline’s 约 (covenant) concept. |
| Faithful saying (formula) | Πιστὸς ὁ λόγος / Pistos ho logos | 这话是可信的 | [NEW] | Medium | 3:8 | Formulaic doctrinal-summary marker; root 信 reused. |
| Knowledge of the truth | ἐπίγνωσις ἀληθείας / epignōsis alētheias | 真道的知识 | [NEW] | Medium | 1:1 | CUV renders contextual ἀλήθεια as 真道 (the gospel message) here rather than abstract 真理. |
| Common faith | κοινὴ πίστις / koinē pistis | 信心 (qualified: 共同的信心) | [BASELINE root] | High | 1:4 |
Category E: Sin, Unbelief, and Divisive Controversy
| English Term | Greek / Transliteration | Mandarin Rendering | Status | Risk | Chapter(s) | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sin / lawlessness | ἀνομία / anomia (cf. ἁμαρτία baseline) | 罪恶 / 罪 | [BASELINE root 罪] | Medium | 2:14 | |
| Law (Mosaic) | νόμος / nomos | 律法 | [BASELINE] | High | 3:9 | Reuse exactly; never conflate with generic cosmic dharma-order or 礼 (Confucian ritual propriety). |
| Ungodliness | ἀσέβεια / asebeia | 不敬虔 | [NEW] | Medium | 2:12 | Antonym of 敬虔; read against a personal God, not Confucian ritual propriety violation. |
| Worldly desires/lusts | κοσμικαὶ ἐπιθυμίαι / kosmikai epithymiai | 世俗的私欲 | [NEW] | Low-Medium | 2:12 | |
| Foolish debates | μωραὶ ζητήσεις / mōrai zētēseis | 无知的辩论 | [NEW] | Medium | 3:9 | Central to “Avoiding Divisive Controversies.” |
| Genealogies | γενεαλογίαι / genealogiai | 家谱 | [NEW] | High | 3:9 | Major cultural-collision term: 家谱 is deeply tied to Chinese ancestor-veneration and clan identity. Requires a teaching note distinguishing Paul’s narrow warning against speculative/legalistic genealogical disputation from the broader cultural practice of family genealogy, which this text does not address. |
| Legal disputes (about the Law) | μάχαι νομικαί / machai nomikai | 因律法而起的争竞 | [NEW] | High | 3:9 | Inherits 律法’s baseline risk profile. |
| Divisive/factious person | αἱρετικὸς ἄνθρωπος / hairetikos anthrōpos | 分门结党的人 | [NEW] | Medium | 3:10 | Describes a behavior pattern (causing schism), not yet the later fixed doctrinal category of “heresy” — avoid over-reading later categories back into the text. |
| Unfruitful | ἄκαρπος / akarpos | 不结果子的 | [NEW] | High | 3:14 | Major cultural-collision term: the “fruit” (果) metaphor sits adjacent to 因果 (karma/cause-and-effect) and 果报 (karmic retribution), and to baseline’s forbidden 修成正果 phrase. Teach the “fruit” here as others-benefiting good works flowing from grace, not self-generated karmic outcome. |
| Jewish fables/myths | Ἰουδαϊκοὶ μῦθοι / Ioudaikoi mythoi | 犹太人荒谬的言语 | [NEW] | Medium | 1:14 | Targets extra-biblical legalistic tradition, not Scripture itself nor Jewish people generally. |
| Conscience | συνείδησις / syneideēsis | 良心 | [NEW] | Low-Medium | 1:15 | Clarify accountability-before-a-personal-God sense in doctrinal contexts. |
| Detestable / disqualified | βδελυκτός, ἀδόκιμος / bdelyktos, adokimos | 可憎恶的 / 可废弃的 | [NEW] | Medium | 1:16 | 可废弃的 (“unfit for any good work”) is the letter’s negative counterpoint to its repeated “zealous/careful for good works” theme — flag for cross-reference. |
Category F: Proper Names (Low Risk — Established Transliteration Forms)
| English | Greek / Transliteration | Mandarin | Status | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titus | Τίτος / Titos | 提多 | [NEW — established CUV form] | Low |
| Crete / Cretan(s) | Κρήτη, Κρῆτες / Krētē, Krētes | 克里特 / 克里特人 | [NEW — established CUV form] | Low |
| Paul | Παῦλος / Paulos | 保罗 | [BASELINE, per 12_ai_translation_requirements.md] | Low |
| David | Δαβίδ / Dabid | 大卫 | [BASELINE] | Low |
| Artemas | Ἀρτεμᾶς / Artemas | 亚提马 | [NEW — established CUV form] | Low |
| Tychicus | Τύχικος / Tychikos | 推基古 | [NEW — established CUV form] | Low |
| Zenas | Ζηνᾶς / Zēnas | 西纳 | [NEW — established CUV form] | Low |
| Apollos | Ἀπολλῶς / Apollōs | 亚波罗 | [NEW — established CUV form] | Low |
| Nicopolis | Νικόπολις / Nikopolis | 尼哥波立 | [NEW — established CUV form] | Low |
Risk Summary for Titus Curriculum
| Risk Tier | Count (new + flagged-baseline terms) | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 13 | Human theologian review |
| High | 15 | Human theologian review |
| Medium | 24 | Native speaker review |
| Low | 22 | Automated review |
Highest-priority Critical/High terms requiring theologian review before any Phase 2 processing: 救主 (Savior), 重生的洗 (regeneration/washing), 善行/行善 (good works — 7 occurrences), 顺服 (submission — 3 occurrences), 长老/监督 (elder/overseer), 主人 vs. 主 reservation (δεσπότης/κύριος), Titus 2:13’s “great God and our Savior” construction, 家谱 (genealogies), 不结果子的 (unfruitful).
This glossary extends but does not contradict the baseline Romans translation_memory.json. All [BASELINE] terms are reused verbatim. All [NEW] terms must be added to translation memory (with version increment) before Phase 2 segment translation of Titus begins, per 12_ai_translation_requirements.md §“Translation Memory Load and Enforcement Instructions.”
Critical Risk Terms
God
Approved rendering: 神
Transliteration: Shén
Doctrine: Deity of Christ / God as Father and Savior
Rejected alternatives: 上帝, 天, 老天爷
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. In Titus, God is named specifically ‘God our Savior’ (1:3, 3:4) and ‘God the Father’ (1:4); doctrinal context must keep monotheism and the Trinitarian relations between Father, Son, and Spirit explicit, since Titus applies 救主 to both Father and Son within a few verses.
Jesus
Approved rendering: 耶稣
Transliteration: Yēsū
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ / Deity of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. CUV standard transliteration, used uniformly across Titus’s four occurrences (1:1, 1:4, 2:13, 3:6).
Messiah
Approved rendering: 基督
Transliteration: Jīdū
Doctrine: Christ (and the Father) as Savior
Rejected alternatives: 弥勒, 救世主式泛称
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. In Titus repeatedly paired with the title 救主 (1:4, 2:13, 3:6); never conflate with 弥勒 (Maitreya), the future-Buddha world-savior figure of Chinese Buddhist eschatology invoked by folk millenarian movements.
Lord
Approved rendering: 主
Transliteration: zhǔ
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 主人, 老爷
Inherited from Romans package. Reservation is especially load-bearing in Titus because 2:9’s human ‘master’ (δεσπότης, 主人) sits only two verses before 2:11’s grace passage — 主 must never be applied to the human δεσπότης of 2:9; see the new ‘master’ entry below.
Grace
Approved rendering: 恩典
Transliteration: ēndiǎn
Doctrine: Grace That Trains for Godly Living / Salvation by Grace not Works
Rejected alternatives: 功德, 造化, 福气, 阴德
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. In Titus, grace is personified as the active agent that ‘appears’ (2:11) and ‘trains’ (2:12), and is named the basis of justification (3:7) and the closing benediction (3:15); never 功德/阴德/造化.
Righteousness
Approved rendering: 义
Transliteration: yì
Doctrine: Salvation by Grace not Works
Rejected alternatives: 道德, 善行
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Titus 3:5 explicitly negates ‘works of righteousness which we ourselves did’ as the ground of salvation — the letter’s clearest proof-text against the Confucian-virtue misreading the baseline warns of; see new ‘works_of_righteousness’ entry below.
Justification
Approved rendering: 称义
Transliteration: chēngyì
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Rejected alternatives: 修成正果, 赎罪
Original: δικαιόω
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Titus 3:7 is the letter’s sole occurrence of this word-group; must be taught in direct continuity with the baseline Romans justification doctrine as a completed forensic declaration, not a gradual process.
Salvation
Approved rendering: 救恩
Transliteration: jiùēn
Doctrine: Salvation by Grace not Works
Rejected alternatives: 解脱, 超度, 得道
Original: σωτηρία / σώζω
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Verb form ἔσωσεν (‘he saved us’) occurs at Titus 3:5; render the verb as 拯救 and the noun as 救恩. Never 解脱/超度.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: 成圣
Transliteration: chéngshèng
Doctrine: Grace That Trains for Godly Living
Rejected alternatives: 修身, 修炼
Inherited from Romans package as a cross-reference term. Comparative theology for Titus 2:11-12 explicitly contrasts grace’s training (训练/塑造) with this Neo-Confucian self-cultivation-into-sagehood concept; teach the two together so learners see grace, not self-effort, as the agent.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: 复活
Transliteration: fùhuó
Doctrine: Regeneration by the Holy Spirit (cross-reference)
Rejected alternatives: 轮回, 投胎, 还魂
Inherited from Romans package as a cross-reference term. Titus 3:5’s 重生的洗 (regeneration) inherits this term’s exact forbidden-substitution logic: never 轮回 (reincarnation cycle) or 投胎 (rebirth into a new womb) — both describe an ongoing cycle, the opposite of a once-for-all inward re-creation in this life.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: 圣灵
Transliteration: Shènglíng
Doctrine: Regeneration by the Holy Spirit
Rejected alternatives: 祖灵, 灵
Original: Πνεῦμα Ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. The agent of regeneration and renewal in Titus 3:5; never 灵 alone or 祖灵. Titus 3:5’s regenerating/renewing work must not be read as an impersonal life-force.
Imputed Righteousness
Approved rendering: 算为义
Transliteration: suàn wéi yì
Doctrine: Justification by Faith (cross-reference)
Rejected alternatives: 修成正果的义, 自义
Inherited from Romans package as a cross-reference term. Not directly quoted in Titus, but the underlying doctrine (righteousness credited, not earned) is identical to Titus 3:5-7; cross-teach with Romans 4.
Savior
Approved rendering: 救主
Transliteration: jiùzhǔ
Doctrine: Christ (and the Father) as Savior
Rejected alternatives: 弥勒式的救世主, 菩萨救度者
Original: σωτήρ
Category: Salvation
NEW. Occurs six times in Titus’s three chapters, applied to both God the Father (1:3, 3:4) and Jesus Christ (1:4, 2:10, 2:13, 3:6). Never conflate with 弥勒 (Maitreya) or bodhisattva-rescuer imagery. Each dual Father/Son occurrence requires a Trinitarian unity-of-purpose teaching note so readers do not infer two competing savior-figures.
Regeneration
Approved rendering: 重生的洗
Transliteration: chóngshēng de xǐ
Doctrine: Regeneration by the Holy Spirit
Rejected alternatives: 轮回, 投胎, 脱胎换骨, 重生 (bare form in doctrinal contexts)
Original: παλιγγενεσία (λουτρὸν παλιγγενεσίας)
Category: Sanctification
NEW. Titus 3:5. Always use the full compound, never bare 重生 in doctrinal teaching (bare 重生 is common secular Mandarin idiom for any ‘fresh start’). Inherits baseline’s resurrection forbidden-substitution logic exactly: never 轮回 or 投胎, and never the Daoist internal-alchemy phrase 脱胎换骨 (technique-based bodily transformation). A single, once-for-all, in-this-life event, not a repeating cycle.
Works Of Righteousness
Approved rendering: 所行的义
Transliteration: suǒ xíng de yì
Doctrine: Salvation by Grace not Works
Rejected alternatives: 自己修来的义, 积德行善所得的义
NEW. Titus 3:5’s central proof-text: ‘not because of works of righteousness that we had done’ (不是因我们自己所行的义). The negating construction must never be softened or truncated; this is the letter’s sharpest statement against the Confucian-virtue and Buddhist merit-accumulation misreadings of 义.
Good Works
Approved rendering: 善行
Transliteration: shànxíng
Doctrine: Sound Doctrine and Good Works
Rejected alternatives: 功德, 积善, 阴德
Original: καλὰ / ἀγαθὰ ἔργα
Category: Sanctification
NEW. Recurs at least 7 times across Titus (1:16, 2:7, 2:14, 3:1, 3:8, 3:14) — the letter’s single most repeated theological phrase. Sits directly inside the Chinese Buddhist merit-accumulation worldview (功德). Every occurrence MUST be anchored to grace/redemption already received; never presented as the ground or cause of salvation. Verb form: 行善 (xíngshàn).
Master
Approved rendering: 主人
Transliteration: zhǔrén
Doctrine: Institution of Slavery Addressed Pastorally
Rejected alternatives: 主 (FORBIDDEN — reserved exclusively for Christ’s divine Lordship), 老爷
Original: δεσπότης
Category: Christology
NEW. Titus 2:9 (δεσπότης, a human master with legal authority over household slaves). MUST NEVER be rendered 主 — reserved exclusively, per baseline, for Christ’s exclusive divine Lordship (κύριος). Risk is heightened in Titus because this vocabulary sits only two verses before ‘the grace of God’ language begins (2:11); the 主人/主 distinction must be maintained without exception across this paragraph boundary.
Great God And Savior
Approved rendering: 我们至大的神和救主耶稣基督
Transliteration: wǒmen zhìdà de Shén hé jiùzhǔ Yēsū Jīdū
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 我们至大的神，和我们的救主耶稣基督 (punctuated as two separate clauses/referents)
NEW. Titus 2:13’s Sharp’s-rule construction: a single Greek article governs both ‘great God’ and ‘Savior,’ naming one referent (Jesus Christ), not two. The Mandarin rendering must remain one unbroken possessive noun phrase with no punctuation break, so readers cannot parse it as two separate beings (Father and Son, or God and a lesser savior). Requires a mandatory theologian note at every occurrence.
High Risk Terms
Faith
Approved rendering: 信心
Transliteration: xìnxīn
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: 虔诚, 迷信, 信仰
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Note Titus 2:10 uses the cognate πίστις in a non-salvific ‘trustworthiness’ sense (a slave’s fidelity to a master) — same word, different register; do not over-theologize that specific occurrence.
Holy
Approved rendering: 圣洁
Transliteration: shèngjié
Doctrine: Qualifications for Elders
Rejected alternatives: 清净, 圣人般的
Inherited from Romans package. Titus 1:8 uses a distinct Greek word (ὅσιος) conventionally collapsed into the same 圣洁 rendering as ἅγιος; see the new ‘holy_devout’ entry below for the required distinguishing note.
Saints
Approved rendering: 圣徒
Transliteration: shèngtú
Doctrine: Qualifications for Elders / Sainthood
Rejected alternatives: 圣人, 高僧
Inherited from Romans package. Not directly quoted in Titus’s extant text but foundational for teaching corporate church identity alongside 圣洁/长老 material; never 圣人 (Confucian sage) or 高僧 (eminent Buddhist monk).
Adoption
Approved rendering: 儿子的名分
Transliteration: érzi de míngfèn
Doctrine: Adoption and Inheritance
Rejected alternatives: 过继, 收养
Inherited from Romans package. Titus 3:7’s 后嗣 (heirs) doctrine must be taught alongside this term; both distinguish full relational sonship from 过继’s instrumental clan-continuation arrangement.
Law
Approved rendering: 律法
Transliteration: lǜfǎ
Doctrine: Avoiding Divisive Controversies
Rejected alternatives: 礼, 道德规范, 法律
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Titus 3:9 warns against ‘quarrels about the law’ (因律法而起的争竞); never equate with 礼 (Confucian ritual propriety) or a generic cosmic dharma-order.
Sin
Approved rendering: 罪
Transliteration: zuì
Doctrine: Salvation by Grace not Works / Former Bondage to Sin
Rejected alternatives: 报应, 罪犯式的罪
Original: ἀνομία (cf. ἁμαρτία baseline)
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package. Titus 2:14’s ‘all lawlessness’ (一切的罪恶) and 3:3’s description of former bondage both build on this term; distinguish from 报应 (karmic retribution).
Covenant
Approved rendering: 约
Transliteration: yuē
Doctrine: Hope of Eternal Life
Rejected alternatives: 合同, 契约
Inherited from Romans package. Underlies Titus 1:2’s ‘promised before the ages began’ (应许); avoid ordinary commercial-contract terms.
Election
Approved rendering: 拣选
Transliteration: jiǎnxuǎn
Doctrine: Divine Election
Rejected alternatives: 天命, 命运, 缘分
Original: ἐκλεκτῶν θεοῦ (root ἐκλογή)
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Titus 1:1 grounds Paul’s apostleship in ‘the faith of God’s elect’ (神所拣选的人); never 天命/命运/缘分.
Father
Approved rendering: 父
Transliteration: fù
Doctrine: Christ (and the Father) as Savior
Rejected alternatives: 祖先, 老天爷
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Titus 1:4 names ‘God the Father’ alongside ‘Christ Jesus our Savior’; distinguish from ancestor veneration (祭祖).
Redemption
Approved rendering: 救赎
Transliteration: jiùshú
Doctrine: Salvation by Grace not Works
Rejected alternatives: 还债式的赎罪, 功德抵销
Original: λυτρόω / λύτρωσις
Category: Salvation
NEW. Titus 2:14 (‘gave himself to redeem us from all lawlessness’). Must not be framed as repayment of an impersonal karmic-merit ledger; the price is Christ’s self-gift, never the believer’s accumulated merit.
Heirs
Approved rendering: 后嗣
Transliteration: hòusì
Doctrine: Adoption and Inheritance
Rejected alternatives: 过继而来的继承人, 单纯的产业继承人
Original: κληρονόμος
Category: Salvation
NEW. Titus 3:7. Teach alongside baseline’s 儿子的名分 (adoption); distinguish from 过继 (clan-continuation heir-transfer for ancestor-rite purposes) and from a merely material 产业 (property/estate) reading. Alternate fuller form: 承受产业的人 (chéngshòu chǎnyè de rén).
Sound Doctrine
Approved rendering: 纯正的教义
Transliteration: chúnzhèng de jiàoyì
Doctrine: Sound Doctrine and Good Works
Rejected alternatives: 道理 (used inconsistently by CUV across occurrences), 教训 (reserved exclusively for a different Greek word, see ‘training’)
Original: διδασκαλία ὑγιαίνουσα
Category: Covenant
NEW. Standardized rendering for the recurring ‘healthy teaching’ metaphor (1:9, 1:13, 2:1, 2:2, 2:8). CUV varies its wording across occurrences (道理/教训/教导/言语), obscuring the recurring category; this package requires the single standardized noun form here, with 纯正的言语 (chúnzhèng de yányǔ) as the sanctioned speech-register variant at 2:8. Every occurrence requires a cross-reference note tying all five together as one theme.
Training
Approved rendering: 训练
Transliteration: xùnliàn
Doctrine: Grace That Trains for Godly Living
Rejected alternatives: 教训 (reserved for sound doctrine), 惩罚, 管教 (harsher, corporal-punishment register)
Original: παιδεύω
Category: Sanctification
NEW. Titus 2:12 (παιδεύω). Deliberately NOT rendered 教训, the character CUV also uses for διδασκαλία (sound doctrine) elsewhere in Titus — collapsing the two would obscure that grace forms character over time rather than merely conveying propositional content. Alternate form: 塑造 (sùzào). Grace itself is the personified trainer; never let this verb be read as the believer’s own self-cultivating effort.
Elder
Approved rendering: 长老
Transliteration: zhǎnglǎo
Doctrine: Qualifications for Elders
Rejected alternatives: 宗师, 大师, 住持
Original: πρεσβύτερος
Category: Church
NEW. Titus 1:5. Central to ‘Qualifications for Elders.’ 长老 collides with (a) the established Chinese term for a senior Buddhist monk within a monastic Sangha, and (b) the formal Chinese Presbyterian office-title (长老会). Must be taught as a character-and-doctrine-qualified congregational office (1:6-9), not monastic seniority or an unrelated denominational brand.
Slave Servant
Approved rendering: 仆人
Transliteration: púrén
Doctrine: Submission to Authority
Rejected alternatives: 奴隶 (overly narrow modern legal-slavery connotation), 主仆关系式的家仆
Original: δοῦλος
Category: Church
NEW. δοῦλος: Paul’s self-designation (1:1, 神的仆人), the household-slavery institution addressed pastorally (2:9), and the verb form describing former slavery to sin/passion (3:3) — a deliberate threefold wordplay. Requires a teaching note distinguishing (a) Paul’s proud self-designation, (b) pastoral address to an existing Greco-Roman institution without endorsing it, and (c) the traditional Chinese master-servant household relationship (主仆关系), which carries its own distinct social-status assumptions.
Submission
Approved rendering: 顺服
Transliteration: shùnfú
Doctrine: Submission to Authority
Rejected alternatives: 三纲式的绝对服从, 孝顺
Original: ὑποτάσσω
Category: Church
NEW. ὑποτάσσω: wives (2:5), slaves (2:9), citizens (3:1). Must be distinguished from the Confucian Three Cardinal Guides (三纲) hierarchical duty-obedience, where compliance is a near-absolute, status-based debt. Biblical submission here is a freely chosen, gospel-motivated, gospel-protecting posture (2:5’s purpose clause: 免得神的道被毁谤), not an unconditional social duty. Every occurrence requires this distinguishing note.
Rulers And Authorities
Approved rendering: 执政的、掌权的
Transliteration: zhízhèng de, zhǎngquán de
Doctrine: Submission to Authority
Rejected alternatives: 政权 (too abstract/institutional), 官府 (dated administrative connotation)
Original: ἀρχαί καὶ ἐξουσίαι
Category: Church
NEW. Titus 3:1 (ἀρχαί καὶ ἐξουσίαι). CUV-pattern rendering. Contemporary political sensitivity around state authority elevates this beyond a generic government/authority flag; requires careful, non-absolutizing framing that neither absolutizes state power nor implies political defiance is being taught.
Epiphany
Approved rendering: 显现
Transliteration: xiǎnxiàn
Doctrine: Grace That Trains for Godly Living / Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 显灵 (FORBIDDEN — folk-temple deity-manifestation term)
Original: ἐπιφαίνω / ἐπιφάνεια
Category: Christology
NEW. Structures the core passage in three moments: grace appearing (2:11), Christ’s glory appearing at his return (2:13), God’s kindness appearing (3:4). NEVER render with 显灵, the standard Chinese folk-temple term for a deity ‘manifesting its efficacious power’ in answer to prayer (e.g. a city god or Mazu). Alternate: 显明 (xiǎnmíng).
Common Faith
Approved rendering: 共同的信心
Transliteration: gòngtóng de xìnxīn
Doctrine: Faith
Original: κοινὴ πίστις
Category: Faith
NEW qualifier on baseline 信心. Titus 1:4 (κοινὴ πίστις), faith held in common across all believers.
Genealogies
Approved rendering: 家谱
Transliteration: jiāpǔ
Doctrine: Avoiding Divisive Controversies
Rejected alternatives: 族谱 (equally loaded, no risk reduction)
Original: γενεαλογίαι
Category: Covenant
NEW. Titus 3:9 (γενεαλογίαι). MAJOR cultural-collision term: 家谱 is deeply tied to Chinese ancestor veneration, clan identity, and ancestral-hall ritual. Paul’s warning targets a narrow first-century pattern of speculative/legalistic genealogical argumentation, NOT a blanket condemnation of family genealogical records. A scope-limiting teaching note is mandatory every occurrence.
Legal Disputes
Approved rendering: 因律法而起的争竞
Transliteration: yīn lǜfǎ ér qǐ de zhēngjìng
Doctrine: Avoiding Divisive Controversies
Original: μάχαι νομικαί
Category: Covenant
NEW. Titus 3:9 (μάχαι νομικαί). Inherits 律法’s baseline risk profile; must not be read as disputes over a generic cosmic moral order but specifically Mosaic Law interpretation disputes.
Unfruitful
Approved rendering: 不结果子的
Transliteration: bù jiē guǒzi de
Doctrine: Sound Doctrine and Good Works
Rejected alternatives: 因果不好的 (explicitly invokes karmic causation), 无果报的
Original: ἄκαρπος
Category: Sanctification
NEW. Titus 3:14 (ἄκαρπος). MAJOR cultural-collision term: the ‘fruit’ (果) metaphor sits very close to 因果 (karma/cause-and-effect) and 果报 (karmic retribution), and shares the exact character 果 flagged in baseline’s forbidden phrase 修成正果. Teaching must clarify the ‘fruit’ in view is the relational, others-benefiting good works of 3:8, flowing from grace already received, not a self-generated karmic outcome.
Medium Risk Terms
Peace
Approved rendering: 平安
Transliteration: píng’ān
Doctrine: Epistolary Greeting: Grace and Peace
Rejected alternatives: 安宁, 平安符式的平安
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Titus 1:4 and 3:15’s greeting ‘grace and peace’ must be distinguished from the folk amulet-blessing sense of 平安.
Glory
Approved rendering: 荣耀
Transliteration: róngyào
Doctrine: Blessed Hope of Christ’s Return
Rejected alternatives: 面子, 光宗耀祖
Inherited from Romans package. Titus 2:13’s ‘appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior’ names Christ’s own radiant divine glory; avoid collapsing into 面子 (social face) or ancestral-honor language.
Mission
Approved rendering: 宣教
Transliteration: xuānjiào
Doctrine: Gospel Proclamation Entrusted
Rejected alternatives: 洋教传播
Inherited from Romans package as a cross-reference term. Titus 1:3’s proclamation language (rendered with the new term 传扬) should avoid reinforcing the historic 洋教 (‘foreign religion’) stigma this baseline entry documents.
Mercy
Approved rendering: 怜悯
Transliteration: liánmǐn
Doctrine: Salvation by Grace not Works
Rejected alternatives: 报应式的宽恕, 阴德积攒后的赦免
Original: ἔλεος
Category: Salvation
NEW. Titus 3:5. Distinguish from 恩典 (grace): mercy is God’s compassion toward our miserable condition, grace is God’s favor despite our unworthiness — complementary, not identical, and both exclude merit.
Renewal
Approved rendering: 更新
Transliteration: gēngxīn
Doctrine: Regeneration by the Holy Spirit
Rejected alternatives: 修炼, 脱胎换骨
Original: ἀνακαίνωσις
Category: Sanctification
NEW. Titus 3:5 (ἀνακαίνωσις). Ongoing Spirit-work complementing the once-for-all washing of regeneration; parallels 成圣 (sanctification). Never 修炼 (Daoist/qigong technique-cultivation).
Eternal Life
Approved rendering: 永生
Transliteration: yǒngshēng
Doctrine: Hope of Eternal Life
Rejected alternatives: 长生不老, 轮回后的极乐
Original: ζωὴ αἰώνιος
Category: Salvation
NEW (Titus-specific reuse pattern of a CUV-established word). Titus 1:2, 3:7. Distinguish from Daoist longevity-cultivation aspiration (长生不老, attained through practice) and from a Buddhist cyclical-existence framework; unending covenant fellowship with God secured by grace, not indefinitely extended life earned by technique.
Godliness
Approved rendering: 敬虔
Transliteration: jìngqián
Doctrine: Grace That Trains for Godly Living
Rejected alternatives: 虔诚 (generic devoutness toward any deity)
Original: εὐσέβεια / εὐσεβῶς
Category: Sanctification
NEW. Titus 1:1, 2:12 (εὐσέβεια/εὐσεβῶς). Distinguish from generic 虔诚, already Medium-flagged under baseline’s faith entry; 敬虔 names reverence specifically for the God revealed in Christ, produced by grace’s training.
Overseer
Approved rendering: 监督
Transliteration: jiāndū
Doctrine: Qualifications for Elders
Rejected alternatives: 检查员, 主管 (purely secular supervisory sense)
Original: ἐπίσκοπος
Category: Church
NEW. Titus 1:7 (ἐπίσκοπος), used interchangeably with 长老 in this passage — same office, two descriptive titles. Ordinary secular vocabulary for a workplace/exam supervisor or inspector; requires clear ecclesial framing at first use.
Steward Of God
Approved rendering: 神的管家
Transliteration: Shén de guǎnjiā
Doctrine: Qualifications for Elders
Rejected alternatives: 神的所有者, 神的代理人
Original: οἰκονόμος θεοῦ
Category: Church
NEW. Titus 1:7 (οἰκονόμος θεοῦ). Household-manager metaphor for the elder’s derived, not owned, authority over God’s household.
Holy Devout
Approved rendering: 圣洁
Transliteration: shèngjié
Doctrine: Qualifications for Elders
Rejected alternatives: 虔敬 (as a separate rendering that would fragment the elder-virtue list)
Original: ὅσιος
Category: Sanctification
NEW variant flag. Titus 1:8 (ὅσιος), a Greek word distinct from ἅγιος (‘holy’/‘set apart’), both conventionally collapsed into the same 圣洁 rendering in Chinese. Flag for a teaching note distinguishing ‘devout/pious toward God’ (ὅσιος) from ‘set apart’ (ἅγιος) where the elder-qualification list is taught in depth.
Obey Authority
Approved rendering: 服从
Transliteration: fúcóng
Doctrine: Submission to Authority
Rejected alternatives: 绝对听命
Original: πειθαρχέω
Category: Church
NEW. Titus 3:1 (πειθαρχέω). Reinforces 顺服 with a stronger volitional-compliance term aimed at civil authority; ironic echo of ἀπειθεῖς (‘disobedient,’ 3:3) describing believers’ former state. Alternate: 遵从 (zūncóng).
Ministerial Authority
Approved rendering: 权柄
Transliteration: quánbǐng
Doctrine: Ministerial Authority of Titus
Rejected alternatives: 政治权力, 执政的、掌权的 (must remain distinct)
Original: ἐπιταγή
Category: Church
NEW. Titus 2:15 (ἐπιταγή). Titus’s own delegated pastoral/teaching mandate; must be kept distinct from the civil ἐξουσία of 3:1 (执政的、掌权的) so pastoral and political authority are never conflated.
Rebuke
Approved rendering: 责备
Transliteration: zébèi
Doctrine: Sound Doctrine and Good Works
Rejected alternatives: 批评 (mere criticism, lacks corrective intent)
Original: ἐλέγχω
Category: Church
NEW. Titus 1:9, 1:13, 2:15 (ἐλέγχω). Confrontational but corrective speech aimed at repentance. Cultural sensitivity around public correction and 面子 (‘face’) should be noted for teachers, but the doctrine must not be softened away. Alternate: 指正 (zhǐzhèng).
Kindness Of God
Approved rendering: 恩慈
Transliteration: ēncí
Doctrine: Kindness and Mercy of God
Rejected alternatives: 慈悲 (Buddhist compassion, Guanyin-associated)
Original: χρηστότης
Category: God
NEW. Titus 3:4 (χρηστότης). Distinguish from 恩典 (the gift itself) — names God’s kind disposition that motivates the gift. Guard against collapsing into 慈悲, which describes compassion arising from within an enlightened being’s own nature, not the free decision of a personal covenant God.
Love For Mankind
Approved rendering: 慈爱
Transliteration: cí’ài
Doctrine: Kindness and Mercy of God
Rejected alternatives: 慈悲 (same 慈-root collision risk as kindness_of_god)
Original: φιλανθρωπία
Category: God
NEW. Titus 3:4 (φιλανθρωπία). Same 慈-root caution as 恩慈; teach as God’s specific covenantal love for humanity, not generalized folk-religious compassion.
Adorn Doctrine
Approved rendering: 尊荣
Transliteration: zūnróng
Doctrine: Sound Doctrine and Good Works
Rejected alternatives: 装饰性的美化 (too decorative/superficial)
Original: κοσμέω
Category: Sanctification
NEW. Titus 2:10 (κοσμέω, ‘adorn/beautify’). CUV softens the adornment imagery into 尊荣 (‘honor’); acceptable for tradition continuity, but a teaching note should restore the adornment nuance connecting good works to the gospel’s attractiveness before outsiders.
Blessed Hope
Approved rendering: 有福的盼望
Transliteration: yǒu fú de pànwàng
Doctrine: Hope of Eternal Life
Rejected alternatives: 好运的盼望
Original: μακαρίαν ἐλπίδα
Category: Faith
NEW. Titus 2:13 (μακαρία ἐλπίς). The 福 root risks folk fortune-seeking overtones (cf. baseline gospel entry’s 福 caution); teach as hope anchored in Christ’s certain future appearing, not an omen of coming luck.
Faithful Saying
Approved rendering: 这话是可信的
Transliteration: zhè huà shì kěxìn de
Doctrine: Faithful Sayings as Doctrinal Summary
Rejected alternatives: 这是一句谚语 (loses the doctrinal-formula function)
Original: Πιστὸς ὁ λόγος
Category: Faith
NEW. Titus 3:8 (Πιστὸς ὁ λόγος). Formulaic Pauline marker signaling 3:4-7 as a settled creedal/doctrinal summary; flag its structural role so it is not treated as incidental phrasing.
Knowledge Of Truth
Approved rendering: 真道的知识
Transliteration: zhēndào de zhīshì
Doctrine: Gospel Proclamation Entrusted
Rejected alternatives: 真理的知识 (too abstract/philosophical for this context)
Original: ἐπίγνωσις ἀληθείας
Category: Faith
NEW. Titus 1:1 (ἐπίγνωσις ἀληθείας). CUV contextually renders ἀλήθεια here as 真道 (the specific gospel content) rather than the abstract 真理.
Ungodliness
Approved rendering: 不敬虔
Transliteration: bù jìngqián
Doctrine: Grace That Trains for Godly Living
Rejected alternatives: 不礼 (Confucian ritual-propriety violation, too narrow)
Original: ἀσέβεια
Category: Sin
NEW. Titus 2:12 (ἀσέβεια), direct antonym of 敬虔. Must be read against a personal God being renounced, not merely a violation of Confucian ritual propriety (礼).
Foolish Debates
Approved rendering: 无知的辩论
Transliteration: wúzhī de biànlùn
Doctrine: Avoiding Divisive Controversies
Original: μωραὶ ζητήσεις
Category: Sin
NEW. Titus 3:9 (μωραὶ ζητήσεις). Unproductive theological/philosophical hair-splitting; moderate risk of under-teaching what counts as ‘foolish’ versus legitimate doctrinal inquiry.
Divisive Person
Approved rendering: 分门结党的人
Transliteration: fēnmén jiédǎng de rén
Doctrine: Avoiding Divisive Controversies
Rejected alternatives: 异端分子 (over-reads the later, fixed ‘heretic’ category back into the text)
Original: αἱρετικὸς ἄνθρωπος
Category: Church
NEW. Titus 3:10 (αἱρετικὸς ἄνθρωπος). Describes a behavior pattern (causing schism/faction), not yet the later fully developed doctrinal category of ‘heresy’; avoid over-reading later church-historical categories back into this verse.
Jewish Fables
Approved rendering: 犹太人荒谬的言语
Transliteration: Yóutàirén huāngmiù de yányǔ
Doctrine: False Teaching and Legalism
Rejected alternatives: 犹太教的传说 (risks implying condemnation of Judaism generally)
Original: Ἰουδαϊκοὶ μῦθοι
Category: Covenant
NEW. Titus 1:14 (Ἰουδαϊκοὶ μῦθοι). Must target specific extra-biblical legalistic traditions circulating on Crete, never the Old Testament Scriptures themselves nor Jewish people generally; imprecision risks either an anti-Judaic overtone or an unintended challenge to Old Testament authority.
Conscience
Approved rendering: 良心
Transliteration: liángxīn
Doctrine: Conscience and the Defiled Mind
Original: συνείδησις
Category: Sin
NEW. Titus 1:15 (συνείδησις). Standard modern Mandarin term; in ordinary usage can carry a generic ‘moral sense’ flavor without necessarily implying accountability before a personal God — clarify that connection explicitly in doctrinal contexts.
Detestable Disqualified
Approved rendering: 可废弃的
Transliteration: kě fèiqì de
Doctrine: Sound Doctrine and Good Works
Original: βδελυκτός / ἀδόκιμος
Category: Sanctification
NEW. Titus 1:16 (ἀδόκιμος, ‘unfit for any good work’). The letter’s negative counterpoint to its repeated ‘zealous/careful for good works’ theme; flag for cross-reference teaching alongside 2:14’s positive statement. Companion term: 可憎恶的 (kě zēngwù de, βδελυκτός, ‘detestable’).
Word Not Blasphemed
Approved rendering: 免得神的道被毁谤
Transliteration: miǎndé Shén de dào bèi huǐbàng
Doctrine: Household Order and Christian Witness
Original: ἵνα μὴ ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ βλασφημῆται
Category: Church
NEW. Purpose clause governing the household-code instructions (2:5; cf. 2:8, 2:10). Should be taught prominently alongside every submission instruction in the letter (2:5, 2:9-10, 3:1-2) to keep the missional/gospel-witness motive primary over any social-hierarchy-preservation reading.
Low Risk Terms
Apostle
Approved rendering: 使徒
Transliteration: shǐtú
Doctrine: Divine Election
Rejected alternatives: 宗师, 大师
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Titus 1:1 is Paul’s self-designation, paired immediately with ‘servant of God’ (神的仆人) and ‘God’s elect’ (神所拣选的人).
Exhort
Approved rendering: 劝勉
Transliteration: quànmiǎn
Doctrine: Ministerial Authority of Titus
Inherited from Romans package. Used at Titus 2:15 alongside 责备/指正 (rebuke) as part of Titus’s ministerial charge.
Blameless
Approved rendering: 无可指责
Transliteration: wú kě zhǐzé
Doctrine: Qualifications for Elders
Original: ἀνέγκλητος
Category: Church
NEW. Titus 1:6-7 (ἀνέγκλητος). Not currently open to valid accusation; not a claim of sinless perfection.
Self Controlled
Approved rendering: 节制
Transliteration: jiézhì
Doctrine: Qualifications for Elders
Original: ἐγκρατής
Category: Sanctification
NEW. Titus 1:8, 2:2 (ἐγκρατής/σώφρων family). Mastery over one’s own impulses and desires.
Hope
Approved rendering: 盼望
Transliteration: pànwàng
Doctrine: Hope of Eternal Life
Original: ἐλπίς
Category: Faith
NEW. Titus 1:2, 2:13, 3:7 (ἐλπίς). Confident expectation, not wishful optimism; low risk when paired with a clear object (eternal life, Christ’s return).
Promise
Approved rendering: 应许
Transliteration: yìngxǔ
Doctrine: Hope of Eternal Life
Original: ἐπαγγέλλομαι
Category: Covenant
NEW. Titus 1:2 (ἐπαγγέλλομαι). God’s reliable pledge given before the ages; connects to baseline’s 约 (covenant) concept.
Worldly Desires
Approved rendering: 世俗的私欲
Transliteration: shìsú de sīyù
Doctrine: Grace That Trains for Godly Living
Original: κοσμικαὶ ἐπιθυμίαι
Category: Sin
NEW. Titus 2:12 (κοσμικαὶ ἐπιθυμίαι). Desires structured by this present age’s value system, renounced together with ungodliness.
Titus
Approved rendering: 提多
Transliteration: Tíduō
Doctrine: Ministerial Authority of Titus
Original: Τίτος
Category: Church
NEW. Established CUV transliteration form. Paul’s delegate and the letter’s recipient, tasked with organizing the Cretan churches.
Crete
Approved rendering: 克里特
Transliteration: Kèlǐtè
Doctrine: Avoiding Divisive Controversies
Original: Κρήτη / Κρῆτες
Category: Church
NEW. Established CUV form. See the Epimenides-quotation translator note under False Teaching (1:12) for the ‘Cretans are always liars’ proverb citation.
Paul
Approved rendering: 保罗
Transliteration: Bǎoluó
Doctrine: Divine Election
Original: Παῦλος
Category: Church
NEW entry for this package (established CUV transliteration consistent with the baseline’s proper-name standard). The letter’s author, self-identified as ‘servant of God and apostle of Jesus Christ’ (1:1).
Artemas
Approved rendering: 亚提马
Transliteration: Yàtímǎ
Doctrine: Closing Ministry Partnerships and Plans
Original: Ἀρτεμᾶς
Category: Church
NEW. Established CUV form. Titus 3:12.
Tychicus
Approved rendering: 推基古
Transliteration: Tuījīgǔ
Doctrine: Closing Ministry Partnerships and Plans
Original: Τύχικος
Category: Church
NEW. Established CUV form. Titus 3:12.
Zenas
Approved rendering: 西纳
Transliteration: Xīnà
Doctrine: Closing Ministry Partnerships and Plans
Original: Ζηνᾶς
Category: Church
NEW. Established CUV form. Titus 3:13.
Apollos
Approved rendering: 亚波罗
Transliteration: Yàbōluó
Doctrine: Closing Ministry Partnerships and Plans
Original: Ἀπολλῶς
Category: Church
NEW. Established CUV form. Titus 3:13; same figure referenced in Acts and 1 Corinthians.
Nicopolis
Approved rendering: 尼哥波立
Transliteration: Nígēbōlì
Doctrine: Closing Ministry Partnerships and Plans
Original: Νικόπολις
Category: Church
NEW. Established CUV form, place name. Titus 3:12.
Referenced passages