Core Glossary
08 — Core Glossary: Zechariah (Full Book)
This glossary extends, and never contradicts, the baseline Romans translation_memory.json. Section A lists baseline terms reused exactly as recorded, now attested in Zechariah. Section B proposes new terms required by Zechariah’s distinct vocabulary, with risk tiers assigned using the same Critical/High/Medium/Low framework as doctrine_risk_registry.json. All new terms are candidates for formal addition to translation memory (Phase 1 Step 8).
Section A — Baseline Terms Reused Exactly (No Deviation Permitted)
| Term (EN) | Mandarin (baseline) | Risk (baseline) | Zechariah Occurrences | Reuse Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| God | 神 | Critical | Throughout (1:1 etc.) | Zech 14:9’s “LORD is one” intensifies the baseline’s monotheism-explicitness requirement given 神’s common-noun ambiguity in folk usage. |
| Holy Spirit | 圣灵 | Critical | Conceptually behind 4:6, 6:8, 12:10 (see 我的灵 entries, Section B) | Baseline compound reserved for explicit NT-style references; see Section B for the OT “my Spirit” handling protocol. |
| sin | 罪 | High | 13:1 (fountain for sin and uncleanness) | Reused for 罪恶 (5:8) and 罪孽 (3:4) compounds. |
| grace | 恩典 | Critical | Root shared with 12:10’s 施恩 (“bestow grace”) | See Section B “spirit of grace and supplication” for the interaction. |
| righteousness | 义 | Critical | Root shared with 9:9’s 公义 | See Section B “righteous (royal)” for the distinct royal-character nuance requiring its own entry. |
| salvation | 救恩 | Critical | Root shared with 9:9, 8:7-8’s 拯救 verb forms | See Section B “salvation (verbal/royal)” for the passive/active grammatical issue. |
| covenant | 约 | High | 9:11 (blood of the covenant), 13:9 (covenant formula) | Reused as root for new compounds 立约的血, 我的百姓/我的神. |
| Israel | 以色列 | Medium | Implicit throughout (covenant people) | No new risk. |
| David | 大卫 | Low | 12:7, 12:10, 12:12; 13:1 | Root for new compound 大卫家 (Section B). |
| seed of David | 大卫的后裔 | High | Conceptually behind 12:7-13:1’s “house of David” | See Section B “house of David” for the related but distinct compound. |
| glory | 荣耀 | Medium | 2:5 | No new risk. |
| peace | 平安 | Medium | 8:12, 8:16, 8:19 (communal/internal sense only) | Do not use for 9:10 — see Section B “peace to the nations” (和平) for the required distinction. |
| prophet | 先知 | Low | 1:1 (implicit, prophetic office), 13:2-6 | Root for new compound 假先知 (Section B). |
| prophecy | 预言 | Medium | Implicit throughout (fulfillment framework) | No new risk. |
| messiah/christ | 基督 | Critical | Conceptually behind 3:8, 4:14, 6:12, 9:9 (Branch, anointed ones, king) | Not directly named in Zechariah (pre-Christian text); all messianic imagery must be taught in typological connection to 基督 without using the word itself anachronistically in the OT text. |
| holy | 圣洁 | High | Conceptually behind 14:20-21 | Root for new compound 归耶和华为圣 (Section B). |
| kingdom of God | 神的国 | Medium | Conceptually behind 9:10, 14:9 | Root for new compounds 权柄, 全地的王 (Section B). |
| gentiles | 外邦人 | Medium | Conceptually distinct from 9:10’s 列国/万国 | See Section B “nations” for the required distinction between ethnic-religious 外邦人 and political 列国. |
| law | 律法 | High | Not prominent in Zechariah; retained for cross-reference | No new risk. |
Section B — New Terms Introduced by Zechariah
| Term (EN) | Hebrew / Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Mandarin Rendering | Risk | Doctrine | Chapter(s) | Rationale / Forbidden Substitutions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LORD (YHWH, the covenant name) | יְהוָה / YHWH | The tetragrammaton, God’s personal covenant name | 耶和华 (Yēhéhuá) | Critical | God; Divine Name | Throughout (all 14 chapters) | Established CUV transliteration of the Tetragrammaton, distinct from generic 神 (which also serves as a common noun for any deity) and from NT κύριος (rendered 主). Must be used consistently for יהוה throughout; never substitute 神 alone where the text specifically names YHWH, since the personal covenant name carries relational weight the generic term does not. |
| king (Messianic) | מֶלֶךְ / melek | King, monarch | 王 (wáng) | High | The Coming Messianic King | 9:9; 14:9 | Must always be taught in explicit connection to 主 (baseline Critical, Lord) and 基督 (baseline Critical, Messiah) so Christ’s kingship is not received as an ordinary human/dynastic office. Never gloss with imperial-legitimacy vocabulary (天子, cf. baseline son_of_god caution). |
| righteous (royal character) | צַדִּיק / tsaddiq | Righteous, just, in-the-right | 公义 (gōngyì) | Critical | The Coming Messianic King | 9:9 | Distinct from but sharing the root of baseline righteousness (义, Critical). Requires a clarifying note at every occurrence distinguishing the King’s own righteous character from the Confucian virtue of 义/公义 (Five Constant Virtues) achieved by moral cultivation, and from the baseline’s forensic imputed-righteousness sense. Never let 公义 stand alone as if self-evidently either Confucian virtue or forensic status. |
| salvation (verbal/royal, passive-active tension) | נוֹשָׁע / nosha | Saved, delivered, victorious (grammatically passive) | 施行拯救 (shī xíng zhěngjiù) — established CUV active rendering | Critical | The Coming Messianic King; Salvation | 9:9 | CUV renders a grammatically passive Hebrew participle actively. Mandatory translator note required at every occurrence explaining that the King is both vindicated/delivered by God AND the active bringer of salvation to his people, connecting to baseline salvation (救恩, Critical) without implying self-achieved salvation (which would collide with the grace-vs-merit critical concern). |
| peace to the nations (geopolitical) | שָׁלוֹם / shalom (international sense) | Peace, well-being, cessation of hostility, between nations | 和平 (hépíng) | High | The Coming Messianic King; Kingdom Mission | 9:10 | Must be distinguished from baseline peace (平安, Medium — personal/relational peace with God and everyday well-being). Using 平安 here wrongly individualizes a corporate/geopolitical promise; using 和平 in relational contexts wrongly politicizes personal peace with God. Teach both terms side by side with the distinction explicit. |
| nations (political-geographic) | גּוֹיִם / goyim (as rendered 列国) | Nations, kingdoms | 列国 (liè guó) / 万国 (wàn guó) | Medium | Kingdom Mission; Unity of Jews and Gentiles | 9:10; 8:22-23; 14:16-19 | Distinct from baseline gentiles (外邦人, Medium — an ethnic-religious “non-Jewish peoples” category used in Pauline contrast with Israel). 列国/万国 emphasizes political entities and their rulers. Do not use interchangeably without a clarifying note. |
| dominion/rule | מָשְׁלוֹ / mashal | Sovereign rule, governance | 权柄 (quánbǐng) | Medium | The Coming Messianic King; Kingdom Mission | 9:10 | Reinforces baseline kingdom_of_god (神的国, Medium); must not be framed as a this-worldly dynastic order (avoid 天下, 王朝, per existing baseline caution). |
| Zion | צִיּוֹן / Tsiyon | Zion (the hill/city of Jerusalem; by extension, God’s covenant people) | 锡安 (Xī’ān) | Low (proper name) / High (doctrinal freight) | God’s Zeal for Zion; Restoration of Jerusalem | Throughout (1:14, 2:7-10, 8:2-3, 9:9, 9:13) | Low risk as a transliterated proper name, but the doctrinal weight attached to it (God’s zeal, dwelling, glory) is High; ensure consistent use across all occurrences for reader continuity. |
| daughter of Zion | בַּת־צִיּוֹן / bat-Tsiyon | ”Daughter of Zion” — personification idiom | 锡安的民 (established CUV dynamic rendering) | Medium | The Coming Messianic King; God’s Zeal for Zion | 9:9 | CUV’s collective-noun rendering loses the literal daughter-personification. Recommend retaining CUV form for register consistency but requiring a translator note recovering the personification for teaching purposes. |
| jealousy/zeal for Zion | קִנְאָה / qin’ah | Ardent, protective, exclusive zeal/jealousy | 心里极其火热 / 大发热心 (established CUV) | Critical | God’s Zeal for Zion | 1:14; 8:2 | NEVER render with 嫉妒 or 忌妒 (ordinary human envy — a vice in Chinese moral vocabulary). CUV’s “burning zeal” (火热) avoids this collision and is REQUIRED. This is the doctrinal anchor term for the whole “God’s Zeal for Zion” doctrine and requires theologian review at every occurrence. |
| dwell in the midst | שָׁכַן / shakan | To dwell, tabernacle, abide | 住在…中间 (zhù zài…zhōngjiān) | High | Restoration of Jerusalem and the Temple; (typological link to Incarnation) | 2:10-11 | Must be taught as covenantal dwelling-presence anticipating, but not identical to, the unique Incarnation event (baseline incarnation, 道成肉身, Critical). Avoid implying this text alone teaches the Incarnation directly. |
| wall of fire | חוֹמַת אֵש / chomat esh | Wall of fire | 四围的火城 (sìwéi de huǒchéng) | Medium | God’s Zeal for Zion; Restoration of Jerusalem | 2:5 | Distinguish from folk protective-fire/talisman imagery; this is God’s personal presence, not an impersonal protective charm. |
| apple/pupil of his eye | בְּבָבַת עֵינוֹ / b’vavat eino | Pupil/apple of the eye | 眼中的瞳人 (yǎnzhōng de tóngrén) | Medium | God’s Zeal for Zion | 2:8 | Idiom for precious, closely-guarded object of care; ensure vividness is not flattened in translation. |
| Satan / the Accuser | הַשָּׂטָן / ha-satan | The adversary, the accuser | 撒但 (Sādàn) | Medium | (Background to Restoration/Sovereign Plan visions) | 3:1-2 | Must be distinguished from generic Chinese folk ghost/spirit categories (鬼) and Daoist demon-figures; a specific personal accusing being in a legal-courtroom scene. |
| angel of the LORD | מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה / mal’akh YHWH | Messenger/angel of YHWH | 耶和华的使者 (Yēhéhuá de shǐzhě) | High | Visions of God’s Sovereign Plan; (possible Christophany) | 3:1-6 | Distinguish from generic 天使 (angel) and folk deity-messengers (仙, 神仙); connection to possible pre-incarnate Christophany requires careful, non-dogmatic theologian framing. |
| the Branch | צֶמַח / tsemach | Sprout, shoot — technical messianic title | 苗裔 (miáoyì) | Critical | The Coming Messianic King | 3:8; 6:12 | Fixed technical messianic title (cf. Isa 11:1; Jer 23:5); never used as a generic word for “descendant.” Theologian review required at every occurrence. |
| my Spirit (OT ruach-YHWH, unqualified) | רוּחִי / ruchi | ”My Spirit” (God’s own Spirit, without explicit “holy” qualifier) | 我的灵 / 耶和华的灵 (established CUV OT convention) | Critical | Visions of God’s Sovereign Plan; (Holy Spirit continuity) | 4:6; 6:8 | Direct interaction with the baseline’s absolute rule (“NEVER use 灵 alone” for Holy Spirit). This package REQUIRES a mandatory translator note at every occurrence explicitly connecting this possessive OT usage to the NT’s 圣灵 (baseline Critical), preserving Trinitarian continuity without contradicting the baseline rule (the possessive already distinguishes it from ancestral/nature spirits). Human theologian review required; do not mark approved without the note. |
| anointed ones | בְּנֵי הַיִּצְהָר / b’nei ha-yitshar | ”Sons of oil” — anointed ones | 受膏者 (shòugāo zhě) | High | The Coming Messianic King; (typological) | 4:14 | Shares root concept with baseline messiah (基督, Critical). Teach as two human, typological figures (Zerubbabel, Joshua), never as interchangeable with 基督 itself. |
| lampstand | מְנוֹרָה / menorah | Lampstand | 灯台 (dēngtái) | Low-Medium | Visions of God’s Sovereign Plan | 4:2 | Note cross-curriculum continuity with Revelation’s seven lampstands. |
| Zerubbabel | זְרֻבָּבֶל / Zerubbavel | Proper name | 所罗巴伯 (Suǒluóbābó) | Low | Restoration of Jerusalem and the Temple | 4:6-10 | Established transliteration. |
| Joshua (the high priest) | יְהוֹשֻׁעַ / Yehoshua | Proper name (“YHWH saves”) | 约书亚（大祭司） | Low | Restoration of Jerusalem and the Temple | 3:1-9; 6:11 | Same transliteration as Joshua son of Nun; require a contextual qualifier (“大祭司,” high priest) to prevent reader confusion with the earlier conquest-era figure. |
| curse | הָאָלָה / ha-alah | The curse/judicial oath | 咒诅 (zhòuzǔ) | Low-Medium | Visions of God’s Sovereign Plan | 5:1-4 | Distinguish from folk curse-magic (符咒); this is God’s own judicial pronouncement. |
| wickedness (personified) | רִשְׁעָה / rish’ah | Wickedness | 罪恶 (zuì’è) | Medium | Visions of God’s Sovereign Plan | 5:5-11 | Symbolic-visionary personification; not a literal female demon-figure. |
| four winds/spirits of heaven | רוּחוֹת הַשָּׁמָיִם / ruchot ha-shamayim | Winds/spirits of heaven | 天的四风 (tiān de sìfēng) | Medium-High | Visions of God’s Sovereign Plan | 6:1-8 | Same Hebrew root (רוּחַ) as “my Spirit” above (4:6; 12:10); context-dependent disambiguation required at every occurrence — this passage refers to wind/patrol-agents, NOT the Holy Spirit. |
| throne | כִּסֵּא / kisse | Throne | 宝座 (bǎozuò) | Medium-High | The Coming Messianic King | 6:13 | Must not be limited to an earthly dynastic-seat reading analogous to the Chinese imperial throne. |
| crown | עֲטָרָה / atarah | Crown | 冠冕 (guānmiǎn) | Medium | The Coming Messianic King; Restoration of the Temple | 6:11-14 | Sign-act nature (worn as living prophecy) should be explained. |
| fasting | צוֹם / tsom | Fast | 禁食 (jìnshí) | Low-Medium | (Ethical background to Restoration) | 7:1-5; 8:19 | Prefer over 斋戒 (zhāijiè), which carries Buddhist/Daoist ritual-merit connotations. |
| justice | מִשְׁפָּט / mishpat | Justice, judgment | 公平 (gōngpíng) | Medium | (Ethical background) | 7:9; 8:16 | Distinguish from baseline law’s caution against equating with Confucian 礼 (ritual propriety); substantive ethical justice, not etiquette. |
| kindness/loving-devotion (chesed) | חֶסֶד / chesed | Steadfast covenant love | 慈爱 (cí’ài) | Medium | (Ethical background) | 7:9 | Distinguish from baseline grace (恩典, Critical — unmerited saving favor); chesed is covenant-loyalty love, including horizontally between people. |
| mercy/compassion (rachamim) | רַחֲמִים / rachamim | Tender compassion | 怜悫 (liánmǐn) | Medium | (Ethical background) | 7:9 | Distinguish from Buddhist compassion (慈悲), tied to a different soteriological framework. |
| truth/faithfulness (emet) | אֱמֶת / emet | Truth, faithfulness | 诚实 (chéngshí) | Medium | Restoration of Jerusalem | 8:3, 16, 19 | Teach as a covenant characteristic of God and his restored people, not merely individual ethical virtue. |
| remnant | שְׁאֵרִית / sh’erit | Remnant | 余民 (yúmín) | Medium | Restoration of Jerusalem; Unity of Jews/Gentiles | 8:6-12 | Connects to unity_of_jews_and_gentiles and mission_to_nations baseline doctrines. |
| blood of the covenant | דָּם־בְּרִית / dam-brit | Covenant blood | 立约的血 (lìyuē de xuè) | High | Restoration; (typological link to New Covenant) | 9:11 | Teach in typological continuity with Christ’s New Covenant blood (Matt 26:28) without over-collapsing historical particularity. |
| prisoners of hope | אֲסִירֵי הַתִּקְוָה / asirei ha-tikvah | Prisoners of hope | 有指望的被囚人 | Medium | Restoration of Jerusalem | 9:12 | Low collision risk; standard descriptive rendering. |
| shepherd / flock | רָעָה/רֹעֶה — צֹאן / ra’ah/ro’eh — tso’n | Shepherd — flock | 牧人 (mùrén) / 羊群 (yángqún) | Critical | Sovereign Plan; (typological link to Christ the Shepherd) | 10:2-3; 11:4-17; 13:7 | Mandatory cross-book term-lock with the Gospel of John’s “good shepherd” (好牧人) and Matthew 26:31’s citation of Zech 13:7 at Christ’s arrest. |
| cornerstone / tent peg | פִּנָּה / יָתֵד / pinnah/yated | Cornerstone / tent peg | 房角石 (fáng jiǎo shí) / 橜子 (juézi) | Medium-High | Sovereign Plan; (typological link to Christ the Cornerstone) | 10:4 | Flag for consistency with any NT epistle translations referencing Christ as cornerstone (Eph 2:20; 1 Pet 2:6). |
| gather/regather | קָבַץ / qabats | Gather | 招聚 (zhāojù) | Medium | Restoration of Jerusalem | 10:6-10 | Standard restoration term. |
| thirty pieces of silver | שְׁלֹשִׁים כֶּסֶף / shloshim kesef | Thirty [shekels of] silver | 三十块钱 (sānshí kuài qián) | High | (Typological fulfillment in Matthew 27) | 11:12-13 | Mandatory identical rendering to Matt 26:15/27:3-10 in shared translation memory. |
| potter | הַיּוֹצֵר / ha-yotser | The potter | 窑户 (yáohù) | Medium-High | (Typological fulfillment in Matthew 27) | 11:13 | Must match Matthew’s rendering for fulfillment-citation integrity. |
| broken staffs, “Favor”/“Union” | נֹעַם / חֹבְלִים / no’am/chovlim | Favor / Union (Bonds) | 荣美 (róngměi) / 联索 (liánsuǒ) | Medium-High | Sovereign Plan | 11:7-14 | High explanatory-note requirement; low folk-religious collision risk. |
| worthless shepherd | הָרֹעֶה הָאֱלִיל / ha-ro’eh ha-elil | The worthless/idol shepherd | 无用的牧人 (wúyòng de mùrén) | Medium-High | Sovereign Plan; (contrast with true Shepherd) | 11:15-17 | Reinforces the shepherd term-lock; deliberate contrast with the true Shepherd. |
| pierced | דָּקַר / daqar | Pierced, thrust through | 扎 (zhā) | Critical | The Piercing of the One They Have Pierced | 12:10 | Mandatory identical rendering to John 19:37 in shared translation memory. THE central term of this curriculum’s namesake doctrine. Theologian review required at every occurrence. |
| spirit of grace and supplication | רוּחַ חֵן וְתַחֲנוּנִים / ruach chen v’tachanunim | Spirit of favor/grace and pleas for mercy | 施恩叫人恳求的灵 | Critical | The Piercing of the One They Have Pierced | 12:10 | Same OT-灵 protocol as 4:6; mandatory note connecting to 圣灵ी (baseline Critical) and 恩典 (baseline Critical, shared root with 施恩). |
| mourning | מִסְפֵּד / mispēd | Wailing, lamentation | 悲哀 / 哀哭 (bēi’āi/āikū) | Low-Medium | The Piercing of the One They Have Pierced | 12:10-14 | Standard vocabulary; Hadad-Rimmon allusion needs a footnote, not translation risk mitigation. |
| house of David | בֵּית דָּוִד / beit David | House of David | 大卫家 (Dàwèi jiā) | High | Davidic Covenant; The Piercing… | 12:7-13:1 | Teach alongside baseline 大卫的后裔 (seed of David, High) as part of the same term cluster. |
| fountain | מָקוֹר / maqor | Spring, fountain | 泉源 (quányuán) | High | The Piercing of the One They Have Pierced; Restoration | 13:1 | Teach in direct sequence with 12:10 as its atoning consequence. |
| idols | עֲצַבִּים / atsabbim | Idols | 偶像 (ǒuxiàng) | Medium | (Purity of worship) | 13:2 | Contrast with exclusive worship of 神 (baseline Critical). |
| false prophets | (contextual) הַנְּבִיאִים / ha-nevi’im | False prophets | 假先知 (jiǎ xiānzhī) | Medium | (Purity of revelation) | 13:2-6 | Distinguish from baseline 先知 (Low) and from 算命先生 (fortune-teller). |
| refine (like silver/gold) | צָרַף / tsaraph | To refine, smelt | 试炼 / 炼净 (shìliàn/liànjìng) | High | Visions of Sovereign Plan; (proximity to Sanctification) | 13:9 | Must be God’s own refining action, NOT self-directed moral cultivation (echoing baseline sanctification caution against 修身/修炼). |
| covenant formula (“my people/my God”) | עַמִּי / אֱלֹהָי / ammi/Elohai | My people / my God | 我的百姓 / 我的神 | Medium | Restoration; Covenant | 13:9 | 我的神 reuses baseline 神 (Critical) with possessive marking exclusivity. |
| Day of the LORD | יוֹם־יְהוָה / yom YHWH | Day of YHWH | 耶和华的日子 (Yēhéhuá de rìzi) | High | Visions of Sovereign Plan; Eschatology | 14:1 | Must not be assimilated to cyclical dynastic historiography (治乱循环) or Buddhist millenarian expectation (弥勒, per baseline messianic_promise). |
| living waters | מַיִם חַיִּים / mayim chayim | Living water(s) | 活水 (huóshuǐ) | High | Restoration; (typological link to the Spirit) | 14:8 | Mandatory identical rendering to Gospel of John (John 4:10-14; 7:38-39, tied there to the Holy Spirit). |
| King over all the earth | מֶלֶךְ עַל־כָּל־הָאָרֶץ / melek al-kol-ha-aretz | King over all the earth | 全地的王 (quán dì de wáng) | Critical | The Coming Messianic King | 14:9 | Direct continuity with 9:9’s 王; must not be read through the Chinese imperial ideal of “ruler of all under heaven” (天下共主), per baseline kingdom_of_god caution. |
| the LORD is one, his name is one | יְהוָה אֶחָד וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד / YHWH echad u’shmo echad | YHWH is one, his name is one | 耶和华是独一的，他的名也是独一的 | Critical | God’s Zeal for Zion; (Monotheism) | 14:9 | Explicit rejection of folk-religious polytheistic pantheon; directly engages baseline god (神, Critical) ambiguity as a common noun. |
| Feast of Booths/Tabernacles | חַג הַסֻּכּוֹת / chag ha-sukkot | Festival of booths | 住棚节 (Zhùpéng Jié) | Medium | Kingdom Mission; Restoration | 14:16-19 | Avoid conceptual assimilation to Chinese harvest/lunar festivals with unrelated ancestral-veneration associations. |
| Holy to the LORD | קֹדֶשׁ לַיהוָה / qodesh la-YHWH | Holy to YHWH | 归耶和华为圣 (guī Yēhéhuá wéi shèng) | High | (Culmination of Sanctification/Holiness themes) | 14:20-21 | Built on baseline holy (圣洁, High); teach as everyday-life outworking of moral/relational set-apartness, not ritual/magical consecration. |
Chapters Confirmed Reviewed with No New Terms
All fourteen chapters of Zechariah contribute load-bearing terms as documented above; no chapter is silently omitted. Chapters 1-2, 7-8, and 10 introduce ethical/restoration vocabulary building on shared roots (covenant, peace, sin) rather than wholly new doctrinal categories, and are cross-referenced to the relevant baseline and Section B entries rather than duplicated.
This glossary is a Phase 1 deliverable. All Critical and High risk terms above require human theologian sign-off before promotion to translation_memory.json in Phase 1 Step 8, per the review routing defined in doctrine_risk_registry.json.
Critical Risk Terms
God
Approved rendering: 神
Transliteration: Shén
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 上帝, 天, 老天爷
Original: אֱלֹהִים / יְהוָה
Category: God
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE, reused exactly, no deviation permitted. Zechariah 14:9’s climactic monotheistic declaration (‘the LORD is one’) intensifies the baseline’s requirement that monotheism be made explicit, since 神 also functions as an ordinary common noun for any deity, spirit, or folk city-god in contemporary Mandarin usage. See also new entry ‘lord_yhwh’ (耶和华) for YHWH the personal covenant name, and ‘lord_is_one’ for the 14:9 capstone formula.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: 圣灵
Transliteration: Shènglíng
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: 祖灵, 灵
Original: רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ (conceptual; cf. unqualified רוּחַ in 4:6, 6:8, 12:10)
Category: God
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE, reused exactly. Zechariah’s Hebrew text itself refers to God’s Spirit without the explicit ‘holy’ qualifier at 4:6, 6:8, and 12:10 (CUV: 我的灵/耶和华的灵/施恩…的灵). See new entry ‘my_spirit_ot’ for the mandatory translator-note protocol required at every such OT occurrence to preserve Trinitarian continuity without contradicting this entry’s absolute ‘never 灵 alone’ rule.
Grace
Approved rendering: 恩典
Transliteration: ēndiǎn
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: 功德, 造化, 福气, 阴德
Original: חֵן
Category: Salvation
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE, reused exactly. Shares its root with Zechariah 12:10’s 施恩叫人恳求的灵 (‘spirit of grace and supplication’) — see new entry ‘spirit_of_grace_and_supplication’. NEVER use 功德/阴德; grace in 12:10 produces repentance, it is not produced by human ritual merit.
Righteousness
Approved rendering: 义
Transliteration: yì
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: 道德, 善行
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE, reused exactly. Zechariah 9:9 uses the related but distinct royal-character term 公义 (gōngyì) — see new entry ‘righteous_royal’. The two terms share a Hebrew root (צדק) but must never be silently conflated: this entry is the forensic status conferred on a believer; 公义 in 9:9 is the King’s own inherent character.
Salvation
Approved rendering: 救恩
Transliteration: jiùēn
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: 解脱, 超度, 得道
Original: יָשַׁע (cf. 8:7-8, 9:9, 9:16)
Category: Salvation
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE, reused exactly. Zechariah’s verbal restoration sense (8:7-8, ‘I will save my people’) uses 拯救; the core passage’s grammatically passive royal sense (9:9) uses the established CUV active gloss 施行拯救 — see new entry ‘salvation_verbal_royal’. NEVER 解脱 or 超度 in any Zechariah restoration context.
Messiah
Approved rendering: 基督
Transliteration: Jīdū
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Rejected alternatives: 弥勒, 救世主式泛称
Original: מָשִׁיחַ (conceptual; not directly named)
Category: Christology
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE, reused exactly. Not directly named in Zechariah’s pre-Christian text but conceptually behind the Branch (苗裔), king (王), and anointed-ones (受膏者) imagery at 3:8, 4:14, 6:12, 9:9. All messianic imagery must be taught in typological connection to 基督 without using the word itself anachronistically within the OT text. NEVER conflate with 弥勒 (Maitreya), a risk intensified by Zechariah 14’s Day-of-the-LORD eschatology.
Lord
Approved rendering: 主
Transliteration: zhǔ
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 主人, 老爷
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE, reused exactly. Every Zechariah occurrence of the new entry ‘king_messianic’ (王, 9:9; 14:9) must be explicitly taught in connection to this term so Christ’s kingship is received as exclusive divine Lordship, not an ordinary Mandate-of-Heaven-style dynastic office.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: 道成肉身
Transliteration: dào chéng ròushēn
Doctrine: Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: 化身, 转世, 下凡
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE, reused exactly. Zechariah 2:10-11’s promise to ‘dwell in your midst’ (see new entry ‘dwell_in_midst’) anticipates, but is NOT identical to, this doctrine; teach as covenantal dwelling-presence typologically pointing toward, not equated with, the unique Incarnation event.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: 神的儿子
Transliteration: Shén de érzi
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 天子, 神人
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE, reused exactly. The baseline’s forbidden substitution 天子 (‘Son of Heaven,’ the imperial title) is especially live throughout Zechariah’s king/dominion imagery (9:9-10, 14:9) and must be actively fenced out of every teaching note on 王 and 全地的王.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: 成圣
Transliteration: chéngshèng
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: 修身, 修炼
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE, reused exactly. Directly relevant to Zechariah 13:8-9’s refining of the remnant — see new entry ‘refine’ (试炼/炼净), which must be taught as God’s own purifying action, never self-directed moral cultivation, echoing this entry’s Neo-Confucian caution.
Lord Yhwh
Approved rendering: 耶和华
Transliteration: Yēhéhuá
Doctrine: God’s Zeal for Zion
Rejected alternatives: 上帝(as substitute for the Tetragrammaton), 神(unmarked substitution where the text specifically names YHWH)
Original: יְהוָה
Category: Divine Name
NEW TERM. Established CUV transliteration of the Tetragrammaton (יְהוָה), used far more frequently in Zechariah than the generic 神. Distinct from generic 神 (a common noun usable for any deity in folk religion) and from the NT title 主 (rendering κύριος). Must be used consistently for every occurrence of יהוה throughout all 14 chapters; substituting the generic 神 strips the text of its relational, personal covenant-name weight.
Righteous Royal
Approved rendering: 公义
Transliteration: gōngyì
Doctrine: The Coming Messianic King
Rejected alternatives: 义(bare, without clarifying note), 道德, 善行
Original: צַדִּיק
Category: Christology
NEW TERM. The coming King’s own righteous character and just rule (9:9), from the same Hebrew root (צדק) behind baseline 义. CUV renders this royal-character sense as 公义, not the baseline’s bare 义. Requires a mandatory clarifying note at every occurrence distinguishing (1) the King’s own inherent character from Confucian rectitude achieved through moral cultivation (公义/义 sit inside the Five Constant Virtues, 仁义礼智信), and (2) this royal-character sense from the baseline’s forensic imputed-righteousness sense conferred on a believer. Theologian review required at every occurrence.
Salvation Verbal Royal
Approved rendering: 施行拯救
Transliteration: shī xíng zhěngjiù
Doctrine: The Coming Messianic King
Rejected alternatives: 自救, 凭己力得救, 修成正果的义(cross-domain risk)
Original: נוֹשָׁע
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM. Grammatically passive Hebrew form (נוֹשָׁע) describing the King as saved/delivered/vindicated by God in 9:9; CUV renders this actively as the King ‘carrying out salvation,’ reversing the Hebrew’s grammatical voice. Mandatory translator note required at every occurrence explaining the passive/active tension, connecting to baseline 救恩, so the doctrine is taught as ‘the King is vindicated by God AND brings salvation to his people’ rather than ‘the King saves himself by his own effort’ (which would collide with the grace-vs-merit critical concern). Human theologian review required.
Zeal For Zion
Approved rendering: 心里极其火热 / 大发热心
Transliteration: xīnlǐ jíqí huǒrè / dà fā rèxīn
Doctrine: God’s Zeal for Zion
Rejected alternatives: 嫉妒, 忌妒
Original: קִנְאָה
Category: God
NEW TERM — anchor term of the whole ‘God’s Zeal for Zion’ doctrine (1:14; 8:2). NEVER render with 嫉妒 or 忌妒 — ordinary human envy, a moral vice in Chinese ethical vocabulary. CUV’s established ‘burning heart’ rendering avoids this collision and is REQUIRED. Human theologian review required at every occurrence — the single highest-priority false-friend risk in the entire book.
The Branch
Approved rendering: 苗裔
Transliteration: miáoyì
Doctrine: The Branch as Priest-King
Rejected alternatives: 后代, 子孙(generic descendant), 后裔(unqualified)
Original: צֶמַח
Category: Christology
NEW TERM. A fixed, technical prophetic-messianic title (cf. Isa 11:1; Jer 23:5) for the coming ideal Davidic priest-king, explicitly combining royal and priestly office (6:12-13). Must always be taught as a fixed technical messianic title referring to Christ’s Davidic royal-priestly office, never as a generic word for ‘descendant’ or ‘offshoot.’ No Chinese analogue exists for hereditary kingship fused with hereditary priesthood. Theologian review required at every occurrence (3:8; 6:12).
My Spirit Ot
Approved rendering: 我的灵 / 耶和华的灵
Transliteration: wǒ de líng / Yēhéhuá de líng
Doctrine: Holy Spirit Continuity (OT ‘My Spirit’ and NT 圣灵)
Rejected alternatives: 灵(bare, unqualified), 祖灵
Original: רוּחִי / רוּחַ יְהוָה
Category: God
NEW TERM. God’s own personal Spirit, referenced without an explicit ‘holy’ qualifier, empowering restoration (4:6; 6:8) and producing repentant grace-seeking (12:10). Direct interaction with the baseline’s absolute rule ‘NEVER use 灵 alone’ for the Holy Spirit. This package REQUIRES a mandatory translator note at every occurrence (4:6; 6:8; 12:10) explicitly identifying this Spirit with the NT’s 圣灵, since the possessive marking already distinguishes it from folk ancestral/nature spirits. Human theologian review required; do not approve without the note.
Shepherd Flock
Approved rendering: 牧人 / 羊群
Transliteration: mùrén / yángqún
Doctrine: Shepherd Motif and Christ Typology
Original: רָעָה / רֹעֶה — צֹאן
Category: Christology
NEW TERM. God’s personal, caring leadership of his people (10:2-3), contrasted with false shepherds (11:4-17), climaxing in the striking of the true shepherd (13:7), directly quoted by Jesus at his arrest (Matt 26:31). MANDATORY cross-book term-lock with the Gospel of John’s ‘good shepherd’ (好牧人, John 10) and Matthew 26:31’s citation of Zech 13:7 within this curriculum’s shared translation memory. Any divergence severs the dominical fulfillment citation.
Pierced
Approved rendering: 扎
Transliteration: zhā
Doctrine: The Piercing of the One They Have Pierced
Rejected alternatives: 刺伤(metaphorical softening)
Original: דָּקְרוּ (root דקר)
Category: Christology
NEW TERM. THE central term of the doctrine of the pierced one (12:10): ‘they will look on me, the one they have pierced,’ directly and explicitly quoted at the crucifixion (John 19:37) and echoed in Revelation 1:7. MANDATORY cross-book term-lock: must be rendered identically (扎) in both Zechariah 12:10 and John 19:37 within this curriculum’s shared translation memory; the doctrinal weight of the passage depends entirely on the reader recognizing the fulfillment citation. Human theologian review required at every occurrence. Zero tolerance for variation.
Spirit Of Grace And Supplication
Approved rendering: 施恩叫人恳求的灵
Transliteration: shī ēn jiào rén kěnqiú de líng
Doctrine: The Piercing of the One They Have Pierced
Rejected alternatives: 灵(bare)
Original: רוּחַ חֵן וְתַחֲנוּנִים
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM. The Spirit poured out on the house of David and Jerusalem producing grace-seeking repentance and earnest pleading, given in connection with recognizing the pierced one (12:10). Combines the two most sensitive risks in the book: the OT-灵 protocol (see ‘my_spirit_ot’) AND the grace/merit distinction (恩典 vs 功德). Mandatory dual translator note required: (1) identify with 圣灵; (2) reinforce that this grace-produced repentance is not a merit-earning human religious achievement. Human theologian review required at every occurrence.
Lord Is One
Approved rendering: 耶和华是独一的，他的名也是独一的
Transliteration: Yēhéhuá shì dúyī de, tā de míng yě shì dúyī de
Doctrine: Monotheism and Exclusive Worship
Original: יְהוָה אֶחָד וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד
Category: God
NEW TERM. The climactic monotheistic affirmation at the consummation of the book, echoing the Shema (Deut 6:4) — ‘the LORD will be one and his name one’ (14:9). Must be taught as an explicit rejection of the polytheistic folk-religious pantheon (multiple city gods, kitchen gods, ancestral spirits) still present in the target culture’s religious landscape — directly engaging the baseline’s flagged ambiguity of 神 as a common noun for any deity. Human theologian review required.
King Over All The Earth
Approved rendering: 全地的王
Transliteration: quán dì de wáng
Doctrine: The King’s Universal Reign (14:9 climax)
Rejected alternatives: 天下共主
Original: מֶלֶךְ עַל־כָּל־הָאָרֶץ
Category: Christology
NEW TERM. The climactic universal divine kingship established at the Day of the LORD (14:9), the ultimate fulfillment of the kingship announced at 9:9. Must be taught in direct continuity with the 王 entry at 9:9 and with baseline 神的国; must not be read through the Chinese imperial ideal of ‘ruler of all under heaven’ (天下共主). Human theologian review required.
High Risk Terms
Sin
Approved rendering: 罪
Transliteration: zuì
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: 报应, 罪犯式的罪
Original: חֵטְא / טֻמְאָה
Category: Sin
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE, reused exactly. Underlies Zechariah 13:1’s cleansing fountain (‘opened for sin and uncleanness’) and compounds 罪恶 (5:5-11, personified wickedness) and 罪孽 (3:4, iniquity removed from Joshua). Must be taught as moral offense against a personal God, not merely karmic bad-fortune consequence (报应) or ritual pollution removable by ceremony alone.
Covenant
Approved rendering: 约
Transliteration: yuē
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Rejected alternatives: 合同, 契约
Original: בְּרִית
Category: Covenant
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE, reused exactly. Root for new Zechariah compounds 立约的血 (9:11, ‘blood of the covenant’) and 我的百姓/我的神 (13:9, covenant formula). See new entries ‘blood_of_the_covenant’, ‘covenant_formula’, and ‘davidic_covenant_zechariah’.
Seed Of David
Approved rendering: 大卫的后裔
Transliteration: Dàwèi de hòuyì
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: זֶרַע דָּוִד (conceptual)
Category: Covenant
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE, reused exactly. Must be taught alongside the new Zechariah entry ‘house_of_david’ (大卫家) as part of a single Davidic-covenant term cluster; ensure consistent proper-name usage (大卫) throughout.
Holy
Approved rendering: 圣洁
Transliteration: shèngjié
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: 清净, 圣人般的
Original: קֹדֶשׁ
Category: Sanctification
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE, reused exactly. Root for new Zechariah compound 归耶和华为圣 (14:20-21, the book’s capstone image of total sanctified ordinary life) — see new entry ‘holy_to_the_lord’.
Law
Approved rendering: 律法
Transliteration: lǜfǎ
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: 礼, 道德规范, 法律
Original: תּוֹרָה (retained for cross-reference; not prominent in Zechariah)
Category: Covenant
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE, reused exactly for cross-curriculum consistency. Not a prominent standalone term in Zechariah itself, but retained since covenant-ethics passages (7:8-10) risk collapsing into the same Confucian 礼 (ritual propriety) danger the baseline flags.
King Messianic
Approved rendering: 王
Transliteration: wáng
Doctrine: The Coming Messianic King
Rejected alternatives: 天子, 君王(unqualified, without teaching link)
Original: מֶלֶךְ
Category: Christology
NEW TERM. The coming King announced to Zion (9:9), fulfilled in Christ’s Triumphal Entry (Matt 21:5; John 12:15) and consummated as universal King (14:9). Every occurrence must be explicitly connected in teaching notes to 主 (Critical) and 基督 (Critical) so Christ’s kingship is never received as an ordinary human/dynastic office. Never gloss with imperial-legitimacy vocabulary such as 天子.
Peace To The Nations
Approved rendering: 和平
Transliteration: hépíng
Doctrine: The Coming Messianic King
Rejected alternatives: 平安(in this geopolitical context), 安宁
Original: שָׁלוֹם (international sense)
Category: Kingdom
NEW TERM. The Messianic King’s proclamation of geopolitical peace to the nations (9:10), ending war rather than winning it by force. Must be strictly distinguished from baseline 平安 (personal/relational well-being with God and everyday greeting-blessing usage). Using 平安 here wrongly individualizes a corporate/geopolitical promise; using 和平 for personal peace with God (e.g. Romans 5:1) would wrongly politicize it. Teach both terms side by side with the distinction explicit.
Zion
Approved rendering: 锡安
Transliteration: Xī’ān
Doctrine: God’s Zeal for Zion
Original: צִיּוֹן
Category: Restoration
NEW TERM. Zion — the hill/city of Jerusalem, and by extension God’s covenant people, the object of God’s protective zeal. Low risk as a transliterated proper name, but the doctrinal freight attached to it (God’s zeal, indwelling, glory) is High. Ensure consistent use across all occurrences (1:14; 2:7-10; 8:2-3; 9:9, 13) for reader continuity.
Dwell In Midst
Approved rendering: 住在…中间
Transliteration: zhù zài…zhōngjiān
Doctrine: Restoration of Jerusalem and the Temple
Rejected alternatives: 道成肉身(as direct equivalence)
Original: שָׁכַנְתִּי בְתוֹכֵךְ
Category: Restoration
NEW TERM. God’s promise of personal, localized, abiding presence among his restored people (2:10-11). Must be taught as covenantal dwelling-presence anticipating, but NOT identical to, the unique Incarnation event (baseline 道成肉身, Critical). Avoid implying this text alone teaches the Incarnation directly. Theologian review required.
Angel Of The Lord
Approved rendering: 耶和华的使者
Transliteration: Yēhéhuá de shǐzhě
Doctrine: Angelic Mediation and Possible Christophany
Rejected alternatives: 天使(bare, generic), 仙, 神仙
Original: מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה
Category: Spiritual Beings
NEW TERM. A figure presiding over the heavenly courtroom scene with divine authority (3:1-6), historically read by many interpreters as a pre-incarnate Christophany. Must be distinguished from a generic angel (天使) and from folk deity-messengers/immortals (仙, 神仙). The possible Christophany connection must be taught carefully and non-dogmatically. Human theologian review required.
Four Winds Spirits
Approved rendering: 天的四风
Transliteration: tiān de sìfēng
Doctrine: Visions of God’s Sovereign Plan for His People
Rejected alternatives: 圣灵(misapplication of the shared root)
Original: רוּחוֹת הַשָּׁמָיִם
Category: Visions
NEW TERM. Four chariot-borne wind/spirit-agents patrolling the earth as instruments of God’s sovereign oversight (6:1-8). Shares the Hebrew root רוּחַ with ‘my Spirit’ (4:6) and ‘spirit of grace’ (12:10). Context-dependent disambiguation is mandatory: this passage denotes directional wind/patrol-agents, NOT the Holy Spirit.
Anointed Ones
Approved rendering: 受膏者
Transliteration: shòugāo zhě
Doctrine: The Coming Messianic King
Rejected alternatives: 基督(direct substitution)
Original: בְּנֵי הַיִּצְהָר
Category: Christology
NEW TERM. The two Spirit-empowered leaders (Zerubbabel and Joshua) standing beside the lampstand, typologically anticipating the ultimate Anointed One (4:14). Shares its root concept with baseline 基督 (from מָשִׁיחַ). Must be taught as two human, typological figures prefiguring the ultimate Anointed One, never as interchangeable with 基督 itself.
Cornerstone Tent Peg
Approved rendering: 房角石 / 橜子
Transliteration: fáng jiǎo shí / juézi
Doctrine: Visions of God’s Sovereign Plan for His People
Original: פִּנָּה / יָתֵד
Category: Christology
NEW TERM. Metaphors for stable, load-bearing leadership arising from Judah (10:4), anticipating Christ as the ultimate cornerstone (Eph 2:20; 1 Pet 2:6). Flag for cross-book consistency with any NT epistle translations in this curriculum group referencing Christ as cornerstone.
Blood Of The Covenant
Approved rendering: 立约的血
Transliteration: lìyuē de xuè
Doctrine: Covenant Blood Typology
Original: דָּם־בְּרִיתֵךְ
Category: Covenant
NEW TERM. Sacrificial covenant-ratifying blood securing release of exiled ‘prisoners’ from the waterless pit (9:11), echoing Exodus covenant blood and anticipating the New Covenant blood of Christ (Matt 26:28). Teach in typological continuity without over-collapsing this OT restoration promise’s historical particularity.
Davidic Covenant Zechariah
Approved rendering: 大卫之约
Transliteration: Dàwèi zhī yuē
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant (Zechariah)
Rejected alternatives: 天命
NEW TERM. The perpetual royal covenant promise to David’s line, underlying the Branch/king imagery throughout the book (3:8; 6:12-13; 9:9-10; 12:7-13:1). No directly analogous concept of a perpetual, unconditional royal covenant exists in Chinese dynastic tradition, where legitimacy rests on a revocable Mandate of Heaven (天命) rather than an unconditional promise to one line.
House Of David
Approved rendering: 大卫家
Transliteration: Dàwèi jiā
Doctrine: The Piercing of the One They Have Pierced
Original: בֵּית דָּוִד
Category: Covenant
NEW TERM. The Davidic royal line and household, which receives the Spirit of grace and mourns over the pierced one (12:7-13:1). Should be taught alongside baseline 大卫的后裔 as part of the same Davidic-covenant term cluster; ensure consistent proper-name usage (大卫) throughout.
Worthless Shepherd
Approved rendering: 无用的牧人
Transliteration: wúyòng de mùrén
Doctrine: Shepherd Motif and Christ Typology
Original: הָרֹעֶה הָאֱלִיל
Category: Christology
NEW TERM. A false, negligent leader who abandons the flock, contrasted with the true Shepherd-King (11:15-17). Reinforces the shepherd term-lock; must be taught with a deliberate contrast to the true Shepherd (10:2-3; John 10).
Thirty Pieces Of Silver
Approved rendering: 三十块钱
Transliteration: sānshí kuài qián
Doctrine: Betrayal Price Typology (Thirty Pieces of Silver)
Original: שְׁלֹשִׁים כֶּסֶף
Category: Christology
NEW TERM. The prophetic sign-wage thrown to the potter (11:12-13), explicitly fulfilled at Judas’s betrayal price (Matt 26:15; 27:3-10). MANDATORY cross-book term-lock: must be identical to the Matthew rendering in this curriculum’s shared translation memory; divergence severs the explicit fulfillment citation.
Potter
Approved rendering: 窑户
Transliteration: yáohù
Doctrine: Betrayal Price Typology (Thirty Pieces of Silver)
Original: הַיּוֹצֵר
Category: Christology
NEW TERM. Recipient of the thrown silver in the temple precinct (11:13), cited in Matt 27:10 with the ‘potter’s field’ tradition. Must match Matthew’s rendering for fulfillment-citation integrity.
Broken Staffs
Approved rendering: 荣美 / 联索
Transliteration: róngměi / liánsuǒ
Doctrine: Visions of God’s Sovereign Plan for His People
Original: נֹעַם / חֹבְלִים
Category: Visions
NEW TERM. Two symbolic shepherd’s staffs (‘Favor’ and ‘Union’), broken as enacted prophecy of collapsed covenant blessing and national unity (11:7-14). High explanatory-note requirement given the sign-act’s symbolic density; low risk of folk-religious collision but high risk of reader confusion without context.
Fountain
Approved rendering: 泉源
Transliteration: quányuán
Doctrine: Cleansing Fountain and Atonement
Original: מָקוֹר
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM. A cleansing fountain opened for the house of David and Jerusalem for sin and uncleanness (13:1), the direct atoning consequence of the piercing in 12:10. Must be taught in tight sequence immediately after 12:10 as its direct atoning consequence — not a generic renewal image, and not a ritual purification achievable through human ceremony.
Day Of The Lord
Approved rendering: 耶和华的日子
Transliteration: Yēhéhuá de rìzi
Doctrine: Day of the LORD / Eschatology
Rejected alternatives: 弥勒来临, 治乱循环式的日子
Original: יוֹם־יְהוָה
Category: Eschatology
NEW TERM. The decisive future day of God’s climactic judgment and salvation, establishing his universal reign (14:1-15). Must not be assimilated to the cyclical order-chaos-order pattern of Chinese dynastic historiography (治乱循环) nor to Chinese Buddhist millenarian expectation of Maitreya’s future age (弥勒). This is a single, linear, decisive divine intervention. Human theologian review required.
Holy To The Lord
Approved rendering: 归耶和华为圣
Transliteration: guī Yēhéhuá wéi shèng
Doctrine: Restoration of Jerusalem and the Temple
Rejected alternatives: 清净
Original: קֹדֶשׁ לַיהוָה
Category: Sanctification
NEW TERM. A consecration formula extended even to everyday objects (horse bells, cooking pots) in the eschatological Jerusalem, the capstone image of total sanctified ordinary life (14:20-21). Built on baseline 圣洁. Must be taught as the everyday-life outworking of moral/relational set-apartness for God, not a magical/ritual consecration achieved through ceremony (avoid assimilation to 清净-style ritual purity).
Refine
Approved rendering: 试炼 / 炼净
Transliteration: shìliàn / liànjìng
Doctrine: Refining of the Remnant
Rejected alternatives: 修身, 修炼
Original: צָרַף
Category: Sanctification
NEW TERM. God’s own metallurgical-refining action upon a purified remnant ‘as silver is refined,’ resulting in the covenant formula ‘my people/my God’ (13:9). Must be taught as God’s own refining/testing action upon his people (a form of purifying grace), NOT as self-directed moral cultivation (修身/修炼), directly echoing the baseline’s sanctification caution against Neo-Confucian self-cultivation into sagehood. Human theologian review recommended.
Living Waters
Approved rendering: 活水
Transliteration: huóshuǐ
Doctrine: Day of the LORD / Eschatology
NEW TERM. Eschatological renewal imagery, flowing out from Jerusalem in two directions (14:8), taken up by Jesus in John 4:10-14 and John 7:38-39 (where it is explicitly identified with the Holy Spirit). MANDATORY cross-book term-lock with the Gospel of John’s rendering in this curriculum’s shared translation memory.
Medium Risk Terms
Israel
Approved rendering: 以色列
Transliteration: Yǐsèliè
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: יִשְׂרָאֵל
Category: Covenant
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE, reused exactly. Implicit throughout Zechariah’s restoration promises as the covenant people addressed.
David
Approved rendering: 大卫
Transliteration: Dàwèi
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: דָּוִד
Category: Covenant
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE, reused exactly. Root for new Zechariah compound 大卫家 (‘house of David’, 12:7-13:1) — see new entry ‘house_of_david’. Occurs at 12:7, 12:10, 12:12, 13:1.
Glory
Approved rendering: 荣耀
Transliteration: róngyào
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: 面子, 光宗耀祖
Original: כָבוֹד
Category: God
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE, reused exactly. Zechariah 2:5 — God himself promised as Jerusalem’s glory. Avoid collapsing into 面子 or 光宗耀祖 as in the baseline.
Peace
Approved rendering: 平安
Transliteration: píng’ān
Doctrine: Peace with God
Rejected alternatives: 安宁, 平安符式的平安
Original: שָׁלוֹם (internal/communal sense)
Category: Salvation
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE, reused exactly, but STRICTLY FENCED in Zechariah to the personal/communal well-being sense only (8:12, 16, 19). Do NOT use for the international/geopolitical peace of 9:10 — see new entry ‘peace_to_the_nations’ (和平). Same underlying Hebrew word (shalom), different required Mandarin term depending on referent.
Prophecy
Approved rendering: 预言
Transliteration: yùyán
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: 算卦, 占卜
Original: (implicit throughout; fulfillment framework)
Category: Prophecy
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE, reused exactly. Undergirds Zechariah’s entire fulfillment structure. Distinct from 算卦/占卜 (I Ching-style divination); revelation from a personal God, not a fate-reading technique — highly relevant to Zechariah’s apocalyptic-symbolic night visions (chs. 1-6).
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: 神的国
Transliteration: Shén de guó
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Rejected alternatives: 天下, 王朝
Original: מַלְכוּת אֱלֹהִים (conceptual)
Category: Kingdom
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE, reused exactly. Conceptually behind Zechariah 9:10 (权柄, dominion) and 14:9 (全地的王). Avoid 天下/王朝 per baseline caution, intensified here by the Chinese imperial ‘ruler of all under heaven’ (天下共主) ideal.
Gentiles
Approved rendering: 外邦人
Transliteration: wàibāngrén
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: 夷人, 外国人
Original: גּוֹיִם (ethnic-religious contrast sense)
Category: Kingdom
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE, reused exactly. Kept conceptually DISTINCT from the new Zechariah entry ‘nations_political’ (列国/万国, 9:10; 8:22-23; 14:16-19), which denotes political entities/rulers rather than the ethnic-religious Pauline contrast category.
Nations Political
Approved rendering: 列国 / 万国
Transliteration: liè guó / wàn guó
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Rejected alternatives: 外邦人(in this political-entity context), 夷人
Original: גּוֹיִם (as rendered 列国/万国)
Category: Kingdom
NEW TERM. Political-geographic nations and their rulers, over whom the King’s peaceable rule extends (9:10; 8:22-23; 14:16-19). Distinct from baseline 外邦人 (an ethnic-religious ‘non-Jewish peoples’ category used in Pauline contrast with Israel). Do not use the two terms interchangeably without a clarifying note.
Dominion Rule
Approved rendering: 权柄
Transliteration: quánbǐng
Doctrine: The Coming Messianic King
Rejected alternatives: 天下, 王朝
Original: מָשְׁלוֹ
Category: Kingdom
NEW TERM. The King’s sovereign, universal dominion ‘from sea to sea…to the ends of the earth’ (9:10). Reinforces baseline 神的国; must not be framed as a this-worldly dynastic order.
Daughter Of Zion
Approved rendering: 锡安的民
Transliteration: Xī’ān de mín
Doctrine: The Coming Messianic King
Rejected alternatives: 锡安的女子/女儿(overly literal, register mismatch with CUV)
Original: בַּת־צִיּוֹן
Category: Restoration
NEW TERM. A Hebrew personification idiom addressing Zion/Jerusalem as a young woman, called to exult at her King’s arrival (9:9). CUV’s established dynamic collective-noun rendering (‘people of Zion’) loses the literal daughter-personification. Retain the CUV form for register consistency, but require a translator note recovering the personification imagery for teaching purposes, since it undergirds God’s Zeal for Zion.
Wall Of Fire
Approved rendering: 四围的火城
Transliteration: sìwéi de huǒchéng
Doctrine: God’s Zeal for Zion
Rejected alternatives: 护身符式的火, 符咒
Original: חוֹמַת אֵש
Category: Restoration
NEW TERM. God himself surrounding Jerusalem as a wall of fire, its true protection rather than physical fortifications (2:5). Distinguish from folk protective-fire/talisman imagery (ritual fire warding off evil spirits); this is God’s personal presence, not an impersonal protective charm.
Apple Of His Eye
Approved rendering: 眼中的瞳人
Transliteration: yǎnzhōng de tóngrén
Doctrine: God’s Zeal for Zion
Original: בְּבָבַת עֵינוֹ
Category: God
NEW TERM. Idiom for God’s most precious, carefully guarded object of tender care — his people (2:8). Ensure the idiom is not flattened into a generic ‘precious’ gloss that loses the vivid protective-intimacy image; connect explicitly to the zeal-for-Zion doctrinal category, not merely isolated poetic imagery.
Satan
Approved rendering: 撒但
Transliteration: Sādàn
Doctrine: Visions of God’s Sovereign Plan for His People
Rejected alternatives: 鬼, 恶灵(generic)
Original: הַשָּׂטָן
Category: Spiritual Beings
NEW TERM. The Accuser, a specific supernatural adversarial figure who stands to accuse Joshua the high priest before the angel of the LORD (3:1-2). Must be taught as a specific personal accusing being in a legal-courtroom scene, not conflated with the generic Chinese folk category of malevolent ghosts/spirits (鬼) or with Daoist demon-figures.
Lampstand
Approved rendering: 灯台
Transliteration: dēngtái
Doctrine: Restoration of Jerusalem and the Temple
Original: מְנוֹרָה
Category: Restoration
NEW TERM. Temple furnishing symbolizing God’s Spirit-empowered presence sustaining the temple’s rebuilding (4:2). Note cross-curriculum continuity with Revelation’s seven lampstands; lock rendering across the whole curriculum library.
Throne
Approved rendering: 宝座
Transliteration: bǎozuò
Doctrine: The Branch as Priest-King
Rejected alternatives: 龙椅
Original: כִּסֵּא
Category: Christology
NEW TERM. The Branch’s seat of royal-priestly rule (6:13), anticipating Christ’s eternal throne (Luke 1:32-33). Must not be limited to an earthly dynastic-seat reading analogous to the Chinese imperial throne (龙椅).
Crown
Approved rendering: 冠冕
Transliteration: guānmiǎn
Doctrine: The Branch as Priest-King
Original: עֲטָרָה
Category: Christology
NEW TERM. Royal/priestly headpiece placed on Joshua as an enacted prophecy pointing to the Branch (6:11-14). Standard term; ensure the sign-act nature (Joshua wears it as a living prophecy, not a permanent personal royal claim) is explained.
Curse
Approved rendering: 咒诅
Transliteration: zhòuzǔ
Doctrine: Visions of God’s Sovereign Plan for His People
Rejected alternatives: 符咒
Original: הָאָלָה
Category: Visions
NEW TERM. A solemn, divinely sanctioned judicial curse pronounced against covenant-breakers (5:1-4). Distinguish from folk curse-magic (符咒) practiced by human ritual specialists; this is God’s own judicial pronouncement, not a magical technique.
Wickedness Personified
Approved rendering: 罪恶
Transliteration: zuì’è
Doctrine: Visions of God’s Sovereign Plan for His People
Original: רִשְׁעָה
Category: Sin
NEW TERM. Personified wickedness confined in a basket and removed to Shinar, symbolizing the removal of corporate sin from the restored community (5:5-11). Ensure this personification is read as symbolic-visionary, not as teaching a literal female demon-figure.
Idols
Approved rendering: 偶像
Transliteration: ǒuxiàng
Doctrine: Rejection of Idolatry and False Prophecy
Original: עֲצַבִּים
Category: Sin
NEW TERM. Physical objects of false worship, cut off from the land alongside false prophets in the purified eschatological community (13:2). Must be taught in exclusive contrast to 神, given the active presence of idol/image veneration in Chinese folk temple practice.
False Prophets
Approved rendering: 假先知
Transliteration: jiǎ xiānzhī
Doctrine: Rejection of Idolatry and False Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: 算命先生
Original: הַנְּבִיאִים (contextually false)
Category: Prophecy
NEW TERM. Counterfeit spokespersons removed alongside idols in the purified community (13:2-6), contrasted with legitimate prophets. Built on baseline 先知; must be distinguished both from legitimate 先知 and from folk fortune-tellers (算命先生).
Justice
Approved rendering: 公平
Transliteration: gōngpíng
Doctrine: Covenant Ethics: Justice, Kindness, and Mercy
Rejected alternatives: 礼
Original: מִשְׁפָּט
Category: Ethics
NEW TERM. Substantive ethical justice and right judgment commanded within the covenant community (7:9; 8:16). Distinguish from baseline law’s caution against equating biblical law with Confucian 礼 (ritual propriety); this is substantive ethical justice, not social etiquette.
Chesed Kindness
Approved rendering: 慈爱
Transliteration: cí’ài
Doctrine: Covenant Ethics: Justice, Kindness, and Mercy
Rejected alternatives: 恩典(direct substitution)
Original: חֶסֶד
Category: Ethics
NEW TERM. Steadfast covenant love/loyalty commanded among God’s people, reflecting God’s own character (7:9). Distinguish from baseline 恩典 (God’s unmerited saving favor toward sinners); chesed is covenant-loyalty love exercised between covenant partners, including horizontally between people. Do not conflate the two terms.
Rachamim Mercy
Approved rendering: 怜悯
Transliteration: liánmǐn
Doctrine: Covenant Ethics: Justice, Kindness, and Mercy
Rejected alternatives: 慈悲
Original: רַחֲמִים
Category: Ethics
NEW TERM. Deep, visceral compassion, paired with chesed as the ethical heart of covenant community life (7:9). Distinguish from Buddhist compassion (慈悲), tied to detachment from suffering within a very different soteriological framework.
Emet Truth
Approved rendering: 诚实
Transliteration: chéngshí
Doctrine: Restoration of Jerusalem and the Temple
Original: אֱמֶת
Category: Ethics
NEW TERM. Personal and covenantal truthfulness/reliability; Jerusalem shall be called ‘the faithful city’ (8:3, 16, 19). Teach as a covenant characteristic of God and his restored people, not merely an individual ethical virtue disconnected from covenant identity.
Remnant
Approved rendering: 余民
Transliteration: yúmín
Doctrine: Universal Worship of the King
Original: שְׁאֵרִית
Category: Restoration
NEW TERM. The surviving covenant remnant, preserved as the seed of restoration and the nucleus drawing in the nations (8:6-12). Connects to baseline unity_of_jews_and_gentiles and mission_to_nations doctrines.
Prisoners Of Hope
Approved rendering: 有指望的被囚人
Transliteration: yǒu zhǐwàng de bèi qiú rén
Doctrine: Covenant Blood Typology
Original: אֲסִירֵי הַתִּקְוָה
Category: Restoration
NEW TERM. Exiles who, though captive, possess a God-given hope of restoration secured by the blood of the covenant (9:12). Standard descriptive rendering; low collision risk.
Gather Regather
Approved rendering: 招聚
Transliteration: zhāojù
Doctrine: Restoration of Jerusalem and the Temple
Original: קָבַץ
Category: Restoration
NEW TERM. God’s personal ingathering of scattered exiles from Egypt, Assyria, and beyond (10:6-10). Standard restoration term; low collision risk.
Covenant Formula
Approved rendering: 我的百姓 / 我的神
Transliteration: wǒ de bǎixìng / wǒ de Shén
Doctrine: Refining of the Remnant
Original: עַמִּי / אֱלֹהָי
Category: Covenant
NEW TERM. The classic covenant-relationship formula confirming the restored bond following the remnant’s refining (13:9). 我的神 reuses baseline 神 with possessive marking; ensure the exclusive covenant-relationship sense (not ‘a god among many gods’) is explicit given 神’s noted ambiguity as a common noun.
Feast Of Booths
Approved rendering: 住棚节
Transliteration: Zhùpéng Jié
Doctrine: Universal Worship of the King
Original: חַג הַסֻּכּוֹת
Category: Restoration
NEW TERM. Israel’s harvest pilgrimage festival, which surviving nations must keep in the eschaton as an act of universal worship of the King (14:16-19). Established CUV festival name; avoid conceptual assimilation to Chinese harvest/lunar festivals (e.g. Mid-Autumn Festival) carrying unrelated folk-religious and ancestral-veneration associations.
Return Repent
Approved rendering: 归向我
Transliteration: guī xiàng wǒ
Doctrine: Call to Covenant Return
Original: שׁוּבוּ
Category: Ethics
NEW TERM. Zechariah 1:3’s programmatic covenant-return call: ‘Return to me…and I will return to you.’ Must be taught as relational covenant turning initiated in response to grace, not ritual merit-making bargaining toward a deity for favor — avoid the functional analogue of folk-temple petitionary bargaining.
Low Risk Terms
Prophet
Approved rendering: 先知
Transliteration: xiānzhī
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: 算命先生
Original: נָבִיא
Category: Prophecy
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE, reused exactly. Root for new Zechariah compound 假先知 (‘false prophets’, 13:2-6) — see new entry ‘false_prophets’. Occurs at 1:1, 7:7, 8:9.
Zerubbabel
Approved rendering: 所罗巴伯
Transliteration: Suǒluóbābó
Doctrine: Restoration of Jerusalem and the Temple
Original: זְרֻבָּבֶל
Category: Restoration
NEW TERM. Davidic-descended governor of Judah, leading the temple rebuilding (4:6-10). Established CUV transliteration.
Joshua High Priest
Approved rendering: 约书亚（大祭司）
Transliteration: Yuēshūyà (dà jìsī)
Doctrine: Restoration of Jerusalem and the Temple
Original: יְהוֹשֻׁעַ
Category: Restoration
NEW TERM. The high priest crowned in a sign-act pointing to the Branch (3:1-9; 6:11). Same transliteration as Joshua son of Nun; require the contextual qualifier ‘（大祭司）’ to prevent reader confusion with the earlier conquest-era figure.
Fasting
Approved rendering: 禁食
Transliteration: jìnshí
Doctrine: Covenant Ethics: Justice, Kindness, and Mercy
Rejected alternatives: 斋戒
Original: צוֹם
Category: Ethics
NEW TERM. Ritual mourning/repentance practice, questioned and ultimately transformed into feasting (7:1-5; 8:19). Prefer 禁食 over 斋戒 (zhāijiè), which carries strong Buddhist/Daoist ritual-merit and purification connotations; 禁食 keeps the practice neutral, letting the text’s own critique of empty ritual do the theological work.
Mourning
Approved rendering: 悲哀 / 哀哭
Transliteration: bēi’āi / āikū
Doctrine: The Piercing of the One They Have Pierced
Rejected alternatives: 哭丧(ritual funerary wailing)
NEW TERM. Deep corporate mourning in response to recognizing the pierced one, likened to mourning at Hadad-Rimmon (12:10-14). Standard mourning vocabulary; brief cultural footnote should distinguish this repentant covenantal grief from ritual funerary practice (哭丧), but this is a low-priority explanatory note relative to the Critical items in this doctrine cluster.
Referenced passages