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{{About|Chinese terminology for the God of the Abrahamic religions|the names of God in native Chinese traditions|Chinese gods and immortals|and|Chinese theology}}
{{Missing information|the Chinese name of [[Jesus]] and Chinese terms for Judaism|date=August 2022}}
In the Chinese [[Chinese folk religion|common religion]] and [[Chinese philosophy|philosophical schools]] the idea of the universal [[God]] has been expressed in a [[Chinese theology|variety of names and representations]], most notably as {{lang|zh|天}} ({{transliteration|zh|[[Tian|Tiān]]}}, "Heaven") and {{lang|zh|上帝}} ({{transliteration|zh|[[Shangdi|Shàngdì]]}}, "Highest Deity" or "Highest Emperor").

These two and other concepts have been variously combined, in diverse contexts, to form titles such as:
* {{transliteration|zh|Huáng Tiān Shàngdì}} ({{lang|zh|皇天上帝}}; {{transliteration|zh|Huáng}}, "Emperor" + {{transliteration|zh|Tiān + Shàngdì}})<ref>"huáng" in ''Collins Chinese Concise Dictionary'', Second Edition (2006), New York:  HarperCollins.</ref> or {{transliteration|zh|Xuán Tiān Shàngdì}} ({{lang|zh|玄天上帝}}; {{transliteration|zh|Xuán}}, "Deep" + {{transliteration|zh|Tiān + Shàngdì}})<ref>"xuán" in ''Collins Chinese Concise Dictionary, Second Edition'' (2006), New York:  HarperCollins.</ref>
* {{transliteration|zh|Shàngtiān}} ({{transliteration|zh|Shàng + Tiān}}, "Highest Heaven")<ref>"shàngtiān" under headword "shàng" in ''Collins Chinese Concise Dictionary'', Second Edition (2006), New York:  HarperCollins.</ref>
* {{transliteration|zh|Tiāntáng}} ({{transliteration|zh|Tiān + Táng}}, "Vault of Heaven").<ref>"tiāntáng" under headword "tiān", and "táng", in ''Collins Chinese Concise Dictionary'', Second Edition (2006), New York:  HarperCollins.</ref>

The compounds {{transliteration|zh|tiānshén}} ({{transliteration|zh|tiān}} + {{transliteration|zh|[[shen (Chinese religion)|shén]]}}, meaning "heavenly god")<ref>"god" in ''Collins Chinese Concise Dictionary'', Second Edition (2006), New York:  HarperCollins.</ref> and {{transliteration|zh|tiānxiān}} ({{transliteration|zh|tiān + xiān}}, meaning "heavenly immortal")<ref>"tiānxiān" under headword "tiān", and "xiān", in ''Collins Chinese Concise Dictionary'', Second Edition (2006), New York: HarperCollins.</ref> have been used for a deity, in a polytheistic sense. The word {{transliteration|zh|Dì}} by itself has likewise been used for God.<ref>"dì" in ''Collins Chinese Concise Dictionary'', Second Edition (2006), New York:  HarperCollins.</ref>

When [[Abrahamic religions]] penetrated [[China]], they appropriated some of the traditional titles, or created new compound titles, to express their theology.

==General uses==
Outside of direct translations in religious books, the following are often-encountered translations of the Abrahamic God in general usage.

===Nestorian Christianity===
{{main|Church of the East in China}}
The earliest introduction of documented Christian religion appears to be {{transliteration|zh|Jǐng jiào}} ({{lang|zh|景教}}, literally, "bright teaching") around 635 AD, whose proponents were [[Church of the East|Nestorian Christians]] from Persia. Their term for God was {{transliteration|zh|Zhēnzhǔ}} ({{lang|zh|真主}}, literally  "Veritable Majesty," "True Lord," or "Lord of Truth.").<ref>"Zhēnzhŭ", under headword "zhēn" in ''Collins Chinese Concise Dictionary'' (2005), Glasgow:  Collins.</ref> In a hymn supposed to be composed by [[Lü Dongbin]], the Christian God is denominated by the term {{transliteration|zh|Tiānzhǔ}} ({{lang|zh|天主}}, literally, "Lord of Heaven"), 800 years before Matteo Ricci and his companions.<ref>{{cite web|title=Jesus-Messiah of Xi'an|url=http://www.hsstudyc.org.hk/en/tripod_en/en_tripod_124_05.html|publisher=The Holy Spirit Study Centre|access-date=17 July 2014|location=Hong Kong}}</ref>

===Islam===
{{main|Islam in China}}
[[Islam]] has enjoyed a long history in China. For Chinese Muslims, the principal term for God is also {{transliteration|zh|Zhēnzhǔ}} ({{lang|zh|真主}}) but transliterations of the [[Arabic language|Arabic]] {{transliteration|ar|[[Allāh]]}} also exist as {{transliteration|zh|Ālā}} ({{lang|zh|阿拉}}), and as {{transliteration|zh|Ānlā}} ({{lang|zh|安拉}}; {{transliteration|zh|Ān}}, "Peace" + {{transliteration|zh|Lā}}, "Help").<ref>Cf. "ānjìng" "peaceful", under headword "ān", and "lā", in ''Collins Chinese Concise Dictionary'', Second Edition (2006), New York:  HarperCollins.</ref> The term {{transliteration|zh|Húdà}} ({{lang|zh|胡大}}), from the [[Persian language|Persian]] term for God, {{transliteration|fa|khudai}}, is seen more often in north-western China.

===Catholicism===
{{See also|Jesuit China missions}}
The earliest documented Chinese [[Roman Catholic]] church was founded in China in about 1289. The Roman Catholic Church historically favored {{transliteration|zh|[[Tianzhu (Chinese name of God)|Tiānzhǔ]]}} ({{lang|zh|天主}}, literally "Heavenly Lord" or "Lord of Heaven"), and so "Catholicism" is most commonly rendered {{transliteration|zh|[[Tianzhu jiaotu|Tiānzhǔ jiào]]}} ({{lang|zh|天主教}}; {{transliteration|zh|Tiānzhǔ}} + {{transliteration|zh|jiào}}, "teach"),<ref>"jiào" in ''Collins Chinese Dictionary, Second Edition'' (2006), New York:  HarperCollins.</ref> although among Chinese Catholics the literal translation of "catholic",<ref>As in the Creed ''Caput Firmiter'' from [[Fourth Council of the Lateran|Lateran IV]], ''Una vero est fidelium universalis Ecclesia'', in Henricius Denzinger and Ioannes Bapt. Umberg, SJ, edd., (1937), ''Enchiridion Symbolorum, Definitionum et Declarationum, de Rebus Fidei et Morum'',  Freiburg im Breisgau:   Herder, Canon 1, No. 430, p. 200.</ref> {{transliteration|zh|Gōng jiào}} ({{lang|zh|公教}}; {{transliteration|zh|gōng}}, "universal"<ref>Cf. "gōnglĭ" "universal truth" under headword "gōng" in ''Collins Chinese Concise Dictionary, Second Edition'' (2006), New York:  HarperCollins.</ref> + {{transliteration|zh|jiào}}), is also used.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sinocatholic.com/ |title=百家乐园-总统娱乐城,在线赌博游戏,百家乐现金开户_真人网络赌场_现金棋牌赌博网站 - 百家乐园 |accessdate=2013-02-15 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130622011756/http://sinocatholic.com/ |archivedate=2013-06-22 }}</ref> Korean and Vietnamese Catholics also use cognates of the term {{transliteration|zh|Tiānzhǔ}} for God. This appears to have been used by the Catholic Church to separate Confucian traditions, which were reported to worship spirits and therefore were incompatible with the exclusive biblical worship of God. Ironically, although versions of popular Confucianism became strongly associated with idol worship, traditionalists, notably the [[Kangxi Emperor]], did not believe that such idolization accurately reflected Confucius's intent;{{Citation needed|date=October 2008}} [[Matteo Ricci]] also considered Confucius to be a philosopher rather than the founder of a religion.<ref>[[Vincent Cronin]] (1955/2015), ''The Wise Man from the West'', San Francisco:  Ignatius, passim.</ref>

===Protestantism===
{{main|19th-century Protestant missions in China}}
The earliest [[Protestant]] missionary to China, [[Robert Morrison (missionary)|Robert Morrison]], arrived there in 1807. Before this time, Bibles were not printed for distribution.{{Citation needed|date=August 2019}} Protestantism is  colloquially referred to as {{transliteration|zh|Jīdū jìao}} ({{lang|zh|基督教}}, meaning "religion of Christ") but this term can sometimes refer to all Christians, so {{transliteration|zh|Xīnjìao}} ({{lang|zh|新教}}, literally, "new religion") is also used to distinguish Protestants as a group separate from Roman Catholics.  Their translators, coming to China later and separately, chose to use the older terminology {{transliteration|zh|[[Shangdi|Shàngdì]]}}, apparently believing {{transliteration|zh|Shàngdì}} was a valid or preferable representation of the "Most High God".

==Translations==
{{main|Chinese Bible Translations}}
A number of terms for "God" exist in the Christian [[Bible]]. For example, the first occurrence of a term for God in the Bible is in Genesis 1:1 and is rendered in the English as "God". However, many other titles (such as {{LORD}} – usually capitalized, as a replacement for the [[tetragrammaton]] – Almighty, etc.) are also used.

===God===
The term used commonly in Protestant Chinese bibles for God is {{transliteration|zh|Shén}} ({{lang|zh|神}}). This term is much more generic, meaning god, God, spirit, or soul. This probably appeals to groups{{which|date=August 2022}} who are not committed to interpreting the term {{transliteration|zh|Shàngdì}} as a historical or spiritual equivalent to the "God Most High" of the Bible.{{cn|date=August 2022}} The issue has remained controversial for over a century and Protestant organizations have published two versions of the Bible,{{which|date=August 2022}} using the two different words.

===Tetragrammaton===
In addition, the [[Tetragrammaton]], a four letter pronunciation of the name of God from the original Hebrew, often rendered as "YHWH", is rendered in different ways. Catholics have translated this into {{transliteration|zh|Yǎwēi}} ({{lang|zh|雅威}}, literally "Elegant Powerful," cf. English "[[Yahweh]]"). Protestants originally rendered it as {{transliteration|zh|Yéhuǒhuá}} ({{lang|zh|爺火華}}, literally "(old) Gentleman of Fiery Magnificence," cf. English "[[Yahweh|Jehovah]]"). A modern Protestant usage is {{transliteration|zh|Yēhéhuá}} ({{lang|zh|耶和華}}, a phonetic translation). Some versions translate this term as {{transliteration|zh|Shàngzhǔ}} ({{lang|zh|上主}}, literally "Lord Above"), similar to the translation decision that uses a capitalized "{{LORD}}" by both Catholics and traditional Protestants. Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans particularly use {{transliteration|zh|Shàngzhǔ}} in prayers of the [[Eucharist]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}}

===Lord===
The term {{transliteration|zh|Zhǔ}} ({{lang|zh|主}}, literally "Lord") is used by both Catholics and traditional Protestants in less formal prayers, and usually by contemporary Protestants.

Other less formal terms are used, for example, {{transliteration|zh|Tīanfù}} ({{lang|zh|天父}}, literally "Heavenly Father").

==See also==

* [[Christianity in China]]
** [[Catholicism in China]]
** [[Protestantism in China]]
** [[Chinese Rites controversy]]
** [[Chinese Christian theology]]
* [[History of the Jews in China]]
* [[Islam in China]]
* [[Tian]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041105092344/http://www.internationalbibles.com/catalog/bibles/publishers/abs/103830.htm Example] - notice how ''Shen'' and ''Shangti'' (''shangdi'') alternatives are offered at the top of the page.

{{Christianity and China}}
{{Names for God}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chinese Terms For God}}
[[Category:Names of God]]
[[Category:Christianity in China]]
[[Category:Chinese words and phrases]]
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