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[ERROR] No.18861592 [Reply] [Original]

Is it proper to translate God as Heaven in a language where Heaven is the singular being that created and controls the fates of all beings instead of a monotheistic God? Also assuming that the translated text isn't overly religious.

>> No.18861780

>>18861592
Are you talking about Chinese? If so, yes, it's proper, but you could also use the term "Lord of Heaven" (Tiānzhŭ).

>> No.18863300

>>18861592
In Classical Chinese, at least, I think 天 is often the most idiomatic translation of "God", yes.

>> No.18863310

>>18861592
no

>> No.18863417

>>18861592
It's a metonymy (or synecdoche).

>> No.18863449

>>18861592
If you are talking about Tian then no, it's not exactly the same concept as God, so such a translation will lead to misunderstanding.
It's what the 16-17th century missionaries did in their translations to try and make compatible traditional Chinese philosophy and Christianity and that didn't work.

>> No.18863461

>>18863300
No, God in Chinese is 上帝.
(Lit., "Lord above".)

That said, yes, originally (three thousand years ago) 天 was a picture of a large guy with a big head and literally meant 'God'.

>> No.18863483

>>18863461
I said in Classical Chinese, which is no more the same language as Mandarin than Latin is the same language as French. And I don't claim it always is; I agree in some contexts like explicitly discussing Christian theology 上帝 or 神 is an appropriate translation. (Though 上帝 was originally the name of a specific Chinese high deity, but that's mostly irrelevant now.) But if you're talking about a more general or metaphorical concept of God, like "God only knows" or "God help us" or "God does not play dice", I think 天 may be an appropriate translation.