The Beatitudes (Gospel of Luke)
The Beatitudes are part of the teachings of Jesus, as recorded in the Christian Bible (New Testament), where he describes how people who are poor and suffering in this world will be blessed in the next, whereas those who derive their satisfaction from worldly riches and success are actually impoverished. There are two versions of the Beatitudes, in the gospels of Matthew (chapter 5) and Luke (chapter 6). The following passages are from Luke.
Contents
- Version 1 – Teochew recitation of Standard Written Chinese
- Version 2 – Teochew vernacular version (Jesus Film)
- Version 3 - Teochew vernacular version (Presbyterian 1892 translation)
Version 1 – Teochew recitation of Standard Written Chinese
The first version is a Teochew reading from the Chinese Union Version (CUV). The CUV, used by Protestant denominations, is in Vernacular Mandarin and was first published in 1919.
This is an example of how a text written in Standard Chinese or Literary Chinese is recited with Teochew pronunciations. This is very different from an actual translation into vernacular Teochew, which would also employ different vocabulary and syntax. Furthermore, many characters have different Teochew pronunciation depending on whether they are in the literary or vernacular usage (see “Pronunciation and orthography”); some examples of this are pointed out below. A more extreme analogy would be the practice of reciting Literary Chinese texts in their Japanese pronunciation (kanbun readings): it does not sound like Chinese, but is not at all “Japanese” either.
The Mandarin pronunciation (M) is also given below, and the English translation from the English Revised Version.
Source (this extract starts 6:23 from the end)
[T] ia¹¹ sou³³ kɯ²⁵ mak⁵ tʰõĩ²⁵ tieʔ² mɯŋ¹¹ tʰu³³ / sueʔ²
[T] Ia5(7)sou1 ge2(6)mag8 toin2(6)dieh4 meng5(7)tu1, suêh4:
[M] Yēsū jǔmù kànzhè méntú, shūo:
20 耶穌 舉目 看著 門徒， 說：
20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said,
lɯ²⁵ muŋ⁵⁵ pʰiŋ¹¹ kʰioŋ⁵⁵ ti³³ naŋ⁵⁵ u¹¹ hok² liou¹¹ / iŋ³³ ui¹¹ siŋ⁵⁵ ti³³ kok² si¹¹ lɯ²⁵ muŋ⁵⁵ ti³³
Le2(6)mung5 ping5(7)kiong5 di1 nang5 u6(7)-hog4 liou7! Ing1ui5(7) Sing5 di1 gog4 si6(7) le2(6)mung5 di1.
Nǐmén pínqíong de rén yǒufú le! Yīnwèi Shén de guó shì nǐmén de.
你們 貧窮 的 人 有福 了！ 因為 神 的 國 是 你們 的。
Blessed are ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.
Sing5 神 – Protestant Christians call God either Sing5 神 or Siang7ti3 上帝, whereas Catholics use Tieng1tsu2 天主.
lɯ²⁵ muŋ⁵⁵ ki³³ go¹¹ ti¹¹ naŋ⁵⁵ u¹¹ hok² liou¹¹ / iŋ³³ ui¹¹ lɯ²⁵ muŋ⁵⁵ tsiaŋ³³ ieu⁵² pa²⁵ tsok²
Le2(6)mung5 gi1gho7 di1 nang5 u6(7)-hog4 liou7! Ing1ui5(7) le2(6)mung5 ziang1iêu3(2) ba2(6)zog4.
Nǐmén jī’è de rén yǒufú le! Yīnwèi nǐmén jiāngyào bǎozú.
21你們 飢餓 的 人 有福 了！ 因為 你們 將要 飽足。
21 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled.
lɯ²⁵ muŋ⁵⁵ ai³³ kʰok² ti³³ naŋ⁵⁵ u¹¹ hok² liou¹¹ / iŋ³³ ui¹¹ lɯ²⁵ muŋ⁵⁵ tsiaŋ³³ ieu⁵² hi²⁵ tsʰie²¹³
Le2(6)mung5 ai1kog4 di1 nang5 u6(7)-hog4 liou7! Ing1ui5(7) le2(6)mung5 ziang1iêu3(2) hi2(6)ciê3.
Nǐmén āikū de rén yǒufú le! Yīnwèi nǐmén jiāngyào xǐxiào.
你們 哀哭 的 人 有福 了！ 因為 你們 將要 喜笑 。
Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.
naŋ⁵⁵ ui¹¹ ziŋ¹¹ tsɯ⁵² hɯŋ¹¹ u²¹³ lɯ²⁵ muŋ⁵⁵ / kɯ¹¹ tsoʔ² lɯ²⁵ muŋ⁵⁵ / zok² me¹¹ lɯ²⁵ muŋ⁵⁵ / kʰi²⁵ ui⁵⁵ si¹¹ ak² / lɯ²⁵ muŋ⁵⁵ tsiu¹¹ u¹¹ hok² liou¹¹
Nang5 ui5 ring5(7)ze2 heng6(7)u3 le2(6)mung5, ge6(7)zoh8(4) le2(6)mung5, rog8(4)mên7 le2(6)mung5, ki3(2)diêu7 le2(6)mung5 di1 mian5, i2(6)ui5 si6(7) ag4, le2(6)mung5 ziu6(7) u6(7)-hog4 liou7!
Rén wèi Rénzǐ hènwù nǐmén, jùjué nǐmén, rǔmà nǐmén, qìdiào nǐmén de míng, yǐwéi shì è, nǐmén jìu yǒufú le!
22人 為 人子 恨惡 你們， 拒絕 你們 ， 辱罵 你們， 棄掉 你們 的 名 ， 以為 是 惡 ， 你們 就 有福 了！
22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.
Zing7tseu2 人子 – “Son of Man”; literary pronunciation, compare the colloquial pronunciation nang7tsi2.
tɯŋ³³ na²⁵ zik⁵ / lɯ²⁵ muŋ⁵⁵ ieu⁵² hũã³³ hĩ⁵² tʰieu⁵² iak² / iŋ³³ ui¹¹ lɯ²⁵ muŋ⁵⁵ to¹¹ tĩ³³ tsĩẽ¹¹ ti¹¹ sĩẽ²⁵ sɯ¹¹ si¹¹ tai²⁵ ti³³
Deng1 na2(6)rig8, le2(6)mung5 iêu3(2) huan1hin2 tiêu3(2)iag4, ing1ui5(7) le2(6)mung5 do6(7) tin1tsiên6(7) di1 siên2(6)se7 si6(7) dai6-di1.
Dāng nàrì, nǐmén yào huānxǐ tiàoyuè, yīnwèi nǐmén zài tiānshàng de shǎngcì shì dà de.
23當 那日 ， 你們 要 歡喜 跳躍 ， 因為 你們 在 天上 的 賞賜 是 大 的。
23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy: for behold, your reward is great in heaven:
tai3 大 – Literary pronunciation; compare with vernacular tua7 below.
lɯ²⁵ muŋ⁵⁵ ti³³ tsou²⁵ tsoŋ³³ tʰai¹¹ sõĩ³³ tsai³³ ia¹¹ si¹¹ tse²⁵ ĩẽ¹¹
Le2(6)mung5 di1 zou2(6)zong1 tai6(7) soin1zai1 ia7si6(7) tsê2(6)iên7.
Tāmén de zhǔzōng dài xiānzhī yěshì zhèyàng.
他們 的 祖宗 待 先知 也是 這樣。
for in the same manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
Version 2 – Teochew vernacular version (Jesus Film)
The second Teochew version here comes from the Jesus Film project. This film on the life of Jesus, based quite closely on the gospel of Luke, has been translated into over a thousand languages, inadvertently making it a very useful linguistic resource.
Apart from a different choice of some vocabulary, this version uses more vernacular Teochew language. In particular, it uses native Teochew pronouns like ning2 恁 instead of Mandarin nǐmén 你們, kai5 個 instead of its Mandarin equivalent de 的 in several places, and tsie2ser1 照生 instead of Mandarin zhèyàng 這樣 to mean “in this manner”.
Nonetheless, the language is still heavily Mandarin-influenced. As a comparison with version 1, the Mandarin pronunciation is given in parallel, to illustrate how odd such a direct “translation” would sound.
Source: Teochew version of the Jesus film
N.B. The parts in parentheses are indistinctly spoken in the video.
[T] hɯ³³ sim³³ ti³³ naŋ⁵⁵ u¹¹ hok² liou¹¹ / siaŋ¹¹ ti²¹³ ti³³ kok² si¹¹ niŋ²⁵ kai⁵⁵
[T] He1sim1 di1 nang5 u6(7)hog4 liou7. Siang6(7)di3 di1 gog4 si6(7) ning2(6)-gai5.
[M] Xūxīn de rén yǒufú le. Shàngdì de guó shì rèn ge.
虛心 的 人 有福 了。 上帝 的 國 是 恁 個。
Ti1 的 - In vernacular Teochew, the word kai5 個 would be used instead.
ki³³ go¹¹ ti¹¹ naŋ⁵⁵ u¹¹ hok² liou¹¹ / niŋ⁵² pik⁵ tik⁵ pa²⁵ tsok²
Gi1gho7 di1 nang5 u6(7)-hog4 liou7. Ning2 big4(8)dig4(8) ba2(6)zog4.
Jī’è de rén yǒufú le. Rèn bìděi bǎozú.
飢餓 的 人 有福 了。 恁 必得 飽足。
ai³³ kʰok² ti³³ naŋ⁵⁵ u¹¹ hok² liou¹¹ / niŋ⁵² tsiaŋ³³ ieu⁵² hi²⁵ tsʰie²¹³
Ai1kog4 di1 nang5 u6(7)-hog4 liou7. Ning2 ziang1iêu3(2) hi2(6)ciê3.
Āikū de rén yǒufú le. Rèn jiāngyào xǐxiào.
哀哭 的 人 有福 了。 恁 將要 喜笑。
naŋ⁵⁵ zieʔ² iŋ³³ ua⁵² tsʰok² me¹¹ niŋ¹¹ / pek⁵ pek² niŋ¹¹ / kɯ¹¹ tsoh² niŋ¹¹ / (? ŋiak⁵ tsɯ³³ au²⁵ kie⁵² ui¹¹) mo²⁵ sɯ¹¹ lai¹¹ hũĩ²⁵ paŋ²⁵ niŋ¹¹ / niŋ⁵² tsiu¹¹ u¹¹ hok² liou¹¹
Nang5 riêh8(4) ing1 ua2 cog8(4)mên7 ning2(7), bêg4(8)bêg4 ning2(7), ge6(7)zoh8(4) ning2(7), (? ngiag4(8) ze1ao6 giê3(2)ui7) mo2(6)se7 lai5(7) huin2(6)bang2(6) ning2(7), ning2 ziu6(7) u6(7)-hog4 liou7.
Rén ruò yīn wǒ rùmà rèn, bīpò rèn, jùjué rèn, (? nuè zhīhòu jiàowéi) nāoshì lái huǐbàng rèn, rèn jìu yǒufú le.
人 若 因 我 辱罵 恁、逼迫 恁、拒絕 恁，（？虐 之後 叫為） 孬事 來 毀謗 恁， 恁 就 有福 了。
ua2 我 – This version has Jesus refer to himself in the first person, instead of using the term Zing7tseu2 人子 “Son of Man”.
(? tse²⁵ hue²⁵) tsie⁵² sẽ³³ sɯ¹¹ huek⁵ sẽ³³ si¹¹ iau²⁵ eŋ⁵² tɯŋ³³ hũã³³ hĩ⁵² kʰuai⁵² lak⁵
(? Tsê2(6)huê6) ziê3(2)sên1 se7 huêg4(8)sên1 si6(7)iao2(6) êng3(2)deng1 huan1hin2 kuai3(2)lag8.
(? Zhèhuí) zhàoshēng shì fāshēng shìyào yīngdāng huānxǐ kuàilè.
（？這會） 照生 事 發生 是要 應當 歡喜快樂。
iŋ³³ ui¹¹ niŋ⁵² to¹¹ tĩ³³ tsĩẽ¹¹ kai¹¹ sĩẽ²⁵ sɯ¹¹ si¹¹ tua¹¹ kai¹¹
Ing1ui5(7) ning2 do6(7) tin1tsiên6(7)-gai5(7) siên2(6)se7 si6(7) dua7-gai7.
Yīnwèi rèn zài tiānshàng ge shǎngsì shì dà ge.
因為 恁 在 天上 個 賞賜 是 大 個。
tua7 大 – Vernacular pronunciation, compare with literary tai3 above.
to¹¹ niŋ⁵² ĩ¹¹ tsõĩ⁵⁵ kai¹¹ sõĩ³³ tsai³³ / naŋ⁵⁵ si¹¹ tsie⁵² sẽ³³ pek⁵ pek² i³³ naŋ¹¹
Do6(7) ning2 in6(7)zoin5-gai5(7) soin1zai1, nang5 si6(7) ziê3(2)sên1 bêg4(8)bêg4 i1nang5(7).
Zài rèn yǐqián ge xiānzhī, rén shì zhàoshēng bīpò yīrén.
在 恁 以前 個 先知， 人 是 照生 逼迫 伊人。
Version 3 - Teochew vernacular version (Presbyterian 1892 translation)
In the 19th century, Christian missionaries from the West produced Bible translations into various Chinese regional languages. In the Teochew/Swatow region, the two main groups of Protestant missionaries were Presbyterians from Britain and Baptists from America. The Presbyterians published texts in romanized Teochew, whereas the Baptists published with Chinese characters adapted to Teochew usage. These represented two different attitudes on the best way to communicate to local populations (see Snow & Chen, 2015, for a more detailed history and discussion).
This text comes from the Presbyterian version of the four Gospels and Acts, published in 1892. A digitized version is available online.
[no translator given] (1892) Kiù-tsú Iâ-sou ki-tok kâi Sin-ieh Tshuân-tsṳ (Matthew to Acts: Swatow Dialect) Glasgow: British and Foreign Bible Society (digitized version)
A transcription of the original romanization is given in the first line, followed by modern Guangdong Pêng’im, then my own interpretation of the characters (the original did not use Chinese characters). In some cases, the original preserves an older pronunciation, e.g. /nin⁵²/ for 恁, which is pronounced /niŋ⁵²/ today. The Pêng’im version gives the modern pronunciation.
Iâ-sou kṳ́-ma̍k thóiⁿ I tsùaⁿ-kâi mn̂g-thû, chiũ tàⁿ,
Ia5(7)sou1 ge2(6)mag8 toin2(6) I1 zuan6(2)gai5(7) mng5(7)tu5, ziu6(7) dan3,
耶穌 舉目 睇 伊 全個 門徒， 就呾，
Nín phîn-khiông-nâng ũ hok, in-ũi Siãng-tì kok chiũ-sĩ so̍k nín.
ning2 ping5(7)kiong5(7)nang5 u6(7) hog4, ing1ui6(7) Siang6(7)di3 gog4 ziu6(7)si6(7) sog8(4) ning2.
恁 貧窮儂 有福， 因為 上帝 國 就是 數 恁。
Nín hīn-kim tóu khùn kâi nâng ũ hok: in-ũi nín chiang-àiⁿ pá-tsok.
Ning2 hing5(7)gim1 dou2(6)kung3-gai5(7) nang5 u6(7) hog4: ing1ui6(7) ning2 ziang1ain3(2) ba2(6)zog4.
恁 現今 肚困 個 儂 有福： 因為 恁 將愛 飽足。
Nín hīn-kim ai-khàu kâi nâng ũ hok, in-ũi nín chiang-àiⁿ hí-chhiè.
Ning2 hing5(7)gim1 ai1kao3 gai5(7) nang5 u6(7) hog4, ing1ui6(7) ning2 ziang1ain3(2) hi2(6)ciê3.
恁 現今 哀哭 個 儂 有福， 因為 恁 將愛 嘻笑。
Nâng ũi-tie̍h Jîn-tsṳ́ kâi uân-kù lóu-hṳ̃n nín, kṳ̃-tso̍h nín, uàn-mẽ nín, khì-tiāu nín-kâi-miâⁿ, chhin-chhiēⁿ ak-miâⁿ che̍k-iēⁿ, nín chiũ ũ hok.
Nang5 ui6-diêh8 Rin5(7)ze2-gai5(7) uang5(7)gu3(2) lou2(6)heng6(7) ning2, ge6(7)zoh8(4) ning2, uang3(2)mê6(7) ning2, ki3(2)diao7 ning2-gai5(7) mian5, cing1ciên7 ag4(8)mian5 zêg8(4)iên7, ning2 ziu6(7) u6(7)-hog4.
儂 為着 人子 個 緣故 惱恨 恁， 拒絕 恁， 冤罵 恁， 棄掉 恁個名， 親像 惡名 一樣， 恁 就 有福。
Tng hṳ́-jit tie̍h huaⁿ-hí, thiàu-bú: in-ũi tõ thiⁿ nín tit siéⁿ sĩ tũa;
Deng1 he2(6)rig4(8) diêh8 huan1hi2, tiao3(2)bhu2: ing1ui6(7) do6(7) tin1 ning2 dig4(8) siên2(6) si6(7) dua7;
當 許日 着 歡喜， 跳舞： 因為 在 天 恁 得 賞 是 大；
in-ũi in-kâi tsóu-pẽ khuán-thãi tsùaⁿ-kâi ké soiⁿ-tsai-nâng iā sī àn-chièⁿ-seⁿ.
ing1ui6(7) ing1-gai5(7) zou2(6)bê6 kuang3(2)tai6(7) zuan3-gai5(7) gê2(6) soin1zai1nang5 ia7 si6(7) ang3(2)ziên3(2)sên1.
因為 【伊儂】個 祖父 款待 賤個 各 先知儂 也是 按照生。