John Wu Ching-hsiung (1899-1986) was a native of Ningbo, Zhejiang, a renowned jurist who studied in Europe and the United States, and served as a professor of law at Soochow University, as a judge and the Acting President of the Shanghai Provisional Court, and as the Vice President of the Commission for the Drafting of the Constitution of the Republic of China, before becoming the Minister of the Republic of China to the Holy See. Wu has written extensively, not only on law but also on Chinese philosophy, and has also written his autobiography, Beyond East and West, in English. Wu was a devout Catholic and had a personal relationship with Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975). Wu began translating the the Psalms in 1938, and was encouraged by Chiang to translate the entire New Testament, which he corrected in his own handwriting. (…) John Wu Ching-hsiung’s translation of the Psalms (first draft in 1946, revised in 1975) was translated into Literary Chinese in the form of poetic rhyme, with attention paid to the style of writing. According to the content and mood of the different chapters of the original psalm, Wu chose Chinese poetic forms such as tetrameter, pentameter, heptameter [4, 5 or 7 syllables/Chinese characters per stanza], and the [less formal] Sao style, and sometimes more than two poetic forms were used in a single poem. (Source: Simon Wong)

John Wu Ching-hsiung himself talks about his celebrated and much-admired (though difficult-to-understand) translation in his aforementioned autobiography: (Click or tap here to see)

“Nothing could have been farther from my mind than to translate the Bible or any parts of it with a view to publishing it as an authorized version. I had rendered some of the Psalms into Chinese verse, but that was done as a part of my private devotion and as a literary hobby. When I was in Hongkong in 1938, I had come to know Madame H. H. Kung [Soong Ai-ling], and as she was deeply interested in the Bible, I gave her about a dozen pieces of my amateurish work just for her own enjoyment. What was my surprise when, the next time I saw her, she told me, “My sister [Soong Mei-ling] has written to say that the Generalissimo [Chiang Kai-shek] likes your translation of the Psalms very much, especially the first, the fifteenth, and the twenty-third, the Psalm of the Good Shepherd!”

“In the Autumn of 1940, when I was in Chungking, the Generalissimo invited me several times to lunch with him and expressed his appreciation of the few pieces that he had read. So I sent him some more. A few days later I received a letter from Madame Chiang [Soong Mei-ling], dated September 21, 1940, in which she said that they both liked my translation of the few Psalms I had sent them. ‘For many years,’ she wrote, ‘the Generalissimo has been wanting to have a really adequate and readable Wen-li (literary) translation of the Bible. He has never been able to find anyone who could undertake the matter.’ The letter ends up by saying that I should take up the job and that ‘the Generalissimo would gladly finance the undertaking of this work.’

“After some preliminary study of the commentaries, I started my work with the Psalms on January 6, 1943, the Feast of the Epiphany.

“I had three thousand years of Chinese literature to draw upon. The Chinese vocabulary for describing the beauties of nature is so rich that I seldom failed to find a word, a phrase, and sometimes even a whole line to fit the scene. But what makes such Psalms so unique is that they bring an intimate knowledge of the Creator to bear upon a loving observation of things of nature. I think one of the reasons why my translation is so well received by the Chinese scholars is that I have made the Psalms read like native poems written by a Chinese, who happens to be a Christian. Thus to my countrymen they are at once familiar and new — not so familiar as to be jejune, and not so new as to be bizarre. I did not publish it as a literal translation, but only as a paraphrase.

“To my greatest surprise, [my translation of the Psalms] sold like hot dogs. The popularity of that work was beyond my fondest dreams. Numberless papers and periodicals, irrespective of religion, published reviews too good to be true. I was very much tickled when I saw the opening verse of the first Psalm used as a headline on the front page of one of the non-religious dailies.”

A contemporary researcher (Lindblom 2021) mentions this about Wu’s translation: “Wu created a unique and personal work of sacred art that bears the imprint of his own admitted love and devotion, a landmark achievement comparable to Antoni Gaudi’s Basilica of the Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Spain. Although its use is still somewhat limited today, it continues to attract readers for the aforementioned qualities, and continues to be used in prayers and music by those who desire beauty and an authentic Chinese-sounding text that draws from China’s ancient traditions.”

The translation of Psalm 18 from the 1946 edition is in the so-called Sao style (even though it’s titled a Fu style poem) and the rhyme schemes are -ian and -ang (the 1946 edition did not have verse numbers either):

凱旋賦

中心愛主兮。我生命之源泉。 主乃我之磐石與堡壘兮。亦為我之恩保與所天。藏身之窟兮。禦敵之干。仰岑樓之崔嵬兮。視兵革而彌堅。 悲我身之遭厄兮。求恩主之矜憐。竟脫我於虎口兮。信慈惠之無邊。
殺氣氤氳兮纏身。狂濤氾濫兮驚魂。 幽冥之索綯重重。死地之羅網紛紛。 身陷艱險兮求主。竭聲向主兮呼籲。主聞吾音兮宮中。哀聲上達兮宸聰。
主發怒兮乾坤震。大地顫兮眾岳崩。 鼻騰烟兮口噴火。沙石爍兮草木焚。 天幕下垂兮主親降。足踏陰霾兮雲茫茫。 駕神駒而馳騁。鼓風翼而翱翔。 披重昏以為幔兮。假靉靆而為宮。 陰陽相薄而成雹兮。絳烟起於雲中。 顯至尊之赫赫兮。震天怒之隆隆。於是噓氣叱咤。冰炭俱落。 火箭四射。敵人傾覆。 地基暴露。江海成陸。 主乃引手而相援兮。濟吾身於狂流。 脫我於頑敵兮。救我於凶仇。 固知吾主之聖心兮。恆抑強而扶柔。我既惟主是怙兮。敵雖眾而何憂。 夫其解我之倒懸兮。為愛我之故。 備承溫燠兮。所以恤我之無辜。 心地光明兮手潔。遵主之道兮翼翼。未入歧途兮居安宅。 恆懷慈訓兮無愆忒。 樂心跡之雙清兮。愼聖目之所視。 感吾主之相酬兮。實無微而不至。
盛矣哉。雅瑋之為德也。以仁報仁。以直報直。 以正報正。而以逆報逆。 蓋謙者必蒙升。而驕者必見抑。 惟主一燃吾心之燈兮。而啟吾目之矇。 雖三軍之當前兮。吾亦有所恃而無恐。既有主為之扶翼兮。應能超踰敵人之城墉。 主道純兮主言粹。能倚主兮身無危。 微雅瑋兮誰主。微天主兮何怙。 主充我兮以力。使吾路兮安固。 健吾步兮如鹿。植吾身兮高處。 教吾手兮能戰。強吾臂兮能射。 賜我以衛身之盾。佑我以聖手之力。沐我以仁。浴我以澤。滋茂條暢。實憑主德。 所履恢恢兮其有餘。脚踏實地兮而無蹶。 追逐敵蹤兮彼其潰。不予殄滅兮誓不歸。 紛紛負傷兮倒於地。僵臥足下兮不復起。 嗟夫吾之能戰兮。非吾之力也。 克服眾仇兮。仗主之德也。敵人狼狽兮逃竄。仇人就戮兮無數。 呼人人不應。籲主主不顧。 被我痛擊而粉碎兮。如飄風之揚灰。被我委棄於道旁兮。如糞壤之成堆。
主既救我於眾民之背叛兮。又立我為萬國之君。作新民以事我兮。且非我素識之人。 蓋惟同聲而相應兮。聞吾道而祇遵。苟中情其悅服兮。雖異族而猶親。 彼必泯其町畦而去其圭角兮。兢兢然棄其險固而來賓。
頌曰。欽哉雅瑋。願爾萬歲。紆貴屈尊。作我藩衛。銘心鏤骨。永懷慈惠。 相我撥亂。安撫庶類。 脫我於凶逆。拯我於暴戾。保我於萬死。登我於大位。 敢不揄揚。布芳於世。敢不歌咏。宣主之美。 主賜凱旋。於彼之王。主以膏澤。被彼元良。寵祐大維。綏以寧康。來胤後嗣。榮祚無疆。

Transcription into Roman alphabet with the particle xī, that is characteristic for the Sao style, highlighted:

kǎi xuán fù

zhōng xīn ài zhǔ xī 。 wǒ shēng mìng zhī yuán quán 。 zhǔ nǎi wǒ zhī pán shí yǔ bǎo lěi xī 。 yì wéi wǒ zhī ēn bǎo yǔ suǒ tiān 。 cáng shēn zhī kū xī 。 yù dí zhī gān 。 yǎng cén lóu zhī cuī wéi xī 。 shì bīng gé ér mí jiān 。 bēi wǒ shēn zhī zāo è xī 。 qiú ēn zhǔ zhī jīn lián 。 jìng tuō wǒ yú hǔ kǒu xī 。 xìn cí huì zhī wú biān 。
shā qì yīn yūn xī chán shēn 。 kuáng tāo fàn làn xī jīng hún 。 yōu míng zhī suǒ táo zhòng zhòng 。 sǐ dì zhī luó wǎng fēn fēn 。 shēn xiàn jiān xiǎn xī qiú zhǔ 。 jié shēng xiàng zhǔ xī hū xū 。 zhǔ wén wú yīn xī gōng zhōng 。 āi shēng shàng dá xī chén cōng 。
zhǔ fā nù xī qián kūn zhèn 。 dà dì chàn xī zhòng yuè bēng 。 bí téng yān xī kǒu pēn huǒ 。 shā shí shuò xī cǎo mù fén 。 tiān mù xià chuí xī zhǔ qīn jiàng 。 zú tà yīn mái xī yún máng máng 。 jià shén jū ér chí chěng 。 gǔ fēng yì ér áo xiáng 。 pī zhòng hūn yǐ wéi màn xī 。 jiǎ guā chén ér wéi gōng 。 yīn yáng xiāng báo ér chéng báo xī 。 jiàng yān qǐ yú yún zhōng 。 xiǎn zhì zūn zhī hè hè xī 。 zhèn tiān nù zhī lóng lóng 。 yú shì xū qì chì zhà 。 bīng tàn jù luò 。 huǒ jiàn sì shè 。 dí rén qīng fù 。 dì jī bào lù 。 jiāng hǎi chéng lù 。 zhǔ nǎi yǐn shǒu ér xiāng yuán xī 。 jì wú shēn yú kuáng liú 。 tuō wǒ yú wán dí xī 。 jiù wǒ yú xiōng chóu 。 gù zhī wú zhǔ zhī shèng xīn xī 。 héng yì qiáng ér fú róu 。 wǒ jì wéi zhǔ shì hù xī 。 dí suī zhòng ér hé yōu 。 fū qí jiě wǒ zhī dǎo xuán xī 。 wéi ài wǒ zhī gù 。 bèi chéng wēn yù xī 。 suǒ yǐ xù wǒ zhī wú gū 。 xīn dì guāng míng xī shǒu jié 。 zūn zhǔ zhī dào xī yì yì 。 wèi rù qí tú xī jū ān zhái 。 héng huái cí xùn xī wú qiān tè 。 lè xīn jì zhī shuāng qīng xī 。 shèn shèng mù zhī suǒ shì 。 gǎn wú zhǔ zhī xiāng chóu xī 。 shí wú wēi ér bù zhì 。
shèng yǐ zāi 。 yǎ wěi zhī wéi dé yě 。 yǐ rén bào rén 。 yǐ zhí bào zhí 。 yǐ zhèng bào zhèng 。 ér yǐ nì bào nì 。 gài qiān zhě bì mēng shēng 。 ér jiāo zhě bì jiàn yì 。 wéi zhǔ yī rán wú xīn zhī dēng xī 。 ér qǐ wú mù zhī mēng 。 suī sān jūn zhī dāng qián xī 。 wú yì yǒu suǒ shì ér wú kǒng 。 jì yǒu zhǔ wéi zhī fú yì xī 。 yīng néng chāo yú dí rén zhī chéng yōng 。 zhǔ dào chún xī zhǔ yán cuì 。 néng yǐ zhǔ xī shēn wú wēi 。 wēi yǎ wěi xī shuí zhǔ 。 wēi tiān zhǔ xī hé hù 。 zhǔ chōng wǒ xī yǐ lì 。 shǐ wú lù xī ān gù 。 jiàn wú bù xī rú lù 。 zhí wú shēn xī gāo chǔ 。 jiào wú shǒu xī néng zhàn 。 qiáng wú bì xī néng shè 。 cì wǒ yǐ wèi shēn zhī dùn 。 yòu wǒ yǐ shèng shǒu zhī lì 。 mù wǒ yǐ rén 。 yù wǒ yǐ zé 。 zī mào tiáo chàng 。 shí píng zhǔ dé 。 suǒ lǚ huī huī xī qí yǒu yú 。 jiǎo tà shí dì xī ér wú jué 。 zhuī zhú dí zōng xī bǐ qí kuì 。 bù yú tiǎn miè xī shì bù guī 。 fēn fēn fù shāng xī dǎo yú dì 。 jiāng wò zú xià xī bù fù qǐ 。 jiē fū wú zhī néng zhàn xī 。 fēi wú zhī lì yě 。 kè fú zhòng chóu xī 。 zhàng zhǔ zhī dé yě 。 dí rén láng bèi xī táo cuàn 。 chóu rén jiù lù xī wú shù 。 hū rén rén bù yīng 。 xū zhǔ zhǔ bù gù 。 bèi wǒ tòng jī ér fěn suì xī 。 rú piāo fēng zhī yáng huī 。 bèi wǒ wěi qì yú dào páng xī 。 rú fèn rǎng zhī chéng duī 。
zhǔ jì jiù wǒ yú zhòng mín zhī bèi pàn xī 。 yòu lì wǒ wéi wàn guó zhī jūn 。 zuò xīn mín yǐ shì wǒ xī 。 qiě fēi wǒ sù shí zhī rén 。 gài wéi tóng shēng ér xiāng yīng xī 。 wén wú dào ér qí zūn 。 gǒu zhōng qíng qí yuè fú xī 。 suī yì zú ér yóu qīn 。 bǐ bì mǐn qí tǐng qí ér qù qí guī jiǎo xī 。 jīng jīng rán qì qí xiǎn gù ér lái bīn 。
sòng yuē 。 qīn zāi yǎ wěi 。 yuàn ěr wàn suì 。 yū guì qū zūn 。 zuò wǒ fān wèi 。 míng xīn lòu gǔ 。 yǒng huái cí huì 。 xiāng wǒ bō luàn 。 ān fǔ shù lèi 。 tuō wǒ yú xiōng nì 。 zhěng wǒ yú bào lì 。 bǎo wǒ yú wàn sǐ 。 dēng wǒ yú dà wèi 。 gǎn bù yú yáng 。 bù fāng yú shì 。 gǎn bù gē yǒng 。 xuān zhǔ zhī měi 。 zhǔ cì kǎi xuán 。 yú bǐ zhī wáng 。 zhǔ yǐ gāo zé 。 bèi bǐ yuán liáng 。 chǒng yòu dà wéi 。 suí yǐ níng kāng 。 lái yìn hòu sì 。 róng zuò wú jiāng

With thanks to Simon Wong.

John Wu Ching-hsiung (1899-1986) was a native of Ningbo, Zhejiang, a renowned jurist who studied in Europe and the United States, and served as a professor of law at Soochow University, as a judge and the Acting President of the Shanghai Provisional Court, and as the Vice President of the Commission for the Drafting of the Constitution of the Republic of China, before becoming the Minister of the Republic of China to the Holy See. Wu has written extensively, not only on law but also on Chinese philosophy, and has also written his autobiography, Beyond East and West, in English. Wu was a devout Catholic and had a personal relationship with Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975). Wu began translating the the Psalms in 1938, and was encouraged by Chiang to translate the entire New Testament, which he corrected in his own handwriting. (…) John Wu Ching-hsiung’s translation of the Psalms (first draft in 1946, revised in 1975) was translated into Literary Chinese in the form of poetic rhyme, with attention paid to the style of writing. According to the content and mood of the different chapters of the original psalm, Wu chose Chinese poetic forms such as tetrameter, pentameter, heptameter [4, 5 or 7 syllables/Chinese characters per stanza], and the [less formal] Sao style, and sometimes more than two poetic forms were used in a single poem. (Source: Simon Wong)

John Wu Ching-hsiung himself talks about his celebrated and much-admired (though difficult-to-understand) translation in his aforementioned autobiography: (Click or tap here to see)

“Nothing could have been farther from my mind than to translate the Bible or any parts of it with a view to publishing it as an authorized version. I had rendered some of the Psalms into Chinese verse, but that was done as a part of my private devotion and as a literary hobby. When I was in Hongkong in 1938, I had come to know Madame H. H. Kung [Soong Ai-ling], and as she was deeply interested in the Bible, I gave her about a dozen pieces of my amateurish work just for her own enjoyment. What was my surprise when, the next time I saw her, she told me, “My sister [Soong Mei-ling] has written to say that the Generalissimo [Chiang Kai-shek] likes your translation of the Psalms very much, especially the first, the fifteenth, and the twenty-third, the Psalm of the Good Shepherd!”

“In the Autumn of 1940, when I was in Chungking, the Generalissimo invited me several times to lunch with him and expressed his appreciation of the few pieces that he had read. So I sent him some more. A few days later I received a letter from Madame Chiang [Soong Mei-ling], dated September 21, 1940, in which she said that they both liked my translation of the few Psalms I had sent them. ‘For many years,’ she wrote, ‘the Generalissimo has been wanting to have a really adequate and readable Wen-li (literary) translation of the Bible. He has never been able to find anyone who could undertake the matter.’ The letter ends up by saying that I should take up the job and that ‘the Generalissimo would gladly finance the undertaking of this work.’

“After some preliminary study of the commentaries, I started my work with the Psalms on January 6, 1943, the Feast of the Epiphany.

“I had three thousand years of Chinese literature to draw upon. The Chinese vocabulary for describing the beauties of nature is so rich that I seldom failed to find a word, a phrase, and sometimes even a whole line to fit the scene. But what makes such Psalms so unique is that they bring an intimate knowledge of the Creator to bear upon a loving observation of things of nature. I think one of the reasons why my translation is so well received by the Chinese scholars is that I have made the Psalms read like native poems written by a Chinese, who happens to be a Christian. Thus to my countrymen they are at once familiar and new — not so familiar as to be jejune, and not so new as to be bizarre. I did not publish it as a literal translation, but only as a paraphrase.

“To my greatest surprise, [my translation of the Psalms] sold like hot dogs. The popularity of that work was beyond my fondest dreams. Numberless papers and periodicals, irrespective of religion, published reviews too good to be true. I was very much tickled when I saw the opening verse of the first Psalm used as a headline on the front page of one of the non-religious dailies.”

A contemporary researcher (Lindblom 2021) mentions this about Wu’s translation: “Wu created a unique and personal work of sacred art that bears the imprint of his own admitted love and devotion, a landmark achievement comparable to Antoni Gaudi’s Basilica of the Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Spain. Although its use is still somewhat limited today, it continues to attract readers for the aforementioned qualities, and continues to be used in prayers and music by those who desire beauty and an authentic Chinese-sounding text that draws from China’s ancient traditions.”

The translation of Psalm 8 from the 1946 edition is in pentameter with a rhyme scheme based on -ang (the 1946 edition did not have verse numbers either):

萬物之靈

我主在天上。聖名天下揚。諸天現光彩。妙手運陰陽。 卻從赤子口。認出救世王。童蒙識玄機。靈證微而臧。直使諸悖逆。不得再鼓簧。
靜觀宇宙內。氣象何輝煌。瑞景燦中天。星月耀靈光。 巨細莫不備。條理益彰彰。人類處其中。碌碌無所長。乃蒙主拔擢。聖眷迥異常。 使為萬物靈。天神相頡頏。皆自土中生。冠冕獨堂堂。 萬物供驅使。取之如探囊。 空中有飛鳥。地上有牛羊。 尚有魚鱗族。優游水中央。悉歸人掌管。樂此無盡藏。 飲水須思源。殊恩豈可忘。但願大地上。聖名萬古芳。

Transcription into Roman alphabet with rhymes highlighted:

wàn wù zhī líng

wǒ zhǔ zài tiān shàng 。 shèng míng tiān xià yáng 。 zhū tiān xiàn guāng cǎi 。 miào shǒu yùn yīn yáng 。 què cóng chì zǐ kǒu 。 rèn chū jiù shì wáng 。 tóng mēng shí xuán jī 。 líng zhèng wēi ér zāng 。 zhí shǐ zhū bèi nì 。 bù dé zài gǔ huáng 。
jìng guān yǔ zhòu nèi 。 qì xiàng hé huī huáng 。 ruì jǐng càn zhōng tiān 。 xīng yuè yào líng guāng 。 jù xì mò bù bèi 。 tiáo lǐ yì zhāng zhāng 。 rén lèi chǔ qí zhōng 。 lù lù wú suǒ cháng 。 nǎi mēng zhǔ bá zhuó 。 shèng juàn jiǒng yì cháng 。 shǐ wéi wàn wù líng 。 tiān shén xiāng jié háng 。 jiē zì tǔ zhōng shēng 。 guān miǎn dú táng táng 。 wàn wù gōng qū shǐ 。 qǔ zhī rú tàn náng 。 kōng zhōng yǒu fēi niǎo 。 dì shàng yǒu niú yáng 。 shàng yǒu yú lín zú 。 yōu yóu shuǐ zhōng yāng 。 xī guī rén zhǎng guǎn 。 lè cǐ wú jìn cáng 。 yǐn shuǐ xū sī yuán 。 shū ēn qǐ kě wàng 。 dàn yuàn dà dì shàng 。 shèng míng wàn gǔ fāng 。

With thanks to Simon Wong

John Wu Ching-hsiung (1899-1986) was a native of Ningbo, Zhejiang, a renowned jurist who studied in Europe and the United States, and served as a professor of law at Soochow University, as a judge and the Acting President of the Shanghai Provisional Court, and as the Vice President of the Commission for the Drafting of the Constitution of the Republic of China, before becoming the Minister of the Republic of China to the Holy See. Wu has written extensively, not only on law but also on Chinese philosophy, and has also written his autobiography, Beyond East and West, in English. Wu was a devout Catholic and had a personal relationship with Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975). Wu began translating the the Psalms in 1938, and was encouraged by Chiang to translate the entire New Testament, which he corrected in his own handwriting. (…) John Wu Ching-hsiung’s translation of the Psalms (first draft in 1946, revised in 1975) was translated into Literary Chinese in the form of poetic rhyme, with attention paid to the style of writing. According to the content and mood of the different chapters of the original psalm, Wu chose Chinese poetic forms such as tetrameter, pentameter, heptameter [4, 5 or 7 syllables/Chinese characters per stanza], and the [less formal] Sao style, and sometimes more than two poetic forms were used in a single poem. (Source: Simon Wong)

John Wu Ching-hsiung himself talks about his celebrated and much-admired (though difficult-to-understand) translation in his aforementioned autobiography: (Click or tap here to see)

“Nothing could have been farther from my mind than to translate the Bible or any parts of it with a view to publishing it as an authorized version. I had rendered some of the Psalms into Chinese verse, but that was done as a part of my private devotion and as a literary hobby. When I was in Hongkong in 1938, I had come to know Madame H. H. Kung [Soong Ai-ling], and as she was deeply interested in the Bible, I gave her about a dozen pieces of my amateurish work just for her own enjoyment. What was my surprise when, the next time I saw her, she told me, “My sister [Soong Mei-ling] has written to say that the Generalissimo [Chiang Kai-shek] likes your translation of the Psalms very much, especially the first, the fifteenth, and the twenty-third, the Psalm of the Good Shepherd!”

“In the Autumn of 1940, when I was in Chungking, the Generalissimo invited me several times to lunch with him and expressed his appreciation of the few pieces that he had read. So I sent him some more. A few days later I received a letter from Madame Chiang [Soong Mei-ling], dated September 21, 1940, in which she said that they both liked my translation of the few Psalms I had sent them. ‘For many years,’ she wrote, ‘the Generalissimo has been wanting to have a really adequate and readable Wen-li (literary) translation of the Bible. He has never been able to find anyone who could undertake the matter.’ The letter ends up by saying that I should take up the job and that ‘the Generalissimo would gladly finance the undertaking of this work.’

“After some preliminary study of the commentaries, I started my work with the Psalms on January 6, 1943, the Feast of the Epiphany.

“I had three thousand years of Chinese literature to draw upon. The Chinese vocabulary for describing the beauties of nature is so rich that I seldom failed to find a word, a phrase, and sometimes even a whole line to fit the scene. But what makes such Psalms so unique is that they bring an intimate knowledge of the Creator to bear upon a loving observation of things of nature. I think one of the reasons why my translation is so well received by the Chinese scholars is that I have made the Psalms read like native poems written by a Chinese, who happens to be a Christian. Thus to my countrymen they are at once familiar and new — not so familiar as to be jejune, and not so new as to be bizarre. I did not publish it as a literal translation, but only as a paraphrase.

“To my greatest surprise, [my translation of the Psalms] sold like hot dogs. The popularity of that work was beyond my fondest dreams. Numberless papers and periodicals, irrespective of religion, published reviews too good to be true. I was very much tickled when I saw the opening verse of the first Psalm used as a headline on the front page of one of the non-religious dailies.”

A contemporary researcher (Lindblom 2021) mentions this about Wu’s translation: “Wu created a unique and personal work of sacred art that bears the imprint of his own admitted love and devotion, a landmark achievement comparable to Antoni Gaudi’s Basilica of the Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Spain. Although its use is still somewhat limited today, it continues to attract readers for the aforementioned qualities, and continues to be used in prayers and music by those who desire beauty and an authentic Chinese-sounding text that draws from China’s ancient traditions.”

The translation of Psalm 19 from the 1946 edition is in pentameter and the rhyme schemes are -ong, -ang, and -i and (the 1946 edition did not have verse numbers either):

乾坤與妙法

乾坤揭主榮。碧穹布化工。 朝朝宣宏旨。夜夜傳微衷。 默默無一語。教在不言中。 周行遍大地。妙音送長風。
晨曦發帝鄉。丰采似玉郎。洋洋溢喜氣。逍遙出洞房。 天行一何健。六合任翱翔。普照無私曲。萬物被其光。
妙法洵全美。我魂得歸依。靈證洵萬確。童蒙識玄機。 玉律豈有瑕。祇守心自怡。聖典何皎潔。悅目驚新奇。 天威分明在。萬古永不移。神斷剖黑白。陰隲定是非。 價值邁金石。滋味勝蜜飴。 小子知趨避。福祿盡在茲。 誰能悟其愆。惟主濯其疵。 但願遠罪戾。庶免染塵緇。或可無大過。心口莫睽違。 我是遊蕩子。願父贖我歸。永不離膝下。朝暮相追隨。

Transcription into Roman alphabet with the rhyme schemes highlighted:

qián kūn yǔ miào fǎ

qián kūn jiē zhǔ róng 。 bì qióng bù huà gōng 。 zhāo zhāo xuān hóng zhǐ 。 yè yè chuán wēi zhōng 。 mò mò wú yī yǔ 。 jiào zài bù yán zhōng 。 zhōu xíng biàn dà dì 。 miào yīn sòng cháng fēng 。
chén xī fā dì xiāng 。 fēng cǎi sì yù láng 。 yáng yáng yì xǐ qì 。 xiāo yáo chū dòng fáng 。 tiān xíng yī hé jiàn 。 liù hé rèn áo xiáng 。 pǔ zhào wú sī qū 。 wàn wù bèi qí guāng 。
miào fǎ xún quán měi 。 wǒ hún dé guī yī 。 líng zhèng xún wàn què 。 tóng mēng shí xuán jī 。 yù lǜ qǐ yǒu xiá 。 qí shǒu xīn zì yí 。 shèng diǎn hé jiǎo jié 。 yuè mù jīng xīn qí 。 tiān wēi fēn míng zài 。 wàn gǔ yǒng bù yí 。 shén duàn pōu hēi bái 。 yīn cí dìng shì fēi 。 jià zhí mài jīn shí 。 zī wèi shèng mì yí 。 xiǎo zǐ zhī qū bì 。 fú lù jìn zài zī 。 shuí néng wù qí qiān 。 wéi zhǔ zhuó qí cī 。 dàn yuàn yuǎn zuì lì 。 shù miǎn rǎn chén zī 。 huò kě wú dà guò 。 xīn kǒu mò kuí wéi 。 wǒ shì yóu dàng zǐ 。 yuàn fù shú wǒ guī 。 yǒng bù lí xī xià 。 zhāo mù xiāng zhuī suí 。

With thanks to Simon Wong.

John Wu Ching-hsiung (1899-1986) was a native of Ningbo, Zhejiang, a renowned jurist who studied in Europe and the United States, and served as a professor of law at Soochow University, as a judge and the Acting President of the Shanghai Provisional Court, and as the Vice President of the Commission for the Drafting of the Constitution of the Republic of China, before becoming the Minister of the Republic of China to the Holy See. Wu has written extensively, not only on law but also on Chinese philosophy, and has also written his autobiography, Beyond East and West, in English. Wu was a devout Catholic and had a personal relationship with Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975). Wu began translating the the Psalms in 1938, and was encouraged by Chiang to translate the entire New Testament, which he corrected in his own handwriting. (…) John Wu Ching-hsiung’s translation of the Psalms (first draft in 1946, revised in 1975) was translated into Literary Chinese in the form of poetic rhyme, with attention paid to the style of writing. According to the content and mood of the different chapters of the original psalm, Wu chose Chinese poetic forms such as tetrameter, pentameter, heptameter [4, 5 or 7 syllables/Chinese characters per stanza], and the [less formal] Sao style, and sometimes more than two poetic forms were used in a single poem. (Source: Simon Wong)

John Wu Ching-hsiung himself talks about his celebrated and much-admired (though difficult-to-understand) translation in his aforementioned autobiography: (Click or tap here to see)

“Nothing could have been farther from my mind than to translate the Bible or any parts of it with a view to publishing it as an authorized version. I had rendered some of the Psalms into Chinese verse, but that was done as a part of my private devotion and as a literary hobby. When I was in Hongkong in 1938, I had come to know Madame H. H. Kung [Soong Ai-ling], and as she was deeply interested in the Bible, I gave her about a dozen pieces of my amateurish work just for her own enjoyment. What was my surprise when, the next time I saw her, she told me, “My sister [Soong Mei-ling] has written to say that the Generalissimo [Chiang Kai-shek] likes your translation of the Psalms very much, especially the first, the fifteenth, and the twenty-third, the Psalm of the Good Shepherd!”

“In the Autumn of 1940, when I was in Chungking, the Generalissimo invited me several times to lunch with him and expressed his appreciation of the few pieces that he had read. So I sent him some more. A few days later I received a letter from Madame Chiang [Soong Mei-ling], dated September 21, 1940, in which she said that they both liked my translation of the few Psalms I had sent them. ‘For many years,’ she wrote, ‘the Generalissimo has been wanting to have a really adequate and readable Wen-li (literary) translation of the Bible. He has never been able to find anyone who could undertake the matter.’ The letter ends up by saying that I should take up the job and that ‘the Generalissimo would gladly finance the undertaking of this work.’

“After some preliminary study of the commentaries, I started my work with the Psalms on January 6, 1943, the Feast of the Epiphany.

“I had three thousand years of Chinese literature to draw upon. The Chinese vocabulary for describing the beauties of nature is so rich that I seldom failed to find a word, a phrase, and sometimes even a whole line to fit the scene. But what makes such Psalms so unique is that they bring an intimate knowledge of the Creator to bear upon a loving observation of things of nature. I think one of the reasons why my translation is so well received by the Chinese scholars is that I have made the Psalms read like native poems written by a Chinese, who happens to be a Christian. Thus to my countrymen they are at once familiar and new — not so familiar as to be jejune, and not so new as to be bizarre. I did not publish it as a literal translation, but only as a paraphrase.

“To my greatest surprise, [my translation of the Psalms] sold like hot dogs. The popularity of that work was beyond my fondest dreams. Numberless papers and periodicals, irrespective of religion, published reviews too good to be true. I was very much tickled when I saw the opening verse of the first Psalm used as a headline on the front page of one of the non-religious dailies.”

A contemporary researcher (Lindblom 2021) mentions this about Wu’s translation: “Wu created a unique and personal work of sacred art that bears the imprint of his own admitted love and devotion, a landmark achievement comparable to Antoni Gaudi’s Basilica of the Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Spain. Although its use is still somewhat limited today, it continues to attract readers for the aforementioned qualities, and continues to be used in prayers and music by those who desire beauty and an authentic Chinese-sounding text that draws from China’s ancient traditions.”

The translation of Psalm 10 from the 1946 edition is in pentameter and the rhyme scheme is -ong (the 1946 edition did not have verse numbers either and underlined proper names):

預祝勝利

惟願主雅瑋。眷爾患難中。惟願雅谷主。聖名保爾躬。 願主自聖殿。錫爾恩寵隆。願主自聖山。錫爾福履充。 念爾禋祀勤。悅爾燔祭豐。 心願悉獲償。謀為皆成功。 行見爾凱旋。萬民喜氣沖。會當樹長旌。共慶主名崇。 願主成爾志。使爾樂融融。固知受命王。酣暢主春風。主在諸天上。安然居九重。援爾以右手。帝力寧有窮。 徒誇車馬力。敵人何夢夢。吾人恃主名。不與彼人同。 彼皆仆在地。我立猶挺胸。 惟願主雅瑋。保王徹始終。聽我此日禱。鑒我區區衷。

Transcription into Roman alphabet with the rhyme scheme highlighted:

yù zhù shèng lì

wéi yuàn zhǔ yǎ wěi 。 juàn ěr huàn nán zhōng 。 wéi yuàn yǎ gǔ zhǔ 。 shèng míng bǎo ěr gōng 。 yuàn zhǔ zì shèng diàn 。 xī ěr ēn chǒng lóng 。 yuàn zhǔ zì shèng shān 。 xī ěr fú lǚ chōng 。 niàn ěr yīn sì qín 。 yuè ěr fán jì fēng 。 xīn yuàn xī huò cháng 。 móu wéi jiē chéng gōng 。 xíng jiàn ěr kǎi xuán 。 wàn mín xǐ qì chōng 。 huì dāng shù cháng jīng 。 gòng qìng zhǔ míng chóng 。 yuàn zhǔ chéng ěr zhì 。 shǐ ěr lè róng róng 。 gù zhī shòu mìng wáng 。 hān chàng zhǔ chūn fēng 。 zhǔ zài zhū tiān shàng 。 ān rán jū jiǔ zhòng 。 yuán ěr yǐ yòu shǒu 。 dì lì níng yǒu qióng 。 tú kuā chē mǎ lì 。 dí rén hé mèng mèng 。 wú rén shì zhǔ míng 。 bù yǔ bǐ rén tóng 。 bǐ jiē pū zài dì 。 wǒ lì yóu tǐng xiōng 。 wéi yuàn zhǔ yǎ wěi 。 bǎo wáng chè shǐ zhōng 。 tīng wǒ cǐ rì dǎo 。 jiàn wǒ qū qū zhōng 。

With thanks to Simon Wong.

John Wu Ching-hsiung (1899-1986) was a native of Ningbo, Zhejiang, a renowned jurist who studied in Europe and the United States, and served as a professor of law at Soochow University, as a judge and the Acting President of the Shanghai Provisional Court, and as the Vice President of the Commission for the Drafting of the Constitution of the Republic of China, before becoming the Minister of the Republic of China to the Holy See. Wu has written extensively, not only on law but also on Chinese philosophy, and has also written his autobiography, Beyond East and West, in English. Wu was a devout Catholic and had a personal relationship with Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975). Wu began translating the the Psalms in 1938, and was encouraged by Chiang to translate the entire New Testament, which he corrected in his own handwriting. (…) John Wu Ching-hsiung’s translation of the Psalms (first draft in 1946, revised in 1975) was translated into Literary Chinese in the form of poetic rhyme, with attention paid to the style of writing. According to the content and mood of the different chapters of the original psalm, Wu chose Chinese poetic forms such as tetrameter, pentameter, heptameter [4, 5 or 7 syllables/Chinese characters per stanza], and the [less formal] Sao style, and sometimes more than two poetic forms were used in a single poem. (Source: Simon Wong)

John Wu Ching-hsiung himself talks about his celebrated and much-admired (though difficult-to-understand) translation in his aforementioned autobiography: (Click or tap here to see)

“Nothing could have been farther from my mind than to translate the Bible or any parts of it with a view to publishing it as an authorized version. I had rendered some of the Psalms into Chinese verse, but that was done as a part of my private devotion and as a literary hobby. When I was in Hongkong in 1938, I had come to know Madame H. H. Kung [Soong Ai-ling], and as she was deeply interested in the Bible, I gave her about a dozen pieces of my amateurish work just for her own enjoyment. What was my surprise when, the next time I saw her, she told me, “My sister [Soong Mei-ling] has written to say that the Generalissimo [Chiang Kai-shek] likes your translation of the Psalms very much, especially the first, the fifteenth, and the twenty-third, the Psalm of the Good Shepherd!”

“In the Autumn of 1940, when I was in Chungking, the Generalissimo invited me several times to lunch with him and expressed his appreciation of the few pieces that he had read. So I sent him some more. A few days later I received a letter from Madame Chiang [Soong Mei-ling], dated September 21, 1940, in which she said that they both liked my translation of the few Psalms I had sent them. ‘For many years,’ she wrote, ‘the Generalissimo has been wanting to have a really adequate and readable Wen-li (literary) translation of the Bible. He has never been able to find anyone who could undertake the matter.’ The letter ends up by saying that I should take up the job and that ‘the Generalissimo would gladly finance the undertaking of this work.’

“After some preliminary study of the commentaries, I started my work with the Psalms on January 6, 1943, the Feast of the Epiphany.

“I had three thousand years of Chinese literature to draw upon. The Chinese vocabulary for describing the beauties of nature is so rich that I seldom failed to find a word, a phrase, and sometimes even a whole line to fit the scene. But what makes such Psalms so unique is that they bring an intimate knowledge of the Creator to bear upon a loving observation of things of nature. I think one of the reasons why my translation is so well received by the Chinese scholars is that I have made the Psalms read like native poems written by a Chinese, who happens to be a Christian. Thus to my countrymen they are at once familiar and new — not so familiar as to be jejune, and not so new as to be bizarre. I did not publish it as a literal translation, but only as a paraphrase.

“To my greatest surprise, [my translation of the Psalms] sold like hot dogs. The popularity of that work was beyond my fondest dreams. Numberless papers and periodicals, irrespective of religion, published reviews too good to be true. I was very much tickled when I saw the opening verse of the first Psalm used as a headline on the front page of one of the non-religious dailies.”

A contemporary researcher (Lindblom 2021) mentions this about Wu’s translation: “Wu created a unique and personal work of sacred art that bears the imprint of his own admitted love and devotion, a landmark achievement comparable to Antoni Gaudi’s Basilica of the Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Spain. Although its use is still somewhat limited today, it continues to attract readers for the aforementioned qualities, and continues to be used in prayers and music by those who desire beauty and an authentic Chinese-sounding text that draws from China’s ancient traditions.”

The translation of Psalm 10 from the 1946 edition is in the so-called Sao style and the rhyme schemes are -u and -ang (the 1946 edition did not have verse numbers either):

問主

我問主兮何故。邈然逝兮不我顧。時艱難兮困苦。主自隱兮何處。 惡人橫行兮無度。窮人被逼兮無路。設詭計兮逞狂圖。欺孤寡兮陷無辜。 驕矜自慢兮。目無主宰。刼奪人財兮。逍遙法外。 飛揚跋扈兮心誇大。謂天主兮安足怕。中心兮自忖。天主兮何存。 基業兮穩固。千秋兮不淪。坐井而觀天兮。夫焉知吾主之經綸。 恃勢凌人兮。自謂安如磐石永享康寧。 彼之口中兮。惟有欺詐與呪詛。彼之舌底兮。滿貯螫毒與邪汚。 埋伏窮鄉。殺人僻巷。 耽耽虎視。窮民遭殃。 驅無辜兮入網。 謂天主兮健忘。既揜顏兮不見。我隱惡兮奚彰。 我向主兮發哀歎。舉爾手兮濟眾難。 莫容惡人兮誣神明。謂天主兮其不靈。 詎知吾主兮早見。報應兮如電。窮苦兮無告。惟主兮是靠。孤兒兮無父。惟主兮是怙。 求主痛擊群姦兮。折其臂膀。 窮究妖孽兮。降以淪喪。惟我天主兮。永古為王。與主為敵兮。靡有不亡。 主已垂聽兮。謙者之音。必賜慰藉兮。堅固其心。 伸彼冤屈兮。保彼焭獨。莫令凡人兮。擅作威福。

Transcription into Roman alphabet with the rhyme scheme and the particle xī, that is characteristic for the Sao style, highlighted:

wèn zhǔ

wǒ wèn zhǔ xī hé gù 。 miǎo rán shì xī bù wǒ gù 。 shí jiān nán xī kùn kǔ 。 zhǔ zì yǐn xī hé chǔ 。 è rén héng xíng xī wú dù 。 qióng rén bèi bī xī wú lù 。 shè guǐ jì xī chěng kuáng tú 。 qī gū guǎ xī xiàn wú gū 。 jiāo jīn zì màn xī 。 mù wú zhǔ zǎi 。 刼 duó rén cái xī 。 xiāo yáo fǎ wài 。 fēi yáng bá hù xī xīn kuā dà 。 wèi tiān zhǔ xī ān zú pà 。 zhōng xīn xī zì cǔn 。 tiān zhǔ xī hé cún 。 jī yè xī wěn gù 。 qiān qiū xī bù lún 。 zuò jǐng ér guān tiān xī 。 fū yān zhī wú zhǔ zhī jīng lún 。 shì shì líng rén xī 。 zì wèi ān rú pán shí yǒng xiǎng kāng níng 。 bǐ zhī kǒu zhōng xī 。 wéi yǒu qī zhà yǔ zhòu zǔ 。 bǐ zhī shé dǐ xī 。 mǎn zhù shì dú yǔ xié wū 。 mái fú qióng xiāng 。 shā rén pì xiàng 。 dān dān hǔ shì 。 qióng mín zāo yāng 。 qū wú gū xī rù wǎng 。 wèi tiān zhǔ xī jiàn wàng 。 jì yǎn yán xī bù jiàn 。 wǒ yǐn è xī xī zhāng 。 wǒ xiàng zhǔ xī fā āi tàn 。 jǔ ěr shǒu xī jì zhòng nán 。 mò róng è rén xī wū shén míng 。 wèi tiān zhǔ xī qí bù líng 。 jù zhī wú zhǔ xī zǎo jiàn 。 bào yīng xī rú diàn 。 qióng kǔ xī wú gào 。 wéi zhǔ xī shì kào 。 gū ér xī wú fù 。 wéi zhǔ xī shì hù 。 qiú zhǔ tòng jī qún jiān xī 。 zhē qí bì bǎng 。 qióng jiū yāo niè xī 。 jiàng yǐ lún sāng 。 wéi wǒ tiān zhǔ xī 。 yǒng gǔ wéi wáng 。 yǔ zhǔ wéi dí xī 。 mí yǒu bù wáng 。 zhǔ yǐ chuí tīng xī 。 qiān zhě zhī yīn 。 bì cì wèi jiè xī 。 jiān gù qí xīn 。 shēn bǐ yuān qū xī 。 bǎo bǐ qióng dú 。 mò líng fán rén xī 。 shàn zuò wēi fú 。

With thanks to Simon Wong.

John Wu Ching-hsiung (1899-1986) was a native of Ningbo, Zhejiang, a renowned jurist who studied in Europe and the United States, and served as a professor of law at Soochow University, as a judge and the Acting President of the Shanghai Provisional Court, and as the Vice President of the Commission for the Drafting of the Constitution of the Republic of China, before becoming the Minister of the Republic of China to the Holy See. Wu has written extensively, not only on law but also on Chinese philosophy, and has also written his autobiography, Beyond East and West, in English. Wu was a devout Catholic and had a personal relationship with Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975). Wu began translating the the Psalms in 1938, and was encouraged by Chiang to translate the entire New Testament, which he corrected in his own handwriting. (…) John Wu Ching-hsiung’s translation of the Psalms (first draft in 1946, revised in 1975) was translated into Literary Chinese in the form of poetic rhyme, with attention paid to the style of writing. According to the content and mood of the different chapters of the original psalm, Wu chose Chinese poetic forms such as tetrameter, pentameter, heptameter [4, 5 or 7 syllables/Chinese characters per stanza], and the [less formal] Sao style, and sometimes more than two poetic forms were used in a single poem. (Source: Simon Wong)

John Wu Ching-hsiung himself talks about his celebrated and much-admired (though difficult-to-understand) translation in his aforementioned autobiography: (Click or tap here to see)

“Nothing could have been farther from my mind than to translate the Bible or any parts of it with a view to publishing it as an authorized version. I had rendered some of the Psalms into Chinese verse, but that was done as a part of my private devotion and as a literary hobby. When I was in Hongkong in 1938, I had come to know Madame H. H. Kung [Soong Ai-ling], and as she was deeply interested in the Bible, I gave her about a dozen pieces of my amateurish work just for her own enjoyment. What was my surprise when, the next time I saw her, she told me, “My sister [Soong Mei-ling] has written to say that the Generalissimo [Chiang Kai-shek] likes your translation of the Psalms very much, especially the first, the fifteenth, and the twenty-third, the Psalm of the Good Shepherd!”

“In the Autumn of 1940, when I was in Chungking, the Generalissimo invited me several times to lunch with him and expressed his appreciation of the few pieces that he had read. So I sent him some more. A few days later I received a letter from Madame Chiang [Soong Mei-ling], dated September 21, 1940, in which she said that they both liked my translation of the few Psalms I had sent them. ‘For many years,’ she wrote, ‘the Generalissimo has been wanting to have a really adequate and readable Wen-li (literary) translation of the Bible. He has never been able to find anyone who could undertake the matter.’ The letter ends up by saying that I should take up the job and that ‘the Generalissimo would gladly finance the undertaking of this work.’

“After some preliminary study of the commentaries, I started my work with the Psalms on January 6, 1943, the Feast of the Epiphany.

“I had three thousand years of Chinese literature to draw upon. The Chinese vocabulary for describing the beauties of nature is so rich that I seldom failed to find a word, a phrase, and sometimes even a whole line to fit the scene. But what makes such Psalms so unique is that they bring an intimate knowledge of the Creator to bear upon a loving observation of things of nature. I think one of the reasons why my translation is so well received by the Chinese scholars is that I have made the Psalms read like native poems written by a Chinese, who happens to be a Christian. Thus to my countrymen they are at once familiar and new — not so familiar as to be jejune, and not so new as to be bizarre. I did not publish it as a literal translation, but only as a paraphrase.

“To my greatest surprise, [my translation of the Psalms] sold like hot dogs. The popularity of that work was beyond my fondest dreams. Numberless papers and periodicals, irrespective of religion, published reviews too good to be true. I was very much tickled when I saw the opening verse of the first Psalm used as a headline on the front page of one of the non-religious dailies.”

A contemporary researcher (Lindblom 2021) mentions this about Wu’s translation: “Wu created a unique and personal work of sacred art that bears the imprint of his own admitted love and devotion, a landmark achievement comparable to Antoni Gaudi’s Basilica of the Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Spain. Although its use is still somewhat limited today, it continues to attract readers for the aforementioned qualities, and continues to be used in prayers and music by those who desire beauty and an authentic Chinese-sounding text that draws from China’s ancient traditions.”

The translation of Psalm 11 from the 1946 edition is in the classical questions-and-answer scheme that is used by many Confucian and Taoist classics (the 1946 edition did not have verse numbers either):

答客難

友人勸我學飛鳥。飛入深山避災殃。 君不見群小彎弓箭在絃。欲於暗中射賢良。 國家根基已崩潰。賢人焉能獨支撐。 我答友人言。此語何荒唐。一生恃主得無恙。何必入山去自藏。　 雅瑋坐天廷。雙目炯炯察世人。 賢良蒙鍛鍊。所以玉其成。惟彼兇與暴。乃為主所憎。 為惡嬰天羅。雷霆作杯羹。 為善邀天眷。常得承歡欣。

Transcription into Roman alphabet:

dá kè nán

yǒu rén quàn wǒ xué fēi niǎo 。 fēi rù shēn shān bì zāi yāng 。 jūn bù jiàn qún xiǎo wān gōng jiàn zài xián 。 yù yú àn zhōng shè xián liáng 。 guó jiā gēn jī yǐ bēng kuì 。 xián rén yān néng dú zhī chēng 。 wǒ dá yǒu rén yán 。 cǐ yǔ hé huāng táng 。 yī shēng shì zhǔ dé wú yàng 。 hé bì rù shān qù zì cáng 。　 yǎ wěi zuò tiān tíng 。 shuāng mù jiǒng jiǒng chá shì rén 。 xián liáng mēng duàn liàn 。 suǒ yǐ yù qí chéng 。 wéi bǐ xiōng yǔ bào 。 nǎi wéi zhǔ suǒ zēng 。 wéi è yīng tiān luó 。 léi tíng zuò bēi gēng 。 wéi shàn yāo tiān juàn 。 cháng dé chéng huān xīn 。

With thanks to Simon Wong.