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 6 from the 1946 edition is in pentameter with a rhyme scheme based on -ing (the 1946 edition did not have verse numbers either):

懺悔吟之一【憂戚】

求主勿怒譴。求主息雷霆。 垂憐茲荏弱。康復此殘形。我骨慄慄戰。我心惴惴驚。 長跪問我主。何時救伶仃。 祈主一顧盼。援手昭慈仁。 死域誰念主。頌聲絕幽冥。 心魂困欲絕。徒此長呻吟。夜夜暗流淚。牀褥浥秋霖。 目枯因愁多。骨消緣辱頻。 傳語作孽者。無復纏我身。我泣主已聞。我求主已聽。 有禱必見納。有感豈無應。 行見彼醜類。望風皆逡巡。

Transcription into Roman alphabet:

chàn huǐ yín zhī yī 【 yōu qī 】

qiú zhǔ wù nù qiǎn 。 qiú zhǔ xī léi tíng 。 chuí lián zī rěn ruò 。 kāng fù cǐ cán xíng 。 wǒ gǔ lì lì zhàn 。 wǒ xīn zhuì zhuì jīng 。 cháng guì wèn wǒ zhǔ 。 hé shí jiù líng dīng 。 qí zhǔ yī gù pàn 。 yuán shǒu zhāo cí rén 。 sǐ yù shuí niàn zhǔ 。 sòng shēng jué yōu míng 。 xīn hún kùn yù jué 。 tú cǐ cháng shēn yín 。 yè yè àn liú lèi 。 牀 rù 浥 qiū lín 。 mù kū yīn chóu duō 。 gǔ xiāo yuán rǔ pín 。 chuán yǔ zuò niè zhě 。 wú fù chán wǒ shēn 。 wǒ qì zhǔ yǐ wén 。 wǒ qiú zhǔ yǐ tīng 。 yǒu dǎo bì jiàn nà 。 yǒu gǎn qǐ wú yīng 。 xíng jiàn bǐ chǒu lèi 。 wàng fēng jiē qūn xún 。

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 24 from the 1946 edition is in tetrameter and the rhyme scheme is -u (the 1946 edition did not have verse numbers either and underlined proper names):

迎駕

率土之濱。莫匪爾屬。普天之下。莫匪爾僕。 滄溟之上。肇建寰宇。狂瀾是鎮。中流砥柱。
陟彼靈山。登彼聖域。誰堪當此。 其惟純德。心跡雙清。無愧無怍。 必承天休。必蒙恩贖。 夙夜懷主。無忝雅谷。
嗟爾諸城。矗爾重闉。嗟爾古戶。高爾閈閎。殷勤迎納。光榮之君。
榮君伊誰。全能雅瑋。惟仁無敵。凱旋而歸。
嗟爾諸城。矗爾重闉。嗟爾古戶。高爾閈閎。殷勤迎納。光榮之君。
榮君伊誰。實維雅瑋。萬有之主。煥焉其輝。

Transcription into Roman alphabet with the rhyme scheme highlighted:

yíng jià

shuài tǔ zhī bīn 。 mò fěi ěr shǔ 。 pǔ tiān zhī xià 。 mò fěi ěr pū 。 cāng míng zhī shàng 。 zhào jiàn huán yǔ 。 kuáng lán shì zhèn 。 zhōng liú dǐ zhù 。
zhì bǐ líng shān 。 dēng bǐ shèng yù 。 shuí kān dāng cǐ 。 qí wéi chún dé 。 xīn jì shuāng qīng 。 wú kuì wú zuò 。 bì chéng tiān xiū 。 bì mēng ēn shú 。 sù yè huái zhǔ 。 wú tiǎn yǎ gǔ 。
jiē ěr zhū chéng 。 chù ěr zhòng lín 。 jiē ěr gǔ hù 。 gāo ěr lú hóng 。 yīn qín yíng nà 。 guāng róng zhī jūn 。
róng jūn yī shuí 。 quán néng yǎ wěi 。 wéi rén wú dí 。 kǎi xuán ér guī 。
jiē ěr zhū chéng 。 chù ěr zhòng lín 。 jiē ěr gǔ hù 。 gāo ěr lú hóng 。 yīn qín yíng nà 。 guāng róng zhī jūn 。
róng jūn yī shuí 。 shí wéi yǎ wěi 。 wàn yǒu zhī zhǔ 。 huàn yān qí huī 。

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 25 from the 1946 edition is in pentameter and the rhyme schemes are -i and -u (the 1946 edition did not have verse numbers either and underlined proper names):

安宅與正路

心魂所仰望。惟在主雅瑋。 平生無他恃。莫教我蒙恥。勿使我仇人。向我誇優美。 固知盼爾者。不致有所愧。惟彼奸詐徒。終須遭崩潰。
求主加指引。從容聖道裹。 求主賜教誨。俾我明眞理。爾乃我恩神。朝暮所佇俟。 爾心存慈愛。振古已如此。 忘我幼年過。宥我往日罪。求爾加眷顧。用昭爾慈惠。 依爾好生德。領回遊蕩子。示彼何所歸。指彼何所履。 佑彼謙誠者。克己而復禮。 守盟樂道者。當為主所喜。 為爾聖名故。寬免我罪戾。罪戾積如山。愧悔亦不已。
人能懷寅畏。必蒙主愛護。示爾以廣居。指爾以大路。 大路從容行。廣居宴然住。愛屋應及烏。後裔承此土。 主與虔者親。啟迪道中趣。 我目常仰主。賜我脫網罟。 望主加哀矜。恤我惸獨苦。 愁多心如結。罹難求主助。 憐我狼狽狀。赦我一切辜。求主保吾身。 身為眾怨府。 莫令我承羞。主是安身處。 鑒我一片誠。忠貞蘊臟腑。脫我於患難。莫孤我延佇。 求主救義塞。脫離諸恐怖。

Transcription into Roman alphabet with the rhyme scheme highlighted:

ān zhái yǔ zhèng lù

xīn hún suǒ yǎng wàng 。 wéi zài zhǔ yǎ wěi 。 píng shēng wú tā shì 。 mò jiào wǒ mēng chǐ 。 wù shǐ wǒ chóu rén 。 xiàng wǒ kuā yōu měi 。 gù zhī pàn ěr zhě 。 bù zhì yǒu suǒ kuì 。 wéi bǐ jiān zhà tú 。 zhōng xū zāo bēng kuì 。
qiú zhǔ jiā zhǐ yǐn 。 cóng róng shèng dào guǒ 。 qiú zhǔ cì jiào huì 。 bǐ wǒ míng zhēn lǐ 。 ěr nǎi wǒ ēn shén 。 zhāo mù suǒ zhù sì 。 ěr xīn cún cí ài 。 zhèn gǔ yǐ rú cǐ 。 wàng wǒ yòu nián guò 。 yòu wǒ wǎng rì zuì 。 qiú ěr jiā juàn gù 。 yòng zhāo ěr cí huì 。 yī ěr hǎo shēng dé 。 lǐng huí yóu dàng zǐ 。 shì bǐ hé suǒ guī 。 zhǐ bǐ hé suǒ lǚ 。 yòu bǐ qiān chéng zhě 。 kè jǐ ér fù lǐ 。 shǒu méng lè dào zhě 。 dāng wéi zhǔ suǒ xǐ 。 wéi ěr shèng míng gù 。 kuān miǎn wǒ zuì lì 。 zuì lì jī rú shān 。 kuì huǐ yì bù yǐ 。
rén néng huái yín wèi 。 bì mēng zhǔ ài hù 。 shì ěr yǐ guǎng jū 。 zhǐ ěr yǐ dà lù 。 dà lù cóng róng xíng 。 guǎng jū yàn rán zhù 。 ài wū yīng jí wū 。 hòu yì chéng cǐ tǔ 。 zhǔ yǔ qián zhě qīn 。 qǐ dí dào zhōng qù 。 wǒ mù cháng yǎng zhǔ 。 cì wǒ tuō wǎng gǔ 。 wàng zhǔ jiā āi jīn 。 xù wǒ qióng dú kǔ 。 chóu duō xīn rú jié 。 lí nán qiú zhǔ zhù 。 lián wǒ láng bèi zhuàng 。 shè wǒ yī qiē gū 。 qiú zhǔ bǎo wú shēn 。 shēn wéi zhòng yuàn fǔ 。 mò líng wǒ chéng xiū 。 zhǔ shì ān shēn chǔ 。 jiàn wǒ yī piàn chéng 。 zhōng zhēn yùn zàng fǔ 。 tuō wǒ yú huàn nán 。 mò gū wǒ yán zhù 。 qiú zhǔ jiù yì sāi 。 tuō lí zhū kǒng bù 。

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 26 from the 1946 edition is in pentameter (the 1946 edition did not have verse numbers either):

表明心跡

殷勤求我主。一伸我貞慤。 平生惟仰主。所守寧不篤。願主測中情。鍛鍊我心靈。 慈恩常在目。聖道從容行。 未伴妄人坐。未偕奸徒立。 群小會集處。何曾敢廁足。 洗手滌餘穢。留連於閟幄。 詠我感謝意。誦主玄妙蹟。 心慕爾庭幃。榮光之所宅。 莫將我靈魂。使與罪人雜。莫將我生命。與彼同消滅。 若輩惡盈貫。受賄一何多。 吾心愛清白。應與彼殊科。 求主賜矜全。俾居安樂窩。綽綽有餘裕。會中獻雅歌。

Transcription into Roman alphabet:

biǎo míng xīn jì

yīn qín qiú wǒ zhǔ 。 yī shēn wǒ zhēn què 。 píng shēng wéi yǎng zhǔ 。 suǒ shǒu níng bù dǔ 。 yuàn zhǔ cè zhōng qíng 。 duàn liàn wǒ xīn líng 。 cí ēn cháng zài mù 。 shèng dào cóng róng xíng 。 wèi bàn wàng rén zuò 。 wèi xié jiān tú lì 。 qún xiǎo huì jí chǔ 。 hé zēng gǎn cè zú 。 xǐ shǒu dí yú huì 。 liú lián yú huī wò 。 yǒng wǒ gǎn xiè yì 。 sòng zhǔ xuán miào lì 。 xīn mù ěr tíng wéi 。 róng guāng zhī suǒ zhái 。 mò jiāng wǒ líng hún 。 shǐ yǔ zuì rén zá 。 mò jiāng wǒ shēng mìng 。 yǔ bǐ tóng xiāo miè 。 ruò bèi è yíng guàn 。 shòu huì yī hé duō 。 wú xīn ài qīng bái 。 yīng yǔ bǐ shū kē 。 qiú zhǔ cì jīn quán 。 bǐ jū ān lè wō 。 chuò chuò yǒu yú yù 。 huì zhōng xiàn yǎ gē 。

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 27 from the 1946 edition is in pentameter and the rhyme schemes are -i and -an(g) (the 1946 edition did not have verse numbers either and underlined proper names):

處困莫餒

主是我明德。何所用惕惕。主是我恩保。誰能褫我魄。 惡逆徒洶洶。但見其傾蹶。 大軍雖當前。吾亦無惴慄。中君既安泰。威武焉能屈。
求主惟一事。足以慰幽衷。終身居主宅。陶然醉春風。逍遙聖殿裏。瞻仰樂無窮。
我當患難日。必蒙藏其室。納我於幔角。置我於磐石。 從此得揚眉。克服周圍敵。宜在聖壇上。獻祭表歡悅。引吭吟詩歌。頌美主大德。
望主聽我音。俞允昭矜憐。 似聞良心語。爾當求主顏。 主顏固常求。但望主莫揜。求主勿峻拒。令僕心慘慘。除主無生路。莫將我棄捐。 父母縱相棄。知主必見涵。 仇敵正洶洶。頗感行路難。求主加指導。引我入平坦。 豈可容群逆。得我乃心甘。盍視彼梟獍。對我長抨擊。妄證且咒詛。無所不用極。所幸未絕望。尚得自支撐。 深信在人世。重得見春光。 告爾氣無餒。仰主圖自強。何以養爾勇。惟有信與望。

Transcription into Roman alphabet with the rhyme scheme highlighted:

chǔ kùn mò něi

zhǔ shì wǒ míng dé 。 hé suǒ yòng tì tì 。 zhǔ shì wǒ ēn bǎo 。 shuí néng chǐ wǒ pò 。 è nì tú xiōng xiōng 。 dàn jiàn qí qīng jué 。 dà jūn suī dāng qián 。 wú yì wú zhuì lì 。 zhōng jūn jì ān tài 。 wēi wǔ yān néng qū 。
qiú zhǔ wéi yī shì 。 zú yǐ wèi yōu zhōng 。 zhōng shēn jū zhǔ zhái 。 táo rán zuì chūn fēng 。 xiāo yáo shèng diàn lǐ 。 zhān yǎng lè wú qióng 。
wǒ dāng huàn nán rì 。 bì mēng cáng qí shì 。 nà wǒ yú màn jiǎo 。 zhì wǒ yú pán shí 。 cóng cǐ dé yáng méi 。 kè fú zhōu wéi dí 。 yí zài shèng tán shàng 。 xiàn jì biǎo huān yuè 。 yǐn háng yín shī gē 。 sòng měi zhǔ dà dé 。
wàng zhǔ tīng wǒ yīn 。 yú yǔn zhāo jīn lián 。 sì wén liáng xīn yǔ 。 ěr dāng qiú zhǔ yán 。 zhǔ yán gù cháng qiú 。 dàn wàng zhǔ mò yǎn 。 qiú zhǔ wù jùn jù 。 líng pū xīn cǎn cǎn 。 chú zhǔ wú shēng lù 。 mò jiāng wǒ qì juān 。 fù mǔ zòng xiāng qì 。 zhī zhǔ bì jiàn hán 。 chóu dí zhèng xiōng xiōng 。 pō gǎn xíng lù nán 。 qiú zhǔ jiā zhǐ dǎo 。 yǐn wǒ rù píng tǎn 。 qǐ kě róng qún nì 。 dé wǒ nǎi xīn gān 。 hé shì bǐ xiāo jìng 。 duì wǒ cháng pēng jī 。 wàng zhèng qiě zhòu zǔ 。 wú suǒ bù yòng jí 。 suǒ xìng wèi jué wàng 。 shàng dé zì zhī chēng 。 shēn xìn zài rén shì 。 zhòng dé jiàn chūn guāng 。 gào ěr qì wú něi 。 yǎng zhǔ tú zì qiáng 。 hé yǐ yǎng ěr yǒng 。 wéi yǒu xìn yǔ wàng 。

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 28 from the 1946 edition is in pentameter and the rhyme schemes are -ong and -i (the 1946 edition did not have verse numbers either):

口蜜腹劍

呼籲我恩保。莫向我作聾。爾若長默默。我將陷泥中。 主盍一垂顧。鑒我耿耿忠。向主發哀聲。舉手朝聖宮。 莫將我消滅。使與群兇同。彼輩口如蜜。心中含辛螫。 祈主按其行。報彼諸罪孽。自作應自受。處以所應得。 目中無眞宰。藐視靈異蹟。既為主所否。何由自建立。 可讚惟雅瑋。已聞吾歎息。 是我衛身干。是我生命力。一心惟賴主。賴主信有益。神樂湧心府。頌聲從中發。 祈保受命王。萬民食帝力。 拯救爾子民。福佑爾嗣業。長為元元牧。涵育靡有極。

Transcription into Roman alphabet with the rhyme scheme highlighted:

kǒu mì fù jiàn

hū xū wǒ ēn bǎo 。 mò xiàng wǒ zuò lóng 。 ěr ruò cháng mò mò 。 wǒ jiāng xiàn ní zhōng 。 zhǔ hé yī chuí gù 。 jiàn wǒ gěng gěng zhōng 。 xiàng zhǔ fā āi shēng 。 jǔ shǒu zhāo shèng gōng 。 mò jiāng wǒ xiāo miè 。 shǐ yǔ qún xiōng tóng 。 bǐ bèi kǒu rú mì 。 xīn zhōng hán xīn shì 。 qí zhǔ àn qí xíng 。 bào bǐ zhū zuì niè 。 zì zuò yīng zì shòu 。 chǔ yǐ suǒ yīng dé 。 mù zhōng wú zhēn zǎi 。 miǎo shì líng yì lì 。 jì wéi zhǔ suǒ fǒu 。 hé yóu zì jiàn lì 。 kě zàn wéi yǎ wěi 。 yǐ wén wú tàn xī 。 shì wǒ wèi shēn gān 。 shì wǒ shēng mìng lì 。 yī xīn wéi lài zhǔ 。 lài zhǔ xìn yǒu yì 。 shén lè yǒng xīn fǔ 。 sòng shēng cóng zhōng fā 。 qí bǎo shòu mìng wáng 。 wàn mín shí dì lì 。 zhěng jiù ěr zǐ mín 。 fú yòu ěr sì yè 。 cháng wéi yuán yuán mù 。 hán yù mí yǒu jí 。

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 29 from the 1946 edition is in pentameter and the rhyme scheme is -ang (the 1946 edition did not have verse numbers either and underlined proper names):

雷音

告爾天神。齊頌主德。 聖名馥馥。稜威赫赫。肅雍拜主。被爾黼黻。 主音淵淵。在水中央。惟主作雷。自彼湯湯。 厥音隆隆。赫赫有響。 厥音霹靂。折彼香柏。 麗盆西連。躍躍如犢。 轟雷既行。電光閃鑠。 曠野聞音。戰戰慄慄。迦鐵之野。斯惕斯懾。 麀震厥音。遄產幼鹿。憬彼森林。木葉盡脫。凡在殿中。莫不祝福。 雅瑋御宇。溯自洪荒。振古如茲。王權無疆。 福哉天民。恃主日強。戢爾干戈。永享安康。

Transcription into Roman alphabet with the rhyme scheme highlighted:

léi yīn

gào ěr tiān shén 。 qí sòng zhǔ dé 。 shèng míng fù fù 。 léng wēi hè hè 。 sù yōng bài zhǔ 。 bèi ěr fǔ fú 。 zhǔ yīn yuān yuān 。 zài shuǐ zhōng yāng 。 wéi zhǔ zuò léi 。 zì bǐ tāng tāng 。 jué yīn lóng lóng 。 hè hè yǒu xiǎng 。 jué yīn pī lì 。 zhē bǐ xiāng bǎi 。 lì pén xī lián 。 yuè yuè rú dú 。 hōng léi jì xíng 。 diàn guāng shǎn shuò 。 kuàng yě wén yīn 。 zhàn zhàn lì lì 。 jiā tiě zhī yě 。 sī tì sī shè 。 hú zhèn jué yīn 。 chuán chǎn yòu lù 。 jǐng bǐ sēn lín 。 mù yè jìn tuō 。 fán zài diàn zhōng 。 mò bù zhù fú 。 yǎ wěi yù yǔ 。 sù zì hóng huāng 。 zhèn gǔ rú zī 。 wáng quán wú jiāng 。 fú zāi tiān mín 。 shì zhǔ rì qiáng 。 jí ěr gān gē 。 yǒng xiǎng ān kāng 。

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 30 from the 1946 edition is in tetrameter and the rhyme schemes are -i and -u (the 1946 edition did not have verse numbers either):

先悲後喜

心感雅瑋。扶持小子。未令敵人。揚眉吐氣。 曩者有患。呼籲於爾。爾應我求。吾病以治。 肉我白骨。生我於死。 蒙主煦育。可不頌美。勗哉諸聖。讚主莫已。 聖怒一時。慈恩永世。長夜悲泣。拂曉乃喜。
昔處康樂。自謂安固。 主為磐石。寧用後顧。忽掩慈顏。心生憂怖。 哀哀求主。聽我仰訴。 小子之血。於主何補。倘轉溝壑。化為塵土。塵土何知。寧能讚主。 求主垂憐。加以神助。 主聞吾禱。化泣為舞。解我麻衣。被以歡緒。 感銘靈府。焉能默默。稱謝洪恩。永世不息。

Transcription into Roman alphabet with the rhyme scheme highlighted:

xiān bēi hòu xǐ

xīn gǎn yǎ wěi 。 fú chí xiǎo zǐ 。 wèi líng dí rén 。 yáng méi tǔ qì 。 nǎng zhě yǒu huàn 。 hū xū yú ěr 。 ěr yīng wǒ qiú 。 wú bìng yǐ zhì 。 ròu wǒ bái gǔ 。 shēng wǒ yú sǐ 。 mēng zhǔ xù yù 。 kě bù sòng měi 。 xù zāi zhū shèng 。 zàn zhǔ mò yǐ 。 shèng nù yī shí 。 cí ēn yǒng shì 。 cháng yè bēi qì 。 fú xiǎo nǎi xǐ 。
xī chǔ kāng lè 。 zì wèi ān gù 。 zhǔ wéi pán shí 。 níng yòng hòu gù 。 hū yǎn cí yán 。 xīn shēng yōu bù 。 āi āi qiú zhǔ 。 tīng wǒ yǎng sù 。 xiǎo zǐ zhī xuè 。 yú zhǔ hé bǔ 。 tǎng zhuǎn gōu hè 。 huà wéi chén tǔ 。 chén tǔ hé zhī 。 níng néng zàn zhǔ 。 qiú zhǔ chuí lián 。 jiā yǐ shén zhù 。 zhǔ wén wú dǎo 。 huà qì wéi wǔ 。 jiě wǒ má yī 。 bèi yǐ huān xù 。 gǎn míng líng fǔ 。 yān néng mò mò 。 chēng xiè hóng ēn 。 yǒng shì bù xī 。

With thanks to Simon Wong.