Language review for Lent
四旬期 Sì xún qī Lent, literally "four ten-day-units period"
Have I actually covered this expression, 四旬期, before this? I searched my blog archives and I cannot find this, but I think I already written about this. I have covered quite a bit of Lent-in-China vocabulary (矛盾 is one of my favorites, but there are so many others I have enjoyed living and writing as well). I like how it captures the 40 days of Lent, the four ten-days, even though the days of Lent aren't grouped in tens. This isn't a new word for us this year, but apparently it is for my blog.
One notable feature of the Lenten liturgies are the absence of Alleluia. Like everywhere else in the Catholic world, in China we replace this with a variation of "Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ."
基督，天主圣言，愿光荣归于你！
Jīdū, tiānzhǔ shèng yán, yuàn guāngróng guīyú nǐ!
"Christ, Holy Word of God, Glory to You!"
But not only does 圣言 mean Holy Word, as found in a regular Chinese dictionary or translation app. It is also one of the Chinese expressions for Logos.
There are times (still!) when I find Chinese so inaccessible, as characters are so laden with meaning that my comprehension collapses under all that weight. And there are times when I feel like the language is revelatory, when meaning that could be burdensome forms instead a strong support structure under the words. So it is now with "基督，天主圣言，愿光荣归于你," as we wait for Alleluia.
Have I actually covered this expression, 四旬期, before this? I searched my blog archives and I cannot find this, but I think I already written about this. I have covered quite a bit of Lent-in-China vocabulary (矛盾 is one of my favorites, but there are so many others I have enjoyed living and writing as well). I like how it captures the 40 days of Lent, the four ten-days, even though the days of Lent aren't grouped in tens. This isn't a new word for us this year, but apparently it is for my blog.
One notable feature of the Lenten liturgies are the absence of Alleluia. Like everywhere else in the Catholic world, in China we replace this with a variation of "Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ."
基督，天主圣言，愿光荣归于你！
Jīdū, tiānzhǔ shèng yán, yuàn guāngróng guīyú nǐ!
"Christ, Holy Word of God, Glory to You!"
But not only does 圣言 mean Holy Word, as found in a regular Chinese dictionary or translation app. It is also one of the Chinese expressions for Logos.
There are times (still!) when I find Chinese so inaccessible, as characters are so laden with meaning that my comprehension collapses under all that weight. And there are times when I feel like the language is revelatory, when meaning that could be burdensome forms instead a strong support structure under the words. So it is now with "基督，天主圣言，愿光荣归于你," as we wait for Alleluia.
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