Four Uses of Tao in the Chinese Translation of the Psalms and the New Testament: On John C.H. Wu’s Shengyong Yiyi Chugao and Xinjing Quanji

Abstract

As a distinguished jurist and prolific scholar in the Republic of China, one of John C.H. Wu’s highest achievements was his Chinese translation of the Psalms and the New Testament. This article focuses on his use of the Chinese word Tao, presenting four examples from Wu’s Shengyong Yiyi Chugao and Xinjing Quanji to show how it was used to interpret different Christian concepts. The article concludes by exploring the reasons for Wu’s translation strategy and considers his proposition that Christianity is neither Eastern nor Western but goes beyond both.