Directory_and_Chronicle_1850 — Page 117

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Remarks on the Words Shin and Ti.

FER.

a ti. What then, would the hearers understand from such an address? A single experiment will be sufficient to satisfy any one who will make it. It is a simple matter of fact, to be determined not by arguments, not by long quotations from ancient works, though these have their use in illustrating the subject, but by the hearing of the ear. Do the Chinese of the present day call their gods, shin, or do they call them tɩ? The fact is, shin would long since have been adopted, but for two or three objections. The principal one is, that it is not used for God by way of eminence. This, however, is a matter of usage, and does not affect the general meaning of the word. This usage can easily be introduced without any violence to the genius of the language, and indeed already prevails, to a limited extent, in the colloquial dialect of some parts of China. Even ti is not free from this objection; for how- ever it may have been used anciently, it is not so used now, in the language as spoken by the people.

The objection that the word has other meanings may also be urged against ti, which, in its ordinary acceptation means ruler. It is said that shin means spirit. In the translation recently published of the quotations in the Pei-wan Yun-Fi, under the word shin, we read of the "spirits of the woods,"-" of the hills,"—" of the streams :" we read also of "presenting offerings to the spirits," -"doing obeisance to (worshiping) the spirits,”—“ propitiating the spirits,”—“ sacrificing to the spirits." Are not the beings here spoken of precisely such as in the Scriptures are called so and Elohim? If shin ought never to be rendered by the word god, it can not be rendered in Hebrew or Greek by elokim or el, or by Beog. If so, then of course, el or clohim, and bɛog can not be translated by shin, in translating fiom Hebrew or Greek into Chinese. Yet those who contend that shin never means god, propose to use it as the translation of those terms in the new version of the Scriptures, just as it has been used in every former version, when the words refer to false gods. They must be held chargeable with in- consistency until they abandon this use of the word, or admit that it is the generic term for god in Chinese.

The difficulties of this question are neither removed nor diminished, but rather increased, by transferring a foreign word as the designation of the true God. What is required is a word corresponding to the word god, applicable alike to the true God and to false gods. To speak of Jehovah, or Aloah, would be to speak in riddles, unless it be added that this is the God whom we are bound to worship and obey. What word shall be used in giving this information?

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