Jews have a long history in China. Although relatively few Jews live there permanently anymore, many visit both China and Taiwan for commerce, travel, and education, and are greeted by the Chabad emissaries there. Whether you’re visiting China, Taiwan, or Chinese communities overseas, you can use these Mandarin phrases to explain various aspects of your Jewish life.

To hear the pronunciation of the words, copy and paste the Chinese characters (not the Romanization) into Google Translate and click the microphone/audio button.

Note: I am using the traditional characters that are used in Taiwan—where I lived and studied—as opposed to the simplified characters, commonly used in Mainland China.

1. Gǎnxiè Shàngzhǔ (感謝上主): Thank G‑d

The first word in the phrase is “Gǎnxiè (感謝),” which is a verb meaning “to thank” or “give thanks.”

Just like in Hebrew, there are many ways to refer to G‑d in Mandarin. I prefer the term Shàngzhǔ (上主), which translates to “the Master/L‑rd above” or “the Superior L‑rd/Master,” in part because this is the way it is translated in Aaron Waldman’s Chinese translation of the Book of Psalms, one of the few existing authentic Jewish translations of a book of the Torah into Chinese.

2. Wǒ shì Yóutàirén (我是猶太人): I am Jewish

Wǒ shì (我是) means “I am.”

The word for somebody Jewish is Yóutàirén (猶太人), with Yóutài (猶太) being the word for the tribe of Judah (Jew) and rén (人) meaning “person.”

During my time in Taiwan, I almost always got the same response when I communicated in Mandarin that I was Jewish. The locals would say Nǐ hěn cōngmíng (“You are very smart”). I have spoken to many other Jews who have visited China or Taiwan and have had the same response. You should take this response as a compliment, since on the whole, Chinese and Taiwanese people tend to admire the accomplishments of the Jewish people.

3. Ānxīrì Píngān (安息日平安): Shabbat Shalom

Ānxīrì (安息日) is the word for Shabbat and literally translates to “Peaceful Rest Day,” while Píngān (平安) means “Peace/Shalom.”

The Chinese character that means “peaceful” in the word Píngān (平安) is 安 (ān). This character is descended from an ancient picture of a woman under a roof, which makes perfect sense when saying “Shabbat Shalom” because the woman of the house is the one who lights the candles to usher the Shabbat peace into our homes.

4. Wǒ bǎochí jiéshí (我保持潔食): I keep kosher

Wǒ (我) means “I”, bǎochí (保持) means “keep,” and jiéshí (潔食) means “kosher.” Literally translated, Jiéshí (kosher) means “pure eating,” a very fitting term. In the word bǎochí (保持), which means “keep,” you have the Chinese character 保 (bǎo) which means “protect.” This is comparable to the Hebrew shomer, which means “keep” but most accurately translates as “protect.” To make sure you keep kosher while in China and Taiwan, make sure to contact the local Chabad Houses there for support.

5. Wǒ qù Yóutài huìtáng 我去猶太會堂: I’m going to shul

Wǒ qù (我去) means “I go” and Yóutài huìtáng (猶太會堂) refers to a synagogue. If you break the word for synagogue down (Yóutài huìtáng), Yóutài (猶太) means “Jewish” and huìtáng (會堂) means “hall of gathering,” which is very similar to the Hebrew word for synagogue, beit kneset, “house of assembly.”

6. Wǒ bù kěyǐ chōngbài ǒuxiàng 我不可以崇拜偶像: I am not allowed to worship idols

Wǒ bù kěyǐ (我不可以) means “I’m not allowed,” chōngbài (崇拜) means “to worship,” and ǒuxiàng (偶像) means “idol.” In the Chinese characters for idol, 偶像 (ǒuxiàng), both characters contain the pictogram 亻which means person/human, reminding us of the man-made origins of all idols.

China and Taiwan are home to many temples with idols in them, which means that Jews are forbidden to even enter. This phrase is useful for explaining to your hosts or tour guides why you will not accompany them.

7.Shàngdì bǎoyòu 上帝保佑: (May there be) G‑d’s blessing and protection

This single term can be used as the rough equivalent to 3 different common Jewish phrases that are difficult and clunky to directly translate into Mandarin:

  • B’ezrat Hashem (With G‑d’s help)

  • Chas v’shalom (G‑d Forbid)

  • Baruch tihye (May you be blessed).

Shàngdì bǎoyòu (G‑d’s blessings and protections) corresponds to all three of these phrases, because it is said when hoping something will happen or won’t happen with G‑d’s help, as well as when wishing blessings upon someone.

In this phrase, I used the word Shàngdì (上帝) which is the word for G‑d, equivalent to the Hebrew “Elokim,” distinct from Shàngzhǔ (上主), the word for G‑d’s personal name used in the first phrase above. Literally translated, Shàngdì (上帝) means “the Emperor above/superior Emperor,” in line with the various descriptions of G‑d as the “King of Kings” or “King of the Universe.”