Grace, as in State of

[aak]

Anyone know of an excellent way of expressing the concept of Grace. Is 恩 by itself enough? Or would 神恩or 天恩 be more readily understandable?--all of course, staying within spiritual concepts and without getting into religious overtones.

[huazi5629]

how about “天赐”？

[in_lab]

恩典

恩典的状态

Here's a relevant page. http://www.chinachristianbooks.com.cn/new/essays/spurgeon/allgrace.htm

If that's too religous then I don't quite understand what you are looking for.

I also see 恩惠 and 恩 used in that essay.

[aak]

Thank you for the speedy replies.

The problem with 恩典 and 恩典的状态 is the character 典, dictating canon and scripture.

This is certainly not the case with Divine Favour. Even the word favour smacks of partiality and Higher-than-thou-manship, which is not in the Divine's Nature. This is why I went with the more Sinically universal 恩.

As to 天賜, while I have no argument with the 天, I find 賜 too materialistic, going back to the dispensing of cowries as money: if this were grace, we'd all be rich!

The ancient sages had more of a knack for choosing the right word in terms of a spiritual sense. Unfortunately, there aren't those many around and on the Internet...

[skylee]

The problem with 恩典 and 恩典的状态 is the character 典, dictating canon and scripture.

Ha???? Says who?

The ancient sages had more of a knack for choosing the right word in terms of a spiritual sense. Unfortunately, there aren't those many around and on the Internet...

Ha? This does not seem to be a polite way to ask for help, no? 如此說話，可以休矣。

[zhwj]

恩宠 may be a possibility. 圣宠, too, but that might run into the condescending 'favour' you dislike.

But, isn't grace by its very nature condescending, "higher-than-thou"? I mean, in a basic sense, you're either giving someone something they don't deserve, or holding from them something they do. I'm not sure there's some mystic ancient Chinese understanding that is free from this association.

[aak]

恩宠 and 圣宠 would be possibilities if we could rid ourselves of their historical connotations. For while we are talking of House of the Dragon (宠) and favour of the Emperor, both of which can be considered Celestial, we run into its usage to allude to the concubines of emperors past. Still, the holiness of the second might take the "curse" away.

典 by its very etymology constitutes canon, being a set of (bamboo) books upon a pedestal.

I am sorry if I insulted any holy sages, ancient or otherwise; it certainly was not my intention. Nor could I truly do so, given their nature never to take offence. I was only remarking their scarcity among us moderns--from whom I cannot exclude myself.

As there are no shining faces to see in a post, I can only appreciate the individual word candidates proposed. And whatever I say concerning them is no reflection on the scholarship much less on the persons proposing them. So far, I prefer you were all showered with 天恩 than merely material cum social favours.

Notwithstanding, I do take serious note of 恩惠 and 聖寵 as serious possibilities and deeply value your participation.

[in_lab]

As for the etymology of 恩典, here's what my dictionary says:

原指帝王的恩賜和禮遇,現泛指恩惠

Condescension, materialism, a history of actual use, I think it's got everything you don't want.

[aak]

Not so much what I don't want but what the Reality isn't.

[Long Zhiren]

It depends on what's meant by grace, not to be confused with mercy.

Grace often denotes receiving the good that one does not deserve. 愿 恩 惠

Mercy often denotes not receiving the bad that one does deserve. 怜 悯