About the song

This is the first earliest known
and recorded Chinese Christian hymn

Also known as:
Éloge de la Sainte Trinité,
Hymn of the Three Majestic Powers
Gloria in Excelsis Deo

Composer & Lyricist:
Unknown hymnographer from the Church of the East

Brought to Tang Dynasty China by Alopen (阿罗本)

Translation into Classical Chinese by Adam Jingjing (景淨)

Listen and sing along

Featured source: 圣经赞美诗

Lyrics

Note: If you see A(B) below, A is the Chinese character that you will find in the original manuscript, (B) is the modern correction.

Verse 1:

无上诸天
深敬叹
大地重念
普安和

( Wú shàng zhū tiān
shēn jìng tàn.
Dà dì chóng niàn
pǔ ān hé. )
The highest heavens
deeply revere and praise You.
The Earth once again contemplates
Your universal peace.

人元真性
蒙依止
三才慈父
阿罗诃

( Rén yuán zhēn xìng
méng yī zhǐ,
Sān cái Cí Fù
Āluóhē. )
The human’s original true nature
receives Your guidance,
O Merciful Father of the three realms,
Aloho (ܐܠܗܐ).

Verse 2:

一切善众
至诚礼
一切慧性
称赞歌

( Yī qiè shàn zhòng
zhì chéng lǐ.
Yī qiè huì xìng
chēng zàn gē. )
All kind-hearted souls
with utmost sincerity worship You.
All who are wise
sing hymns of praise to You.

一切含真
尽归仰
蒙圣慈光
救离魔

( Yī qiè hán zhēn
jǐn guī yǎng.
Méng shèng cí Guāng
jiù lí Mó. )
All who embody the truth
fully seek refuge in and rely on You.
They receive the holy merciful Light
and are saved from the Devil.

Verse 3:

难寻无及
正真常
慈父明子
净风王

( Nán xún wú jí,
zhèng, zhēn, cháng,
Cí Fù, Míng Zǐ,
Jìng Fēng Wáng. )
Unsearchable and incomparable,
righteous, true, and eternal are You,
the Merciful Father, the Radiant Son,
and the Pure Wind King.

于诸帝中
为师帝(帝师)
于诸世尊
为法皇

( Yú zhū dì zhōng
wéi Dì Shī.
Yú zhū shì zūn
wéi Fǎ Huáng. )
Among all the emperors,
You are their Teacher.
Among all the world-honored ones,
You are the King of the Torah.

Verse 4:

常居
妙明无畔界
光威
尽察有界疆

( Cháng jū
miào míng wú pàn jiè.
Guāng wēi
jǐn chá yǒu jiè jiāng. )
Forever You exists in the realm
of infinite profound enlightenment.
Glorious and mighty
You fully examine the finite world.

自始
无人尝得见
复以色
见不可相

( Zì shǐ
wú rén cháng dé jiàn.
Fù yǐ sè
jiàn bù kě xiàng. )
From the beginning of time
no human has ever seen You.
Yet again by what is visible
we see what is invisible.

Verse 5:

惟独纯(绝)凝
清净德
惟独神威
无等力

( Wéi dú jué níng
qīng jìng dé.
Wéi dú shén wēi
wú děng lì. )
Only You are absolutely dignified
and have the pure virtue.
Only Your divine authority
has no powers equal to it.

惟独不转
俨然存
众善根本
复无极

( Wéi dú bù zhuǎn,
yǎn rán cún,
zhòng shàn gēn běn,
fù Wú Jí. )
Only You are unchanging,
majestically present,
the root of all goodness,
and also the Infinite One.

Verse 6:

我今一切
念慈恩
叹彼妙乐
照此国

( Wǒ jīn yī qiè
niàn cí ēn.
Tàn bǐ miào lè
zhào cǐ guó. )
Now all of us
contemplate the merciful grace.
We marvel at that wondrous joy
shining upon this kingdom.

弥施诃
普尊大圣子
广度苦界
救无亿

( Míshīhē,
pǔ zūn Dà Shèng Zǐ,
guǎng dù kǔ jiè
jiù wú yì. )
Mshiho (ܡܫܝܚܐ),
the universally adored Great Holy Son,
saves the suffering world
and rescues countless souls.

Verse 7:

常活命王
慈喜羔
大普耽苦
不辞劳

( Cháng huó mìng Wáng,
cí xǐ Gāo,
dà pǔ dān kǔ
bù cí láo. )
The eternal living King of life,
the Lamb of merciful joy,
greatly enduring the sufferings
without complaining.

䫟舍(愿赦)群生
积重罪
善护真性
得无繇(摇)

( Yuàn shè qún shēng
jī zhòng zuì,
shàn hù zhēn xìng
dé wú yáo. )
He vows to pardon all the people
from their accumulation of heavy sins,
and to safeguard the true nature
so that it does not waver.

Verse 8:

圣子端
任(在)父右座
其座复超
无鼎(量)高

( Shèng Zǐ duān
zài Fù yòu zuò.
Qí zuò fù chāo
wú liàng gāo. )
The Holy Son sits upright
on the Father’s right hand throne.
His throne also surpasses
immeasurable heights.

大师䫟(愿)
彼乞众请
降筏
使免火江漂

( Dà Shī yuàn,
bǐ qǐ zhòng qǐng,
jiàng Fá
shǐ miǎn huǒ jiāng piāo. )
The Great Master’s desire,
as those multitudes are begging,
is to send down the Ark so that none
shall be swept away by the river of fire.

Verse 9:

大师
是我等慈父
大师
是我等圣主

( Dà Shī
shì wǒ děng Cí Fù.
Dà Shī
shì wǒ děng Shèng Zhǔ. )
The Great Master
is our Merciful Father.
The Great Master
is our Holy LORD.

大师
是我等法王
大师
能为普救度

( Dà shī
shì wǒ děng Fǎ Wáng.
Dà shī
néng wéi pǔ jiù dù. )
The Great Master
is our King of the Torah.
The Great Master
can perform universal salvation.

Verse 10:

大师慧力
助诸羸(赢)
诸目瞻仰
不暂移

( Dà Shī huì lì
zhù zhū yíng.
Zhū mù zhān yǎng
bù zàn yí. )
The power of the Great Master’s wisdom
helps all to be victorious.
All eyes gaze upon Him with reverence
not moving away even for a moment.

复与枯燋
降甘露
所有蒙润
善根滋

( Fù yǔ kū jiāo
jiàng gān lù.
Suǒ yǒu méng rùn
shàn gēn zī. )
Upon the withered and scorched too
He sends down sweet dew.
Those who receive the nourishing
will have roots of goodness growing.

Verse 11:

大圣
普尊弥施诃
我叹
慈父海藏慈

( Dà Shèng
pǔ zūn Míshīhē,
wǒ tàn Cí Fù
hǎi cáng cí. )
O the Great Holy One,
the universally adored Mshiho (ܡܫܝܚܐ),
we marvel at
the Merciful Father’s ocean of mercy.

大圣谦
及净风性
清凝法耳
不思议

( Dà shèng qiān
jí Jìng Fēng xìng,
qīng níng fǎ ěr
bù sī yì. )
The great holy humility
and the nature of the Pure Wind,
we clean and focus our discerning ears
and we can still not understand.

阿们

Amen

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