Representing Religion -Chinese Religions at the 1893 Chicago World Parliament of Religions- = Representing Religion -Chinese Religions at the 1893 Chicago World Parliament of Religions-

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The word 宗敎 (zongjiao in Chinese, and shukyo in Japanese) has been the translation of religion, and, as a concept, it has drawn the attention of many scholars. After reviewing the connotation of the Chinese religions represented at the 1893 Chicago World Parliament of Religions, this article discusses the issue of the translation of the word religion in modern China. Missionaries who went to China in the nineteenth century used 敎 (jiao) to translate religion. However, as Pung Kwang Yu pointed out, it is a misunderstanding to translate the word religion as 敎 because 敎 in Chinese means education and civilization, while religion is a faith, and, thus, the two terms are not inter-translatable. This was not an isolated point of view among Chinese intellectuals. Missionaries also knew this. At the Chicago Parliament, missionaries who came from China called Christianity a religion, a word they also used to label Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, thereby injecting diverse meanings into religion. Although missionaries finally compromised by using both Shangdi (上帝) and Shen (神) concurrently to translate God, Henry Blodgett mentioned Tianzhu (天主) in Parliament, which indicates that no translation could be perfect, or satisfy everyone. Religion, as a term, has a definite meaning. But, as a concept, its meaning becomes vague.