祈禱 / 祈祷
qídǎo
To pray in Chinese is 祈禱 / 祈祷 (qídǎo). Wiktionary also lists 禱告 / 祷告 (dǎogào).
Meaning: to talk to God (verb)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 祈禱 / 祈祷 | qídǎo |
| 禱告 / 祷告 | dǎogào |
The verb used to describe the act of talking to God is 祈禱 / 祈祷. This is the most common way to express the act of praying in both daily conversation and religious contexts. If you are specifically referring to the written text or the specific words used in a prayer, the noun 祈禱文 is used.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, the term 禱告 / 祷告 is used to express 'pray' or 'prayer.'
How does it change in a sentence?
To specify the deity or person being prayed to, use the structure 向 [deity] 祈禱 (xiàng… qídǎo).
How do you pronounce it?
qídǎo
Did you know?
- In traditional Chinese folk religion, people often 'pray' by burning incense or joss paper, an act that is conceptually linked to sending messages to the spiritual world.
- In many Chinese contexts, the act of praying is not just a verbal activity but is often accompanied by the term 跪拜 (guìbài), which means 'to kneel and kowtow', representing a physical posture of submission.
- Chinese has a distinct term 祈福 (qífú) which specifically means to pray for good fortune or blessings rather than general communication with God.
Examples in context
- 我每天晚上祈祷平安和健康。(Wǒ měitiān wǎnshàng qídǎo píng'ān hé jiànkāng.)Every evening, I pray for peace and good health.
- 他在心里祝福全世界的人。(Tā zài xīnlǐ zhùfú quán shìjiè de rén.)He silently prays for everyone in the world.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pray” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
