Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 祭司 | jìsī |
| 教士 | jiàoshì |
| 神父 | shénfù |
| 牧師 / 牧师 | mùshī |
| 司鐸 / 司铎 | sīduó |
Because Chinese distinguishes between different types of religious figures, you must choose your word based on the specific religion or historical context you are describing.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 神父 literally translates to "God father". The term 牧師 combines the characters for "shepherd" and "teacher".
Which one should you use?
The choice of word depends heavily on the religious tradition: 祭司 refers to priests in an ancient, mythological or non-Christian religious context. 神父 is specifically used for a Catholic priest. 牧師 is the standard term for a Protestant minister or pastor. 教士 is a more general term used for a member of the clergy or a religious brother.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, the term 司祭 is commonly used to refer to a Catholic priest.
How do you pronounce it?
jìsī
Did you know?
- The word 祭司 is often used in Chinese translations of fantasy novels and games to describe high priests of fictional religions.
- The term 司鐸 is a more formal, classical way to write the word for a priest, often used in specific liturgical or highly formal written contexts.
- In mainland China, you will see 牧师 written in simplified characters, but in Taiwan or Hong Kong, it appears as 牧師.
Examples in context
- 那位僧人对禅宗有着深厚的研究。That monk has profound knowledge of Zen Buddhism.
- 我们的教堂有一位非常友好的牧师。Our church has a very friendly priest.
- 这位神父在教堂举行了一场感人的弥撒。The priest held a moving Mass at the church.
- 那位和尚很慈祥，总是乐于帮助他人。That priest is very kind-hearted and always willing to help others.
- 這位祭司在講解經文。zhè wèi jì sī zài jiǎng jiě jīng wén.This priest is explaining the scriptures.
- 那位祭司非常有慈悲心。nà wèi jì sī fēi cháng yǒu cí bēi xīn.That priest is very compassionate.
Example conversation
Zhiqiang and Jiayi are visiting a museum of ancient history.
- 志强 Zhiqiang你看，這幅畫畫的是一位祭司。Nǐ kàn, zhè fú huà huà de shì yī wèi jìsī.Look, this painting depicts a priest.
- 佳怡 Jiayi他的衣服看起來非常華麗。Tā de yīfú kàn qǐlái fēicháng huálì.His clothes look very magnificent.
- 志强 Zhiqiang當時祭司負責與神靈溝通。Dāngshí jìsī fùzé yǔ shénlíng gōutōng.At that time, priests were responsible for communicating with the gods.
- 佳怡 Jiayi這真是太有趣了。Zhè zhēn shì tài yǒuqù le.That is really interesting.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “priest” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
