zōng jiào
religion
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宗教信仰是每个人的权利。
Zōngjiào xìnyǎng shì měi ge rén de quánlì.
Religious belief is the right of every person.
宗教在社会中扮演着重要的角色。
Zōngjiào zài shèhuì zhōng bǎnyǎn zhe zhòngyào de juésè.
Religion plays an important role in society.
宗教文化是人类文化的重要组成部分。
Zōngjiào wénhuà shì rénlèi wénhuà de zhòngyào zǔchéng bùfèn.
Religious culture is an important part of human culture.
信仰 (xìn yǎng)
faith
宗教信仰 (zōng jiào xìn yǎng)
religious belief
科学 (kēxué)
science
无神论 (wúshénlùn)
atheism
The Chinese word 宗教 (zōngjiào) for "religion" is a compound of two characters: 宗 (zōng) and 教 (jiào). The character 宗 originally meant "ancestor" or "lineage", and was later extended to mean "sect" or "school of thought". The character 教 originally meant "to teach" or "to instruct", and was later extended to mean "religion" or "doctrine". The combination of these two characters thus conveys the idea of a "system of beliefs and practices that is passed down from generation to generation".The word 宗教 first appeared in Chinese texts during the Han dynasty (206 BCE - 220 CE), when it was used to refer to Buddhism. However, it was not until the 19th century that the word came into widespread use, when it was adopted by Chinese intellectuals to translate the Western concept of "religion". Today, 宗教 is the standard Chinese word for "religion", and is used in a variety of contexts, including academic discussions, religious texts, and everyday conversation.
