How do you say "God willing" in Chinese?

Shun shun li li!

Thanks for the insights! I guess there isn’t a specific way of saying it in Chinese, like “God willing” in English or “Inshallah” in Arabic, but there are various ways that it’s been translated. I’m sure there must be expressions to individual gods invoked to help for their associated tasks, like “Guan Yu willing I’ll vanquish my enemy”,

I kind of feel like the gods aren’t seen that way here, as overarching forces whose whim can be the deciding factor of the success or failure of our efforts at any moment. Doing something for them would potentially help your efforts, and offending them hurt it, but it’s not like they would ordinarily care about you or what’s happening to you.

1 Like

It occurs to me too that such things are often chalked up to impersonal “fate”.

I think of the Chinese gods kind of like postmodern superheros. Sure, they have superpowers, but mostly they’re just too busy dealing with their own problems and hangups.

2 Likes

They seem like kind of a cosmic bureaucracy to me.

1 Like

Well, they’re Chinese gods, so of course there has to be major bureaucracy involved.

1 Like

This isn’t a subject I know as much about as I should do, considering how prominent a role it plays in Taiwanese society, but I got the distinct impression that the gods are precisely seen “as overarching forces whose whim can be the deciding factor of the success or failure of our efforts at any moment” while, as you say, not caring about you on a personal level one way or the other.

This is demonstrated when Taiwanese people, who ordinarily don’t give much thought to the gods, fervently pray at the temples, and engage in other rituals, for a successful marriage, new job, etc. The worshippers clearly believe that what they’re doing will make a difference to their lives in a tangible way.

Well, that’s kind of what I said. “Doing something for them would potentially help your efforts, and offending them hurt it.” But if you do those things then you did what you could and that’s it. It’s kind of like you paid for it. At that point it’s not a question if the person you paid is willing or not. You’re not just sitting back and hoping they’re willing in this equation.

1 Like

Ah, I get you. That makes sense to me. And, I suppose, it also ties into Taoism, wherein you would align yourself to the natural flow of the universe rather than trying to change the outcome.

1 Like

Not sure why this thread popped into the feed. But just read this post and AMEN. Well said.

1 Like