慢慢學 mànmàn xuéCatholic Mass in Mandarin: responses and phrases for Taiwan
Follow a Catholic Mass in Taiwanese Mandarin: the congregation's responses, what the priest says, church vocabulary, and practical phrases for finding a seat, the right page and an English Mass — with pinyin.
A Mandarin Mass follows the same order as the one you know, which makes it one of the easiest places to practise listening: you already know what's coming next. When the priest says yuàn zhǔ yǔ nǐmen tóngzài (the Lord be with you), the answer is yě yǔ nǐ de xīnlíng tóngzài. After the readings comes gǎnxiè tiānzhǔ, at communion jīdū shèngtǐ, and every prayer closes with yàmèng — the Catholic Amen, which is different from the āmén you'll hear at Protestant churches.
Catholic vocabulary in Taiwan has its own traditions: God is tiānzhǔ, the Holy Spirit is shèngshén, a priest is shénfù, and the Lord's Prayer is the tiānzhǔjīng. Parishes print the week's readings and hymns, so the practical phrases matter as much as the prayers — asking if a seat is free, which page everyone is on, and whether there's an English Mass nearby. Wording can differ a little between parishes and missal editions, so follow the leaflet in your pew when it disagrees.
48 phrases for going to mass
| What you say | Pinyin | Characters |
|---|---|---|
| Amen. (the Catholic word — Protestants say āmén) | yàmèng. | 亞孟。 |
| And with your spirit. | yě yǔ nǐ de xīnlíng tóngzài. | 也與你的心靈同在。 |
| Lord, have mercy. | shàngzhǔ, qiú nǐ chuílián. | 上主，求祢垂憐。 |
| Christ, have mercy. | jīdū, qiú nǐ chuílián. | 基督，求祢垂憐。 |
| Thanks be to God. | gǎnxiè tiānzhǔ. | 感謝天主。 |
| We lift them up to the Lord. | wǒmen quánxīn guīxiàng shàngzhǔ. | 我們全心歸向上主。 |
| Peace! (to your neighbours at the sign of peace) | píng'ān! | 平安！ |
| Mass. | mísā | 彌撒 |
| Sunday Mass. | zhǔrì mísā | 主日彌撒 |
| The Our Father. (the Catholic name for the prayer) | tiānzhǔjīng | 天主經 |
| The Creed. | xìnjīng | 信經 |
| The homily / sermon. | jiǎngdào | 講道 |
| The collection / offering. | fèngxiàn | 奉獻 |
| Receive communion. | lǐng shèngtǐ | 領聖體 |
| Catholic / Catholicism. | tiānzhǔjiào | 天主教 |
| Church. (the building) | jiàotáng | 教堂 |
| Priest / Father. | shénfù | 神父 |
| Nun / Sister. | xiūnǚ | 修女 |
| Hymn. | shènggē | 聖歌 |
| Hymn book. | shènggē běn | 聖歌本 |
| Pew. | chángyǐ | 長椅 |
| Make the sign of the cross. | huà shízì shènghào | 劃十字聖號 |
| Confession. | gàojiě | 告解 |
| Holy water. | shèngshuǐ | 聖水 |
| Altar. | jìtái | 祭台 |
| Bible. | shèngjīng | 聖經 |
| The rosary. | méiguījīng | 玫瑰經 |
| What time does Mass start? | mísā jǐ diǎn kāishǐ? | 彌撒幾點開始？ |
| Is there a Mass in English? | yǒu yīngwén mísā ma? | 有英文彌撒嗎？ |
| Is this seat taken? | zhèlǐ yǒu rén zuò ma? | 這裡有人坐嗎？ |
| What page are we on? | xiànzài zài dì jǐ yè? | 現在在第幾頁？ |
| Which hymn number? | dì jǐ shǒu gē? | 第幾首歌？ |
| Excuse me, where's the restroom? | qǐngwèn, cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ? | 請問，廁所在哪裡？ |
| It's my first time here. | wǒ shì dì yī cì lái. | 我是第一次來。 |
| I'm not Catholic. | wǒ bú shì tiānzhǔjiào tú. | 我不是天主教徒。 |
| Father, could you give me a blessing? | shénfù, kěyǐ wèi wǒ jiàngfú ma? | 神父，可以為我降福嗎？ |
| Can I go to confession today? | jīntiān kěyǐ bàn gàojiě ma? | 今天可以辦告解嗎？ |
What you'll hear back
The other half of the conversation — what the vendor, clerk or nurse says to you. Understanding these is usually harder than speaking.
| What they say | Pinyin | Characters |
|---|---|---|
| In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. | yīn fù, jí zǐ, jí shèngshén zhī míng. | 因父、及子、及聖神之名。 |
| The Lord be with you. | yuàn zhǔ yǔ nǐmen tóngzài. | 願主與你們同在。 |
| The word of the Lord. (after a reading) | shàngzhǔ de huà. | 上主的話。 |
| Let us pray. | qǐng dàjiā qídǎo. | 請大家祈禱。 |
| Lift up your hearts. | qǐng jǔ xīn xiàng shàng. | 請舉心向上。 |
| The Body of Christ. | jīdū shèngtǐ. | 基督聖體。 |
| The Mass is ended. | mísā lǐchéng. | 彌撒禮成。 |
| Please stand. | qǐng qǐlì. | 請起立。 |
| Please be seated. | qǐng zuò. | 請坐。 |
| Please kneel. | qǐng guìxià. | 請跪下。 |
| Welcome! Is this your first time? | huānyíng! nǐ shì dì yī cì lái ma? | 歡迎！你是第一次來嗎？ |
Questions people ask
Can I go to a Mandarin Mass if I don't speak much Mandarin?
Yes. The structure is the same everywhere, so you can follow along by the actions — standing, sitting, kneeling — and join in the short responses. Parishes often hand out a leaflet with the readings and hymn numbers.
Is there Mass in English in Taiwan?
Some parishes in the bigger cities hold English Masses, often alongside Masses for the Filipino and other migrant communities. Times change, so ask the parish office: yǒu yīngwén mísā ma?
Why is Amen yàmèng and not āmén?
Catholic and Protestant churches in the Chinese-speaking world grew up with different translations. Catholics say yàmèng (亞孟) and call God tiānzhǔ, while most Protestant churches say āmén (阿們) and call God shàngdì. Both will be understood, but use the Catholic forms at Mass.
I'm not Catholic — what do I do at communion?
Communion is for Catholics. You can stay in your seat, or join the line with your arms crossed over your chest to receive a blessing from the priest instead.
