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Firefly–Serenity Chinese Pinyinary
Chinese translations with standard Hanyu Pinyin romanization and Chinese characters for Firefly the TV series and Serenity the movie and comic books

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Chinese Dialog

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Ren2ci2 de5 Fo2zu3…

Simplified/Traditional characters: 仁慈的佛祖……
Back-translation of Mandarin: Merciful Buddha...
Script Mandarin translation (phonetic for English speakers): Run-tse duh fwotzoo...
Translated from script English: Merciful buddha...
Context: “Our Mrs. Reynolds,” Inara, upon seeing Mal is alive

ren2ci2 de5 Fo2zu3

merciful Buddha

ren2ci2 de5: to be benevolent, to be merciful
1. ren2 [for this meaning, used only in compound words]: compassionate
2. ci2 [for this meaning, used only in compound words]: compassionate, kind [adjective]
3. de5: [noun-modifier marker] [here: integrated adjectival clause (restrictive relative clause)]
Fo2zu3: [Buddhism] [polite] Buddha, a Buddhist patriarch (sect founder)
1. Fo2: [abbreviation] →
  Fo2tuo2 佛陀 : [Buddhism] Buddha [loanword; transliteration for Buddha: [Sanskrit] The Awakened One (see note below)]
  1. Fo2: [phonetically used Chinese character] [now only refers to Buddha/Buddhism]
  2. tuo2 [used only in compound words]: [phonetically used Chinese character]; [literally: a steep bank]
2. zu3 [used only in compound words (or as a family name)]: an ancestor, a founder

Notes:

Buddha: The Chinese characters were used phonetically not for Modern Standard Mandarin (Putonghua) Fo2tuo2 (“fuo-tuo”) but for an older pronunciation like “biuət-da.” For reconstructed Middle Chinese (220–960 CE) pronunciations of the syllables of Fo2tuo2, see Bernhard Karlgren, Analytic Dictionary of Chinese and Sino-Japanese (1923; reprint, New York: Dover, 1991), entry nos. 47, 1011.
Also:
- Fo2jiao4 佛教 : Buddhism; Fo2: [abbreviation] → Fo2tuo2 佛陀 : [Buddhism] Buddha [see main entry above]; jiao4 [for this meaning, used only in compound words]: religion
- Fo2jiao4tu2 佛教徒 : a Buddhist; Fo2jiao4: Buddhism [see above]; tu2 [for this meaning, used only in compound words]: a follower

Ren2ci2 de5 Fo2zu3, qing3 bao3you4 wo3men5…

Simplified characters: 仁慈的佛祖，请保佑我们…… / Traditional characters: 仁慈的佛祖，請保佑我們……
Back-translation of Mandarin: Merciful Buddha, please bless and protect us...
Script Mandarin translation (phonetic for English speakers): RUNtse de FWOtzoo, ching baoYO wuomun...
Translated from script English: Oh merciful Buddha protect us... [see Note 1 below]
Context: Serenity (movie) [Cut], Inara, when Mal’s dangerous plan starts to become apparent [also described in Serenity (novelization), p. 195]

ren2ci2 de5 Fo2zu3

merciful Buddha

ren2ci2 de5: to be benevolent, to be merciful
1. ren2 [for this meaning, used only in compound words]: compassionate
2. ci2 [for this meaning, used only in compound words]: compassionate, kind [adjective]
3. de5: [noun-modifier marker] [here: integrated adjectival clause (restrictive relative clause)]
Fo2zu3: [Buddhism] [polite] Buddha, a Buddhist patriarch (sect founder)
1. Fo2: [abbreviation] →
  Fo2tuo2 佛陀 : [Buddhism] Buddha [loanword; transliteration for Buddha: [Sanskrit] The Awakened One (see Note 2 below)]
  1. Fo2: [phonetically used Chinese character] [now only refers to Buddha/Buddhism]
  2. tuo2 [used only in compound words]: [phonetically used Chinese character]; [literally: a steep bank]
2. zu3 [used only in compound words (or as a family name)]: an ancestor, a founder

qing3 bao3you4 wo3men5

please bless and protect us

qing3: please (for requests)
bao3you4: (May God) protect and bless
1. bao3 [for this meaning, used only in compound words]: to protect (life, civil rights, etc.)
2. you4 [used only in compound words]: to help, to protect
wo3men5: us
1. wo3: me
2. men5: [suffix for human plural words]

Notes:

Oh: As an actual prayer (not a generic “Oh my God!” sort of interjection), the script English would make more sense as the vocative (direct address of someone): “O merciful Buddha, protect us…”
Buddha: The Chinese characters were used phonetically not for Modern Standard Mandarin (Putonghua) Fo2tuo2 (“fuo-tuo”) but for an older pronunciation like “biuət-da.” For reconstructed Middle Chinese (220–960 CE) pronunciations of the syllables of Fo2tuo2, see Bernhard Karlgren, Analytic Dictionary of Chinese and Sino-Japanese (1923; reprint, New York: Dover, 1991), entry nos. 47, 1011.
Also:
- Fo2jiao4 佛教 : Buddhism; Fo2: [abbreviation] → Fo2tuo2 佛陀 : [Buddhism] Buddha [see main entry above]; jiao4 [for this meaning, used only in compound words]: religion
- Fo2jiao4tu2 佛教徒 : a Buddhist; Fo2jiao4: Buddhism [see above]; tu2 [for this meaning, used only in compound words]: a follower

Ren2ci2 de5 Shang4di4, qing3 dai4 wo3 zou3

Simplified characters: 仁慈的上帝，请带我走 / Traditional characters: 仁慈的上帝，請帶我走
Back-translation of Mandarin: Merciful God, please take me away
1. Script Mandarin translation (phonetic for English speakers): RUNtse de SHANG-DEE, ching DAIwuhtzo
Translated from script English: Merciful God please take me away
Context: Serenity (movie), River, upon becoming psychically overwhelmed on Miranda
2. Novelization Mandarin translation (Hanyu Pinyin romanization): Renzi de Shang Di, qing dai wa zhou [sic; Serenity (movie) script (phonetic for English speakers): RUNtse de SHANG-DEE, ching DAIwuhtzo]
Translated from script English: Merciful God please take me away [from Serenity (movie) script]
Context: Serenity (novelization), River, p. 207, upon becoming psychically overwhelmed on Miranda

ren2ci2 de5 Shang4di4

merciful God

ren2ci2 de5: to be benevolent, to be merciful
1. ren2 [for this meaning, used only in compound words]: compassionate
2. ci2 [for this meaning, used only in compound words]: compassionate, kind [adjective]
3. de5: [noun-modifier marker] [here: integrated adjectival clause (restrictive relative clause)]
Shang4di4: (Christian) God
1. shang4 [for this meaning, used only in compound words]: superior, higher
2. di4 [used only in compound words]: God, Supreme Being

qing3 dai4 wo3 zou3

please take me away

qing3: please (for requests)
dai4: to take, to carry
wo3: me
zou3: to go away