As a family, 1 Corinthians 13 4-7 is one of our favorite Bible verses to review in both English and Chinese. Love is defined so clearly in these lines that even our children can recite and learn these values with our example!
Even if you’re not Christian, I hope that you can still enjoy the beautiful words in these activities with your kids! 🙂
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Table of Contents
What does 1 Corinthians 13 tell us about love?
In English (NIV), simplified Chinese (CUVS), traditional Chinese (CUV), and Hanyu Pinyin, the Bible tells us that love:
- Is patient. 是恒久忍耐。 / 愛是恆久忍耐。 (Shì héngjiǔ rěnnài.)
- Is kind. 又有恩慈。 / 是又有恩慈。(Yòu yǒu ēncí.)
- Does not envy. 是不嫉妒。/ 是不嫉妒。(Shì bù jídù.)
- Does not boast. 不自夸。/ 不自誇。(Bù zìkuā.)
- Is not proud. 不张狂。/ 不張狂。(Bù zhāngkuáng.)
- Does not dishonor others. 不做害羞的事 (Bù zuò hàixiū de shì)
- Note:
- The CUV version and Stream of Praise song lyrics use “不做害羞的事 (bù zuò hàixiū de shì) ” instead of “不作失礼的事”.
- The CNVS/CNVT Bible uses 不作失礼的事。/ 不作失禮的事。(Bù zuò shīlǐ de shì.)
- In discussion with our Christian bilingual parenting Facebook group, I learned from another parent: “1. 作 is used for abstract things such as 作弊 whereas 做 is used for more concrete things such as 做作业. 2. 作 is from old Chinese. In fact, in ancient Chinese, 作 is always used to mean “to do.” 做 is a much newer modern version of 作. Therefore, we often see 作 in more sophisticated, formal writing.”
- Note:
- Is not self-seeking. 不求自己的益处。/ 不求自己的益處。(Bù qiú zìjǐ de yìchu.)
- Is not easily angered. 不轻易发怒。/ 不輕易發怒。(Bù qīngyì fānù.)
- Keeps no record of wrongs. 不计算人的恶。/ 不計算人的惡。(Bù jìsuàn rén de è.)
- Does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 不喜欢不义，只喜欢真理。/ 不喜歡不義，只喜歡真理。(Bù xǐhuān bùyì, zhǐ xǐhuān zhēnlǐ.)
- Always protects. 凡事包容。/ 凡事包容。(Fánshì bāoróng.)
- Always trusts. 凡事相信。/ 凡事相信。(Fánshì xiāngxìn.)
- Always hopes. 凡事盼望。/ 凡事盼望。(Fánshì pànwàng.)
- Always perseveres. 凡事忍耐。/ 凡事忍耐。(Fánshì rěnnài.)
However, scripture has many reminders about God’s love! Here are just a couple more:
- We love because He first loved us. – 1 John 4:19
- 我们爱，因为 神先爱我们。- 约翰一书 4:19 CNVS
- 我們愛，因為 神先愛我們。- 约翰一书 4:19 CNVT
- The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. – Psalm 33:5
- 耶和华喜爱公义和公正， 全地充满耶和华的慈爱。- 诗篇 33:5 CVNS
- 耶和華喜愛公義和公正， 全地充滿耶和華的慈愛。- 诗篇 33:5 CNVT
We try to keep these verses in mind in our daily prayers!
Related: 12 Bible Verses on Faith and Parenting in English, Chinese, and Korean
【爱是 / 愛是 Love Is】Stream of Praise Music Video
Here is a wonderful music video featuring kids singing the 1 Corinthians 13 verse in Mandarin Chinese! The melody is beautiful, and my kids love to sing and dance to this worship song!
Related: 讚美之泉 Stream of Praise Chinese Christian Music + Printable Lyrics
Cardboard heart painting – sibling activity
Last year, while listening to the Stream of Praise Chinese worship songs, my children painted this heart together! I felt compelled to set up a collaborative, process-oriented activity that we could do as a family. The goals of the project were to embody patience, kindness, and trust.
Recommended supplies:
- Large cardboard box
- Colorful acrylic paint, washable tempura paint, or quick-drying tempura paint sticks (the latter 2 are more kid-friendly)
- Sponge foam brushes or paint brushes
- Optional: painter’s tape to create borders – when removing, peel carefully so cardboard doesn’t rip
Printable matching activity for 1 Corinthians 13 bible verse
Inspired by Linxin Ang of My Story Treasury, we did a bilingual, interactive activity for the Bible verse of love! Below is her original version from this Instagram post:
Since my younger child is pretty active, I decided to print the words extra large in KaiTi font so that he could have more movement with the activity! We used the big cardboard heart that the kids had painted together.
After the kids cut up 1 Corinthians 13 4-7 into strips, they put what “love is” in the heart and what “love is not” outside of the heart.
Since we mainly read the Bible in English, we did the activity bilingually to scaffold our understanding of new vocabulary and concepts in Chinese.
Download printable matching activity
- English
- Simplified Chinese
- Simplified Chinese with Pinyin
- Traditional Chinese
- Traditional Chinese with Zhuyin
Related: How I’m Learning Chinese as a Busy Parent: Speaking, Reading, Writing
1 Corinthians 13 Printable wall art in Chinese and English
If you don’t have time to do an activity, no worries! This printable art was inspired by 1 Corinthians 13, and you can simply display it on the wall or put it on the fridge! There are many ways to celebrate God’s love, and this also creates a print-rich environment with positive messages.
Download 1 Corinthians 13 hearts printable decor
- English
- Simplified Chinese (Handwriting font)
- Simplified Chinese (KaiTi font)
- Traditional Chinese CUV
- Traditional Chinese with Zhuyin
After seeing the digital art, my 4-year-old son was inspired to draw his own bilingual version! I love how God leads our children to create with pure joy!
More ways to learn about God’s love
- 30 Positive Affirmations To Tell Our Kids Everyday (English / Chinese)
- Children’s Bibles and Devotions in Chinese, Korean, and English
- Cantonese-Australian Mother Shares Chinese Bible Activities for Kids (Printable)
- Memory Journal with Letters to Our Children
- Faith, Hope, and Love in a Foreign Heritage Language
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