Bilingual Love Activities for 1 Corinthians 13 (Chinese-English Printables)

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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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.)
- 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.”
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!

Explore this: 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!

1 Corinthians 13 verse in Chinese and English

Here are the translations of this beautiful bible verse in simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, Pinyin, and English.

1 Corinthians 13 in English

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” 1: Corinthians 13: 4-7 ESV

1 Corinthians 13 in simplified Chinese

「爱是恒久忍耐，又有恩慈。爱是不嫉妒，不自夸，不张狂；不作失礼的事，不求自己的益处，不轻易动怒，不计较人的过犯；
不喜欢不义，只喜欢真理。爱是凡事包容，凡事相信，凡事盼望，凡事忍耐。」
哥林多前书 13:4-7 CNVS

1 Corinthians 13 in traditional Chinese

「愛是恆久忍耐，又有恩慈。愛是不嫉妒，不自誇，不張狂；不作失禮的事，不求自己的益處，不輕易動怒，不計較人的過犯；
不喜歡不義，只喜歡真理。愛是凡事包容，凡事相信，凡事盼望，凡事忍耐。」哥林多前書 13:4-7 CNVS

1 Corinthians 13 verse in Hanyu Pinyin

“Ài shì héngjiǔ rěnnài, yòu yǒu ēncí. Ài shì bù jídù, bù zìkuā, bù zhāngkuáng; bùzuò shīlǐ de shì, bù qiú zìjǐ de yìchu, bù qīngyì dòngnù, bù jìjiào rén deguò fàn; bù xǐhuān bù yì, zhǐ xǐhuān zhēnlǐ. Ài shì fánshì bāoróng, fánshì xiāngxìn, fánshì pànwàng, fánshì rěnnài.” Gē lín duō qián shū 13:4-7 CNVS

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

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

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

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!