I would like to share a useful prompt for translating Tibetan Bodhicharyavatara into Chinese verse. This prompt is good at maintaining correct logical/ conditional interpretation of the given UCCA while generating a concise and harmonious style Chinese in verse. Please note: This prompt has only been used and tested on Claude 3.7 sonnet with normal style.
Follow these three steps and the output will be some good Chinese
Paste the prompt
Insert the Source text in the section in the prompt
Paste the Json format UCCA tree to <UCCA_TREE_PLACEHOLDER> section in the prompt
• Very impressive overall
• Accurate use of Buddhist technical terminology
• Easy to understand
• Correct logical/ conditional relationship
• Concise and harmonious, suitable for literary purpose and also for contemplation and recitation
Here is the English Version of the prompt:
I'll translate this instruction into English for you.
# As a Tibetan Buddhist Scholar and Dharma Translator
Please translate the following Tibetan scripture into Chinese Buddhist literature. I need a precise translation that balances traditional elegance with modern readability:
<Tibetan Original Text>
<UCCA_TREE_PLACEHOLDER>
## Analysis and Translation Process
1. **Detailed Semantic Structure Analysis Based on UCCA**
* Apply the UCCA (Universal Conceptual Cognitive Annotation) framework for in-depth analysis
* Carefully identify each node ID, type and relationship in the UCCA structure diagram
* Analyze the original text's Scenes, Participants (Agent/Patient), Processes and Linkers
* Pay special attention to descriptors in UCCA to ensure accurate understanding
* Confirm the precise structure of conditional sentences, causal relationships and logical connections
* Identify implicit concepts and rhetorical techniques
* Create a concise structural diagram showing relationships between semantic components in the UCCA analysis
2. **Precise Verification of Buddhist Terminology**
* Professionally authenticate key Tibetan Buddhist terms, referring to these commonly misunderstood terms:
- སོམས (thinking/considering, not equanimity)
- མནོས (abiding/maintaining, not patience)
- རྐྱེན (condition/dependent origination, note contextual meaning)
- བྱང་ཆུབ (bodhi/awakening, not simplified as "becoming Buddha")
* Confirm specialized usage of terms within specific sects and lineages
* Establish a translation glossary to ensure consistency
3. **Multi-level Translation Stages**
* **Literal layer**: Precisely capture every concept in the original text, omitting nothing
* **Structural layer**: Maintain the original conditional structures, causal relationships and logical connections
* **Verse conversion layer**: Transform into seven-character format (or specified format), maintaining consistent character count per line
* **Literary optimization layer**: Choose more elegant wording without changing the original meaning
4. **Integrated Style Creation**
* Combine the literary quality of standard verse form with the clarity of the "bright mirror" style
* Use Buddhist terminology appropriately, maintaining both professionalism and readability
* Maintain the solemn sense of Tibetan Buddhist scriptures, avoiding excessive modernization or excessive classicization
* Ensure harmonious rhythm conducive to recitation and memorization
5. **Multiple Cross-validations**
* Verify whether each node in the UCCA structure has been accurately translated
* Compare the translation with the original Tibetan text word by word
* Check whether each semantic node has been accurately translated
* Check for inadvertent addition of concepts not present in the original text
* Compare with existing authoritative translations (if available)
## Translation Principles and Considerations
**Principles that must be followed:**
1. **Conceptual precision**: Do not add or remove any concepts from the original text
2. **Structural fidelity**: Maintain the syntactic structure of the original text, especially conditional and causal relationships
3. **Terminological consistency**: Maintain consistent translation of the same term throughout the text
4. **Traditional expression**: Conform to Chinese Buddhist expression habits without adding concepts
**Common pitfall warnings:**
1. Misunderstanding "སོམས" as "equanimity" rather than "thinking/considering"
2. Over-interpreting concepts of dependent origination, adding deeper Buddhist principles not present in the original text
3. Changing the original structure or adding concepts in pursuit of literary aesthetics
4. Projecting modern Buddhist understanding onto classical texts
**Terminology Reference Table:**
| Tibetan Term | Accurate Meaning | Common Misunderstanding | Recommended Translation |
|---------|---------|---------|---------|
| སོམས | Thinking/Considering | Equality/Equanimity | Contemplation/Thinking |
| མནོས | Abiding/Maintaining | Receiving/Obtaining | Abiding/Dwelling |
| རྐྱེན | Condition/Dependent Origination | Understanding only as external conditions | Causes and Conditions/Causal Factor |
| དེ་ལྟར | Thus/In this way | Expanding to "such is the correct view" | Thus/In this manner |
## Final Presentation Requirements
1. **Standard Verse Format**:
* Four lines with seven characters each (unless otherwise requested)
* Harmonious phonetics, clear rhythm, easy to recite
* Concise and elegant, conforming to Chinese Buddhist verse tradition
2. **Translation Quality Verification**:
* Does it contain Buddhist concepts not present in the original text? (Should not)
* Does the translation faithfully reflect each node relationship in the UCCA semantic structure analysis? (Should)
* Does it accurately preserve the conditional structures and causal relationships of the original text? (Should)
* Are key terms accurately translated according to the terminology reference table? (Should)
* Does it maintain the format requirements and phonetic coordination of verse form? (Should)
* Does the translation faithfully reflect each node relationship in the semantic structure? (Should)
Please provide:
1. Summary of UCCA-based semantic structure analysis of the Tibetan original text
2. Summary of semantic structure analysis of the Tibetan original text
3. Results of key terminology authentication
4. Final integrated-style translation (presented in standard format)
5. Explanation of the balance between translation accuracy and literary quality
Strictly follow the above instructions to ensure the translation accurately conveys the spirit of the original text while possessing the literary beauty of Chinese Buddhist literature, faithfully presenting without adding personal interpretation.