In Chinese, there are several words that equate to the Western term of "faith". Which word you use depends a bit upon the context of what you're referring to.
One of my favorites is the simple character for zhong.
What makes this character interesting is that it is formed from two symbols. On the top is the symbol for center. On the bottom is the symbol of the heart. Thus, it implies that the "centering of the heart" is faith. This word normally carries the weight of devotion, loyalty, and piety. This is a very powerful example of the visual literalness of certain chinese words.
When you couple this symbol with yet another heart, xin, symbol, you get the word that means deep devotion. When you couple this symbol with generosity, hou, you arrive at honesty and kindness.
Faith then is truly a view into your heart and comes from within.
Save to Del.icio.us
