This paper is concerned with the translation of one word. More accurately, it is about the inadvertent use of a Chinese word by English-to-Chinese translators when the Chinese language does not have an exact equivalence. This missing word in Chinese is the English word sin. The translators’ substitute, zui, has quite different meanings. This paper explores why the Chinese language does not have the word, and some of the theological, social, and political implications and consequences of the substitution.