The Holy Bible in Black Hmong 2024 — Chuanqiandian Miao (Black Hmong) Complete Bible (China)
Overview
Vaajtswb Txujlug ("Word of God") is the complete 66-book Bible in the Chuanqiandian Miao (Black Hmong) language, published in 2024 by Bible Society Vietnam (Thánh Kinh Hội Việt Nam) and available via YouVersion/Bible.com (ID 4258; abbreviation: CQD2024). The translation uses a Latin-based romanized script — the writing system used for Hmong/Miao languages in the romanized Hmong orthographic tradition. The title Vaajtswb Txujlug follows the orthographic conventions of the romanized Hmong/Miao script. Chuanqiandian Miao (ISO 639-3: cqd), also known as Black Hmong or Hua Miao, is a Hmongic language spoken across southwestern China and northern Southeast Asia.
Language and People
Chuanqiandian Miao (ISO 639-3: cqd; autonym: Black Hmong) is a Sino-Tibetan language: Sino-Tibetan → Hmong-Mien → Hmongic → Chuanqiandian cluster. The "Chuanqiandian" designation covers Miao varieties spoken in the Chuan (Sichuan), Qian (Guizhou/Qiǎnzhōu), and Dian (Yunnan/Diānyún) provinces of southwestern China — hence the compound name. This is distinct from the better-known Western Hmong (hea) and Northern Hmong (hnj), though all belong to the Hmongic sub-family.
The Black Hmong/Chuanqiandian Miao community inhabits:
- Guizhou Province, southwestern China — the primary concentration
- Yunnan Province, southwestern China
- Sichuan Province, southwestern China
- Northern Vietnam, Laos, and adjacent areas — cross-border populations
Estimated speakers: approximately 900,000–1,000,000 (Ethnologue: 974,000 across seven distinct Joshua Project people groups).
Cultural Context
The Miao/Hmong peoples of southwestern China have a distinctive highland culture — traditionally shifting cultivators and weavers, known for the elaborate embroidery and silver jewelry of Hmong women's dress. The Chuanqiandian Miao share cultural affinities with other Hmong-Mien peoples while maintaining specific Black Hmong identity through dress, dialect, and ritual practices. Bible Society Vietnam's publication of this Bible reflects the cross-border nature of the Hmong-Miao language community — the language spans the China-Vietnam border, and Vietnamese Bible societies have been active in producing scripture for minority groups on both sides of the frontier.
Publishing and Organizations
Published by Bible Society Vietnam (Thánh Kinh Hội Việt Nam, biblevietnam.org), the national United Bible Societies affiliate for Vietnam, which specializes in minority-language scriptures for Vietnam and adjacent border peoples.