A Discussion on the English Translation of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Term “Peiwu”

doi:10.12339/j.issn.1673-8578.2025.04.015

Abstract

Abstract:

This paper expounds the concept formation and essential characteristics of the Chinese medicine term “peiwu”,analyzes four translation methods of the term from existing,idealized,and improvable perspectives,and points out that there are problems of misuse of semantic framework in existing translation methods.Based on the universality of human metaphorical cognition,the author emphasizes that the essential characteristics of concepts should be the starting point of term translation,and tentatively puts forward translation methods and reasons.

Key words: TCM terminology, “peiwu”, translation, the essential characteristics of the concept

ZHENG Anwen. A Discussion on the English Translation of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Term “Peiwu”[J]. China Terminology, 2025, 27(4): 78-82.

References 10

[1]	许钧. 论翻译活动的三个层面[J]. 外语教学与研究, 1998(3):49-54.
[2]	许钧. 论翻译的层次[J]. 中国翻译, 1987(5):12-16.
[3]	配伍[M/OL]. 中国大百科全书第三版网络版,[2025-04-07]. https://www.zgbk.com/ecph/words?SiteID=1&ID=300535&Type=bkzyb&SubID=154796.
[4]	许钧. 论翻译[M]. 南京: 译林出版社, 2023:10.
[5]	滕佳林, 崔洪江. 中药学[M]. 北京: 人民卫生出版社, 2007:20.
[6]	方梦之. 翻译学辞典[M]. 北京: 商务印书馆, 2019:238.
[7]	FILLMORE C. Frames and the semantics of understanding[J]. Quaderni di Semantica, 1985, 6(2):222-254.
[8]	PETRUCK M. Frame semantics[M]// VERSCHUEREN J,ÖSTMAN J,BLOMMAERT J,et al. Handbook of pragmatics, Philadelphia: John Benjamins, 1996:1-13.
[9]	冯志伟. 现代术语学引论[M].增订本. 北京: 商务印书馆, 2011:101.
[10]	郑述谱. 俄罗斯当代术语学[M]. 北京: 商务印书馆, 2005:75.

[1]	ZHANG Yafang. A Study of German Translation Strategies for Words with Chinese Characteristics [J]. China Terminology, 2025, 27(4): 103-106.
[2]	HU Yang. Rethinking Culture Introduction in College English Teaching from the Perspective of “Big Data” Term Translation [J]. China Terminology, 2025, 27(4): 133-135.
[3]	Dekyi Dolma, ZHEN Yan, LIU Dong, Drolmakyab. An Exploration of Strategies for the Chinese Translation of Disease Names in Zin tig che par btus pa bdud rtsi’i thigs pa (Clinical Notes of Tibetan Medicine) [J]. China Terminology, 2025, 27(4): 45-49.
[4]	ZHAO Bingjie, ZHOU Zilun, CHEN Ying. Etymology,Translation,and Pragmatic Functions of the Term “Law” [J]. China Terminology, 2025, 27(4): 55-58.
[5]	ZHOU Manman, WANG Mengtao. Translation Studies of Marine Economy Vocabularies from the Perspective of Reception Theory [J]. China Terminology, 2025, 27(4): 59-62.
[6]	ZHOU Yong, KOU Zheming, WU Yanxi. Discussion on English Translation of Terminology of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Key Concepts in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Key Concepts in Traditional Chinese Medicine 2 [J]. China Terminology, 2025, 27(4): 72-77.
[7]	YE Yutong. An Empirical Study of The Translation Strategies of Chinese Characteristic Expression Terminology:Examples from Xi Jinping:The Governance of China Ⅲ [J]. China Terminology, 2025, 27(4): 83-86.
[8]	GUO Wanyu, WANG Honghua. A Comparative Study of Emotion Expression in the Human-Machine Translation of Back [J]. China Terminology, 2025, 27(4): 91-93.
[9]	MA Qiang. Terminology Translation and Standardization Issues in the Development of Nuclear Fuel Technology [J]. China Terminology, 2025, 27(4): 94-96.
[10]	GUI Shiqin. A Study on Buddhist Scripture Translation from the Perspective of Skopos Theory [J]. China Terminology, 2025, 27(4): 97-99.
[11]	YI Xiang, CUI Shu. A Study on Common Terminologies in Hermeneutic Translation Studies [J]. China Terminology, 2025, 27(3): 118-125.
[12]	ZHU Yubin, WANG Zi. Term Translation in the Context of Large Language Models:Current Status,Problems and Prospects [J]. China Terminology, 2025, 27(3): 12-20.
[13]	WU Xi, LIU Wangyang. Review on Tourism Translation Corpora in China:A Visual Analysis Based on CiteSpace [J]. China Terminology, 2025, 27(3): 148-152.
[14]	WANG Shuli, YUAN Wei. A Comparative Study of Human and Machine English Translations of Chinese Prose Based on Corpus Stylistics [J]. China Terminology, 2025, 27(3): 153-157.
[15]	ZHU Zhiyuan. On the Chinese Translation of “Zero Report”:Standardizing Terminology Translation from the Perspective of Communication Studies [J]. China Terminology, 2025, 27(3): 49-54.