Abstract:

In the late Qing dynasty and the early Republic of China, the translation of physics terminologies was very inconsistent, which became a great obstacle for the rapid spread of modern physics in China. Since 1920, a large number of returned students had made much effort to review and approval the physics terms. They discussed and determined the translation principle of the physics terms, which laid the foundation for unifying physics terminologies. They had presided over the work Physics Group of the General Committee for Scientific Terminology and Terminology Review Committee of Chinese Physical Society, and compiled the Physics Terminologies (First Reviewed Edition), Physical Terminologies Assembly and Physics Terminologies. By 1934, under the leadership of returned students, the physics terms were basically unified and the indigenization process of western physics in China was greatly accelerated.

Key words: physics terminologies, returned students, unification, indigenization