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Rectifying the Names: Suggestions for Standardizing Chinese Medical Terminology

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Abstract

The major problem facing the Western student of Chinese medicine is the dearth of literature concerning this art of healing as traditionally practiced in China. A glance at Western bookshelves shows that much of the literature categorized as “Chinese medicine” is more correctly comment on the subject. Much of it is comparative research in medicine and cosmology. A surprisingly large proportion of the material that has been translated into English is not from original Chinese sources, but rather from French or German. Direct translation from Chinese accounts for perhaps ten percent of the available literature, and the greater proportion of this is by Chinese whose mastery of English is insufficient. Although some reliable texts on acumoxatherapy do exist, works on drug therapy are few and inadequate.

“What is necessary is to rectify the names!”

Confucius, Discourses, 13:3

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© 1989 Kluwer Academic Publishers

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Wiseman, N., Zmiewski, P. (1989). Rectifying the Names: Suggestions for Standardizing Chinese Medical Terminology. In: Unschuld, P.U. (eds) Approaches to Traditional Chinese Medical Literature. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2701-8_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2701-8_6

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-7717-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-2701-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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